Best Selling Medicine
Dr. Aditya Shah
Expert In Clinical Pharmacology And Drug SafetyView moreIf you are someone to strictly follows a hair care routine, or loves to take care of your hair, then a bottle of minoxidil must be placed in your cabinet. It’s one such element that is prescribed by dermatologists across the world to prevent hair loss and encourage hair growth. Primarily minoxidil is known as a hair treatment chemical.
But besides this it is also prescribed sometimes for treating hypertension and heart related issues. Here, we shall discuss in detail about the shelf life and safety measures one shall follow while storing minoxidil.
This may sound uninteresting, but it helps in saving money, so that you don’t end up expiring minoxidil in your bottle. But this knowledge will also help you stay away from side effects and ultimately benefitting your scalp.
There may arise a situation where you don’t know whether the minoxidil in bottle is expired or it can be used. And this could lead to confusion and using expired items can lead to minor to major side effects. So, we have compiled all the necessary information needed regarding minoxidil’s shelf life and safety for better hair care.
Does Minoxidil Actually Expire?
The simple answer is yes. Like any medicine or drug, Minoxidil bottles from any brand comes with an expiry date. Popular variants like Mintop Solution or Tugain 5 Solution have an expiry date of 2 to 3 years.
For effective hair growth, you can buy Mintop Solution 2 and Tugain Solution, which are given below-
| Medicines | Tablet | Price | Price/Unit | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mintop Solution 2 | 12 Bottle/s | $121 | $10.08 | Shop Now |
| Tugain (Minoxidil) | 3 Bottle/s | $51 | $17.00 | Shop Now |
Thing to note here, just after the day of expiry, the solution or drug doesn’t become harmful. It can still be used, but the efficiency is reduced gradually. And after expiry you cannot claim or sue the manufacturer regarding not getting desired results. So, expiry date plays a breakeven point for better efficiency and legal validity.
What Happens When Minoxidil Expires?
➯ Loss Of Potency
The key ingredient we are discussing here, Minoxidil is categorized as a vasodilator. It works by widen the blood vessels to ensure better blood flow and maintain stable blood circulation. This mechanism of Minoxidil makes it useful in treating hypertension patients.
After expiry, the bonds that have maintained the concentration of the liquid are broken, especially if it comes under contact with direct sunlight. This means the liquid is still present, but the concentration has dipped, leading to less effectiveness. The scalp may not be getting adequate amount of dosage to prevent hair fall.
➯ Changes In Vehicle
Vehicle here is referred as a mixture of water, alcohol, and propylene glycol with which Minoxidil is mixed. If not stored correctly and cap isn’t tight as it should be, then pH level of the solution might change. This could lead to minoxidil being deposited at the bottom of the bottle in form of crystals.
➯ Bacterial Contamination
After you open a bottle of minoxidil, it begins interaction with the environment. The usually high alcohol concentration in Tugain 10 Solution or Mintop Solution 10 prevents bacterial growth. But in expired products bacterial Infections might occur, and on applying it on scalp can lead to worsening situations.
Note:
If you use expired minoxidil, it might not work properly, and you might experience irritation on your scalp.
How To Tell If Your Minoxidil Is “Off”
Before you set out to apply minoxidil, do check these pointers to ensure safety and better efficacy:
Color Change: If you found that liquid in the bottle has turned into brown or dark yellow, probably its due to oxidation. Avoid using such solutions.
Crystallization: If you encounter white crystals getting accumulated at the bottom of bottle, those crystals are minoxidil. It happens when after expiry or when not stored properly, either due to coming in contact with sunlight.
Odor: Encountering pungent or sour smell indicates disintegrated chemical bonds. The potency of such solutions is very low.
Texture: A new bottle of minoxidil will be like a regular solution, but after expiry or in damage situations it turns extremely sticky.
✅ Advice
It is always important to check the expiry date of the product and avoid using it if you notice any unusual changes.
Proper Storage to Extend Shelf Life
Follow the steps below to maintain shelf life of Tugain 10 Solution or Tugain 5 Solution.
Keep it cool: Ideally the solution must be stored where temperature ranges between 20 degrees to 25 degrees Celsius. Avoid storing it in shower or where water droplets or where humidity is very high.
Avoid Sunlight Exposure: Getting exposed to direct sunlight breaks the chemical bonds in minoxidil. Hence, it is advised to store it in a dark colored bottle.
Seal it tight: Make sure the cap is fully tight after every application to avoid changes in PH levels.
Risk Of Using Expired Minoxidil
One should understand that using expired Minoxidil will not lead to very serious side effects, you would be completely safe. Rather, it will affect delay your progress which you are anticipating for your hair growth.
The effectiveness of such solutions is very low; hence you may be using minoxidil for months but without any improvement.
Instead, such expired solutions can cause itchiness and redness in scalp for which you would need separate medicines.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q. Can I Use Tugain 10 Solution If It Expired Last Month?
Well, you can definitely use, as just few weeks or a month after expiry there is no such harm. But understand that you can’t expect the same efficiency as earlier. Use it for few days and then try to get a new bottle as soon as possible.
Q. Why Does My Mintop Solution 10 Have Crystals Around The Cap?
This is happening because alcohol is being evaporated, this is happening because the cap is not correctly tight. Thus, minoxidil reacts with atmosphere to turn into white crystals which you noticed.
Q. Does Tugain 5 Solution Expire Faster Than The 10% Version?
The shelf life does not depend on the concentration of the solution in any way. Both Tugain 5 and 10 solution have 2 to 3 years of shelf life. However, it has been seen in some cases that higher concentration variants have been found to get crystalized easier.
Q. My Minoxidil Turned Slightly Yellow. Is It Still Safe?
If it has turned slightly yellow then it is normal, it happens due to oxidation. But if the color is dark yellow or brown, then its highly oxidized, it’s better to discard it.
