Polymyalgia and Minoxidil

Excerpt

To the Editors: Topical minoxidil has been commercially available since 1987 for the treatment of baldness. Except for contact dermatitis, it is considered free of adverse reactions (1). Reports of hypertrichosis (2) in parts of the body remote from the site of application and rare cases of nerve or cardiovascular toxicity (3-5), however, suggested the possibility of systemic side effects. We observed a previously unreported "polymyalgia" syndrome in four of our patients on topical minoxidil. All were healthy men, aged 48, 40, 40, and 27, respectively. Topical minoxidil was their only medication; they applied it from twice a day to