Doctors Say a Random Cheap Pill May Actually Reverse Balding

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The active ingredient in a famous hair-loss product may be cheap, but it's only rarely prescribed in the form doctors recommend.

According to the New York Times, low doses of minoxidil, which is the active ingredient in the over-the-counter hair loss treatment, appear to work better when taken on a daily basis.

Minoxidil has a huge warning on its label for causing other heart problems. Since the early 90s, Rogaine's minoxidil lotion has been used by both men and women and is now a generic product.

The effectiveness of minoxidil pills over Rogaine's lotion and foam products was discovered by trial and error, as anyone who has pattern baldness in their family knows, doesn't work particularly well and feels gross to boot.

The New York Times reports that the discovery was the result of a dedicated Australian dermatologist. Sinclair found that minoxidil was more effective than blood pressure treatment in helping with hair loss and had no side effects.

The super-low-dose minoxidil is still taken by the first Australian patient and others who see Sinclair.

The "off-label"ness of low-dose minoxidil has spooked some users, even though Robert Swerlick, of the Emory University School of Medicine notes that "most things we do are off."

The off-label designation is likely to stay that way because Big pharma isn't interested in conducting formal trials due to the poor economics of the industry.

The cost of oral minoxidil is pennies a day. There isn't much incentive to test it in a trial. The study is never going to be completed.

Minoxidil, which is used to treat hair loss, will stay off-label for the foreseeable future.

"I am proud to call them the off-label bandits," Adam Friedman said.

It doesn't work for "fully smooth" hair like Jeff Bezos, and some doctors have found that it doesn't work for some patients.

We don't know why someone would want to conduct a study into low-dose oral minoxidil as a baldness treatment. More and more people attest to its magic.

Doctors say an old medicine can grow new hair for pennies a day.

A new genetic discovery could explain balding.