Kids who are accidentally exposed to minoxidil (Rogaine) can suffer dangerous side effects. A seven-year-old girl in France swallowed a teaspoon of the popular hair loss treatment and was hospitalized with a dangerously fast heartbeat and low blood pressure.
Minoxidil was originally sold as an oral drug to treat high blood pressure, but is only prescribed for patients who did not respond to other treatments. It was found to have the side effect of promoting hair growth when applied to the scalp and it has been sold for that purposed for many years. It is sold over-the-counter without a prescription in many areas of the world, including the United States. The brand name for minoxidil is Rogaine, but it is widely available in generic versions.
To prevent hair loss, minoxidil is applied to the scalp. The standard dose is 1 milliliter or about a fifth of a teaspoon applied twice a day. A teaspoon of minoxidil applied to the scalp can cause rapid heartbeat in an adult, according to Dr. Isabelle Claudet, lead author of the report on the little girl, which appeared in Pediatric Emergency Care. The report noted that the dosage the girl swallowed was 10 to 100 times greater than the therapeutic dose at which minoxidil is used to treat hypertension in children. Dr. Claudet is head of the pediatric emergency department at Children's Hospital in Toulouse, France.
In France, the product comes in a pump dispenser bottle that is not child proof after it has been opened. In the United States, Rogaine is sold with child-resistant features, according to a spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson, the Consumer Group, which markets Rogaine. The product comes with warnings on the label to keep it out of the hands of children.
The girl recovered in the hospital and her blood pressure was back to normal a day after she was admitted.
