Can I prevent hairloss with only Minoxodil and Nizoral?

[Maestro]

I've been using Minoxidil 5%, Nizoral 1% once every 3 days and 1.25mg of Finasteride daily for the past 12 months with brilliant results.

I'm 25 and began my regimen at the first signs of a thinning horse shoe shape from temple to temple 12 months ago.

At the time I began my regimen I was probably still a norwood 1 on a fast track to a 2, since then I have regrown all my hair in the areas that where thinning

Before starting my regimen I researched all the things I planned to take, particularly Finasteride.

I read about the side effects of Finasteride and that though they do occur, they are uncommon.
I thought that I would give it a go and if I experienced any of these side effects I would stop.

After 12 months of my regimen I have never experienced any of the notable side effects of Finasteride.

None.

I have absolutely no reason to believe that Finasteride and me don't mix.

But something that does sometimes get to me is the placebo effect, something I like to refer to as "Pill Paranoia".

I'm self employed and because of my work there will be weeks that are easy and relaxed, and other weeks where I'm worked off my feet.

During my busy periods I tend to experience a drop in sexual interest because I've got so much to do and think about and very little energy and time left at the end of a busy day.

Its this time when I will sometimes hear a nagging, paranoid voice in the back of my mind saying "dude, maybe the pills are killing your sex drive!" when I've had no reason to believe they are, and ebbing sexual interest due to fluctuating workloads is something I have been experiencing for years before I started my hairless regimen.

It's this paranoia that has caused me to ask if its possible to successfully prevent hairloss with only Minoxodil and Nizoral?

I've seen amazing results from Finasteride, and I've never experienced anything that would make me want to stop taking it.

But its this "Pill Paranoia" that gets to me sometimes...

 

[TD500]

No

 

[Maestro]

Care to explain why?

 

[TD500]

Before starting my regimen I researched all the things I planned to take, particularly Finasteride.

I believe you already know why my friend.

 

[Maestro]

By that I mean I researched the possible side effects of each medication, especially finasteride because it seemed to be the most talked about in that particular realm.

I know that finasteride actively stops DHT from attacking hair follicles, but from what I've read, Nizoral should do that too.

I'm just trying to get some clarification on whether hair loss can be prevented from Minoxidil and Nizoral without the use of finasteride from people who actually know from experience

 

[bilboswaggins]

nizoral does close to nothing. having it on your scalp for 5 mins in the shower is pretty much useless when it comes to hair loss. you probably need to soak it in for a few hours for it to have some effect

 

[hellouser]

No.

 

[Rudolphus]

The other posters are correct. Minoxidil and Nizoral by themselves will not stop you from going bald.

Minoxidil is just a growth stimulant that does nothing to fight the underlying balding process. Nizoral does virtually nothing other than keep your scalp clean and prevent dandruff. And as a previous poster said, it is only on your scalp for 5 minutes. Even if was on your scalp for much longer, I still doubt it would do much.

Most likely, your good results are almost entirely due to the finasteride. If you want to maintain your good results, you need to keep using the finasteride. If you choose to stop taking the finasteride, your hair loss will essentially be untreated from that point onwards, and you can expect that nature will take its course and you will naturally go bald.

 

[benjt]

Minoxidil is just a growth stimulant that does nothing to fight the underlying balding process.

Wrong. This is just one of the things that gets repeated over and over again on these forums without anyone repeating it ever checking whether it is correct or not.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24742982

It's just hat minoxidil alone is not strong enough in many cases to keep the process at bay. It depends on the individual how well they will respond to minoxidil, which is determined by their levels of minoxidil-sulfotransferase.

 

[Wolf Pack]

Thank you benjt. Was hoping someone would mention that. The mere fact that Minoxidil grows hair, means that it must interfere with the male pattern baldness pathway, somewhere, somehow. Things tend to return to baseline sooner than they would for finasteride though. But I reckon someone who is a good respondent could get close to a decade out of it, that's what one of the trials suggested. As you say benjt, you need high levels of that enzyme in your scalp.

It cannot compare with finasteride though, way more people respond to this as taking out 90% of DHT at the hair follicle (which is the initial trigger in male pattern baldness) is much more effective.

Nizoral is useless.

 

[blondi]

^ this guy though

 

[Rudolphus]

Wrong. This is just one of the things that gets repeated over and over again on these forums without anyone repeating it ever checking whether it is correct or not.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24742982

It's just hat minoxidil alone is not strong enough in many cases to keep the process at bay. It depends on the individual how well they will respond to minoxidil, which is determined by their levels of minoxidil-sulfotransferase.

Minoxidil acts either entirely or almost entirely through an androgen-independent mechanism to stimulate follicular growth. If minoxidil acts primarily through an androgen-dependent mechanism, how can you explain the fact that minoxidil is an effective treatment for various other forms of hair loss that are unrelated to male pattern baldness, as well as the fact that it is able to grow hair wherever it is applied as long as there are follicles present, whether it be the beard, eyebrows, chest, or wherever else? Also, the fact that Finasteride is unable to sustain hair that was previously regrown through using minoxidil also supports the fact that minoxidil's mode of action is androgen-independent.

I have read the study before that you hyperlinked, as well as several studies that show no androgenic involvement of minoxidil. If minoxidil does interfere in some way with the underlying balding process, its effect is most likely an extremely weak one.

 

[Yoshi3Mario]

I did minoxidil and nizoral and it slowed down and regrew me hair. But the minoxidil sides were getting to me and I quit. Lost it all and then some in only a matter of weeks.

From what I've read and from the great late Bryan's notes minoxidil will lose its efficacy over time. Whereas finasteride has been said to keep working for many for 10 plus years.

I only took finasteride for 8.5 years before I decided enough was enough.

 

[Rudolphus]

For those of you claiming that minoxidil is able to grow hair primarily because it has some supposed anti-androgenic properties, I'd appreciate if you would explain the following:

1) why is minoxidil an effective treatment for various other forms of hair loss that are unrelated to Androgenic Alopecia?
2) why is minoxidil able to grow hair wherever it is applied on your body as long as there are follicles present?
3) why is it that Finasteride is unable to sustain hair that was previously regrown through using minoxidil?

 

[Wolf Pack]

I don't necessarily think it grows via an anti androgen mechanism despite some evidence for that. My point is that Bryan always wrote it doesn't interfere with the fundamental process of male pattern baldness which many people keep mentioning. This I disagree with. male pattern baldness is not just DHT, it's a complex pathway, theoretically you can inhibit/stimulate at any point regarding this pathway. Yes, finasteride is superior, DHT inhibition is a must but the fact that Minoxidil regrows hair means it does interfere with the male pattern baldness pathway logically!

Minoxidil does help other conditions indeed, in fact it can even boost healthy hair in someone that has no condition! It's because Minoxidil increases PGE2 and various growth factors which are conducive to hair growth. In male pattern baldness these growth factors decline too. I'm sure there are other mechanisms like potassium channel opening but other K+ channel openers don't grow hair or vasodilators.

 

[abcdefg]

Yeah hair loss right now is barely treatable. finasteride is really the only major effective thing and even that works best at prevention.Pretty limited options honestly but better than nothing. Nothing really comes close to finasteride though because male pattern baldness is almost an entirely androgen mediated problem.

 

[ajc3393]

It seems like that is less than the minimum to fight hair loss, imo.