Dropping Minoxidil After 8 Months Of Usage

[Vesemir]

I've used Minoxidil 2 periods. The first time I used it for 4ish months, I felt like my hair loss slowed down a bit but I wasn't sure. (No regrowth) My body hair growth increased during this period so I dropped it only to pick it back up a few months later.
This time I also started taking Finasteride and I definitely noticed a change. 2 months in and I had a really big shed that lasted a while. After that some regrowth and stabilization only to shed again. I feel like Minoxidil doesn't play a big part in this story. All it does is shedding hairs that probably don't even need minoxidil to survive. And it increases my body hair. I've also used minoxidil for my beard, successfully. My beard got fuller, but I couldn't be bothered that much so I stopped.
I'm a diffuse thinner so I apply Minoxidil all over my scalp. This results in a dry, flaky scalp and oily/ugly hair.

In my opinion the negatives outweigh the positives. I don't wanna deal with Minoxidil sheds. I don't think I got a lot of minoxidil dependent hairs because it didn't regrew any in the first place.
I'm just looking for a stable situation. I'm gonna aim for a healthy scalp and Finasteride combo now. If the shedding doesn't stop than at least I know what's causing it. If I can keep my current hair I'll be fine.

Just a bit of rambling to be honest but please give your opinion about it if you want!

 

[michel sapin]

Man i am in a similar mindset . when i started minoxidil , after 16 month of propecia , i thought i would regrow all my vellu hair at the hairline , but the only thing it did was a bad shed . All the miniaturized hair maitained by propecia shed , and never regrow . It causes me a huge increase of body hair , cheek hair and hairy hand . And i a mworried about dark circle and wrinkle , things i would never have thought before ( i am 23 ).
So for me it has got a lot of drawbacks , but i keep seing sucess with minoxidil on this forum . But i think if you didn't respod within 6 month this is over with minoxidil .
BUT the main point is now, we are trapped with minoxidil , and if I were you i would not stopped , i read a lot of studies , and you will have a bad shed when you stop , maybe shed some healthy hair . So i wouldn't drop it

 

[michel sapin]

Main question ; did you start minoxidil at the same time as propecia ? this is important to know .
If you started both at the same time i would never ever stop minoxidil . Maybe all you regrowth are minoxidil dependant

 

[Vesemir]

Main question ; did you start minoxidil at the same time as propecia ? this is important to know .
If you started both at the same time i would never ever stop minoxidil . Maybe all you regrowth are minoxidil dependant

1st time: Minoxidil alone = No Results
2nd time: minoxidil & finasteride = Something is happening.

Basically.

 

[michel sapin]

I wouldn't drop minoxidil if I were you . You got crown regrowth with minoxidil ? I am currently hesitating about the fact of starting minoxidil on my crown . Propecia is not doing its job for me

 

[Vesemir]

I wouldn't drop minoxidil if I were you . You got crown regrowth with minoxidil ? I am currently hesitating about the fact of starting minoxidil on my crown . Propecia is not doing its job for me

My crown is fine. Minoxidil didn't do much. I will take my chances, I'm not gonna apply it anymore.

 

[michel sapin]

bro i really wan't to warn you i have seen too many horror stories after dropping minoxidil;

 

[Vesemir]

I know. But I'm not gonna deal with the stress this constant shedding gives. I still have a decent amount of hair and I'm definitely a responder to finasteride, so fingers crossed.

 

[michel sapin]

and those shedding you got with minoxidil you got it on the crown are or hairline ? because me i am at the one year mark with minoxidil . And i just had one shed , the initial one .
And this is sure that minoxidil cause unwanted body hair . i was a hairless twink when i started and now i have hair on my shoulders . It has turn all my vellu body hair to terminal hair . Unfortunately it didnt do anything for my hair .

 

[Vesemir]

and those shedding you got with minoxidil you got it on the crown are or hairline ? because me i am at the one year mark with minoxidil . And i just had one shed , the initial one .
And this is sure that minoxidil cause unwanted body hair . i was a hairless twink when i started and now i have hair on my shoulders . It has turn all my vellu body hair to terminal hair . Unfortunately it didnt do anything for my hair .

Frontal scalp shedding. Yea I also grew hair on my back and shoulders. Not very thick black hair yet but I still hope it goes away when I drop minoxidil

 

[michel sapin]

me too it bothered me at first , but i am used to it now . But this is 100 % minoxidil . Now i am way more bothered by the fact my hair keep receding

 

[michel sapin]

at least you are lucky to respond to propecia

 

[Vesemir]

Yea I'm hoping for some finasteride regrowth but I'm sceptical.

 

[rclark]

I think four months is to early to see any results with Minoxidil, specially since it only You can't panic, start and stop treatments in small intervals and expect to see progress. Hair growth and recovery take time and you have to give the treatments a fair enough time do their work. Shedding is part of the recovery process unfortunately.

That's so true. It actually can take some people up to two years on Finasteride to get the
MAXIMUM benefits from the medication.

People see the first sign of shedding on Minoxidil, and even Finasteride. Then they QUIT.

But the fact is, they could STILL be balding, even with the medication. It might not have taken effect yet. So
it might not even be the drugs they're taking. Could be they're not even working yet.

 

[Vesemir]

Im not gonna apply it anymore. It dries out my scalp, my hair is dirty etc...... Maybe it worked to some degree but i feel like it didn't do much. I will stay on finasteride of course.

 

[rclark]

Im not gonna apply it anymore. It dries out my scalp, my hair is dirty etc...... Maybe it worked to some degree but i feel like it didn't do much. I will stay on finasteride of course.

Have you considered foam?

Also, even with regular strength Minoxidil, you might consider it prescribed by a pharmacy specialist.

More often than not, they can mix something that will not irritate you.

The glycerol often causes allergice reactions. Also, with the liquid, more often or not we don't know
what's in the 95% of the non Minoxidil formula.

Finally, TOPICAL ALCHOHOL DRIES HAIR THE most.

A non alchohol topical solution usually will solve any dandruff issues you're having.

 

[Favorable]

I think four months is to early to see any results with Minoxidil, specially since it only keeps hair in the growth phase longer. You stated that your hair loss slowed down when you first started it. So my question is how do you know it's not the Finasteride that caused your shedding the second time?

I feel these are the stories that really can hinder someones choice when looking into treatment. This person did everything they could possibly do wrong while on treatment. You can't panic, start and stop treatments in small intervals and expect to see progress. Hair growth and recovery take time and you have to give the treatments a fair enough time do their work. Shedding is part of the recovery process unfortunately.

Minoxidil will screw you in the long run.
Cause the constant sheddingphase you go true the hair grwos back thinner and thinner untill it doesnt grow anymore.
If you stop minoxidil, and you will at a certain point in life, you will see howmuch damage the shedding frol minoxidil will have done.
The body counts the shedding of the minoxidil like a normal shedding. So everytime you have a shedphase from minoxidil ( you will have a few when using it a long time) those hairs will not be able to grow back when you stop.

If you have male pattern baldness and use minoxidil and stop, it will make you bald years earlier then when you wouldnt have used minodil.

When I hear ppl saying, dont give up, keep using it, go true the shedding phase (s), it will be wurth it, I know theye do not understand a single thing about male pattern baldness.

Investigations frol the 2 years test also clearly shows you wiol be worse off then someone that did nothing.

This should really hinder your choice in using minoxidil.
And frankly dont use it when you have male pattern baldness. In the long run, if you stop, minoxidil will accelerate male pattern baldness.

Sorry forevertracy, but learn how male pattern baldness works, shedding= thinner hair or hair gone if you have male pattern baldness.

You shed to much in to short of a time from minoxidil.

I stopped, never got the hair back I shed. And thats not lie, I even have the dermatologist to back me up on this.
2 friends are in the same position

You hear good stories when it works, and I believe it will work. But those are the ppl that keep using it.
Ask them if theye are happy when they stopped using it. That's whats important.
Not those couple of years of awesome growth.

 

[Favorable]

@Favorable, I have extensive knowledge with hair loss and would go on to say with confidence that it's greater than yours. I am sorry that Minoxidil didn't work out for you. Not everyone is a responder with treatments, I wasn't with Finasteride however, I don't bash it and tell people not to use it simply because of my experience. There could be someone out there that would have responded well to it but never tried it because of something I posted. I see this all the time with the PFS scare mongering.

I think everyone here probably knows or will learn that Minoxidil doesn't stop adrogenic hair loss. It can help slow the process down if you are a "Responder" by keeping the hair in the Anagen Phase longer and shortening the Telogen Phase. If you don't know Favorable, "Anagen Phase" is the growth phase and Telogen is the resting phase. This effect when combined with a 5a Reductase inhibitor can have incredible long lasting results.

Unfortunately only 40% of people respond to Minoxidil and like 5a Reductase inhibitors causes a Telogen Effluvium shortly after beginning treatment. I will admit, I am not familiar with the theory behind why Minoxidil causes this and not even sure everyone experiences it. With 5a Reductase inhibitors the Telogen Effluvium is generally caused by the abrupt change in hormonal levels. Either way these forms of Telogen Effluvium are generally acute and last anywhere from 3 to 6 months which is why it is important to remain on these treatments throughout that duration. You simply will not know it you're a responder if you panic and drop treatment at the first sign of shedding. You might as well stay on it because once you induce a Telogen Effluvium it's not going to go away until it ran its course. Now, if someone was to remain on treatment and their shedding remained aggressive beyond the six month mark that is probably the time to discontinue treatment. Keep in mind, a Telogen Effluvium doesn't occur for months after treatment has started.

Now you are absolutely right in saying DHT thins hair every time it cycles but did you know it also shortens the Anagen Phase and extends the Telogen Phase? A healthy hair on average has a 2 to 6 year Anagen Phase with a 2 to 4 month Telogen Phase. I won't bother with the Catagen Phase because it's unimportant. For someone with patterned baldness those areas of hair may only have a 1 to 2 year Anagen Phase and 5 to 6 months Telogen Phase. So even though starting a treatment such as Minoxidil can cause further damage if it doesn't work, it would be very little unless they continued to use it well past a 6 month Effluvium. If they do respond however, and I'm just throwing numbers out for example, say increases their Anagen Phase to 2 to 3 years and shortens a Telogen Phase to a normal 2 to 4 month cycle. This can in fact help restore coverage for someone for a decent amount of time even without a 5a Reductase inhibitor.

"You hear good stories when it works, and I believe it will work. But those are the ppl that keep using it."
"Ask them if theye are happy when they stopped using it. That's whats important."

Of course you need to keep using it. Why would you stop if it's working? There is no treatment on the market that you can take once and be done with it. That would be called a cure. Hair loss will eventually catch up regardless of the treatment you are on. Let's not discourage people from using something that could other wise help and possibly restore a little confidence, even if it's for a short time. People come here for help and steering them away from proven treatments because it didn't work for you does no good.

I understand the anagen phase and the telogen phase.
Whay you ignore or fail to understand. Everytime you shed, the hair growsnback thinner.
Is it so hard to understand?
You shed alot from minoxidil. Because you keep using it you will see better hairgrowth.
Bit when you stop using it, you will be worse off because of the shedding you had from minoxidil.
How can you explain the hairlines that minoxidil sheds and theye do not grow back? After stopping minoxidil.
Thats hair you would have kept for a couple of years still.

Because I am a believer that minoxidil sheds hair that are still in the anogen phase. Not only the telogen hairs.
If it would only shed the telogen hairs then you would not notice the shedding all that much.

My point is, a medication should be safe to use (wit acceptable side effects like minoxidil claims) but ALSO it should be safe to stop the medication.

I want to point out when you stop minoxidil you will be wurse off. The minoxidil (shedding) will have done alot of damahe and will have accelrated the male pattern baldness.

And that ppl should need to know. Thats whays the product tries to hide and you to it seems.

Like you said if you keep shedding for 6 months you need to stop. Or if you have side effects you need to stop. But then what? Minoxidil has done it's damage.
And alot of ppl are in a depression because of it.

Poeple need to be warned.
Do yoi realize doctors claim that minoxidil only shed the hairs that are in telogen phase. Do you think thats true advice?
Do you find that fair, doctors telling lies (probably lack of knowledge).

Poeple need to be warned that of you stop, minoxidil will have done alot of damage of you have slowpaced male pattern baldness and it can make you bald a couple of years sooner

Hairlines don't recover, ppl are depressed aftee minoxidil use. Ppl just need to be warned, theres no reason to hide it.

Great it works for you. It probably have worked for me if I kept ising it.

But you need to understand, in the long run it causes alot of damage.

Keep using ot for 10 years. Then i say go for it. But thats a low percentage of ppl that will accomplisch using it twice a day for 10 years. The risks are hihher then the advantages.
Eczema, drie scalp, burninf scalp, heartdamage, higher pulse, acelleration of male pattern baldness, being wurse off when you stop...

And those side effects are not rare at all.

Really? You still think that ppl should not be warned? Really?

Lets say you get the side effects and you need to stop asap. Let's see then you would still wish you haved used it.

Minoxidil makes you hair go from a still in anahen phase to telogen phase. Not only from telogen phase to anagen phase.
The anogen phase with every hairloss medication should be left alone!

Think the way you think. Bit ppl need to be warned! If theye know the side effects and the damage minoxidil does to your hair in the long run. And still theye want to use it, then its fine, theye have been warned.
But ppl that not have been warned about the damage and side effects and then use it. Thats unfair, theye should have been warned before using it.
Doctors should know the complication of medecine before theye prescribe it.

A person like you promoting the product because it worked for youreself. But you have no idea what it does if you stop. Or you claime it doesnt do any damage when yoi stop. Well, that's the wrong ppl that give advice.

Whay you better do is: ppl this product worls, however if you stop using this product it can have accelerated you hairloss and your hair will never be the same. If you manage to het awesome regeow with this product please know if you still stop after this awesom regeowth, you hair will be wurse off!
But if you can live with that. Then this product can be something for you.

You said: im sorry it dindt work for you but it can work for many (or something like that). That's the most used line on the forums from ppl that keep using it but theye have no idea when theye stop whay will happen

Again ppl, minoxidil warning!!! Stay away from it if you are still alittle happy about your hair! Use it if u have extreem balding pattern en want to improve it alittle.
Do not use it if you under 30! Minoxidl will do damage of you stop
Even the chart from investigation states you will still be under baseline if you stop.

If you read carefully you will see the person I am discissing this with, will ignore the most crucial parts of the concersation. She/he doesn't even mention what will happen if you stop. That person says you ever stop if it works, why would you.
Compleetly ignores the fact if you do stop, whay will happen.
Do you want a person that gives you the full story or only half? I want the full story without doubt.

You will see, this person will respond and will keep ignoring de main subject of stopping minoxidil. She/he will try to aboid it. Out of fear if theye stop? Don'y know.

Even my dermatologist that was a director of a hairclinic stated, minoxidil causes male pattern baldness to speed up if you stop. And cerrainly if you have shedded (alot).

Trie to be carefull taking advice from ppl that are still on minoxdil. Ask advice from the ppl that have stopped.

Ps: sorry for my enflisch, typing it really fast on my phone

 

[Favorable]

Also, yes it slows down male pattern baldness hairloss if you keep using it. Depends howlong though.
But of you stop it will have accelerate it.
Before you respond forever. Keep it at this subject. Ot the explination of it can work blabla. If you stop, keep it about that.
Why would you stop if it worls you say? Euhm well let me think, sideeffects, like burning scalp, heartrate, face swelling, hairgrowth on other places, eye circles. Skindamage, acne,.. I can go on btw.
With other words enough reason why you would stop if it works

 

[hairblues]

If you have male pattern baldness and use minoxidil and stop, it will make you bald years earlier then when you wouldnt have used minodil.

When I hear ppl saying, dont give up, keep using it, go true the shedding phase (s), it will be wurth it, I know theye do not understand a single thing about male pattern baldness.

Investigations frol the 2 years test also clearly shows you wiol be worse off then someone that did nothing.

This should really hinder your choice in using minoxidil.
And frankly dont use it when you have male pattern baldness. In the long run, if you stop, minoxidil will accelerate male pattern baldness.

i NEVER heard or read this and i have been on this site religiously and i have consulted with some of the leading alopecia and hair loss Drs in NYC.

what actual evidence of studies do you have supporting this that you are so sure?

You cannot go by anecdotal stories of people.

scientifically it makes no logical sense that you hair would get 'worse' than if yo never used minoxidil at all.

and please don't write your opinion in long posts..

I want to see scientific evidence of this.