15 years on Minoxidil, time to change ! - advise please !

[lucky Horseshoe]

Ok here we go, first post by me so hello guys! I need informed advise and can't think of a better bunch to ask !

Quick history. Balding since 21. Been on 1ml of 2% minoxidil twice a day consistently for @15 years - yep 15 (anyone here been consistently on it longer?) I’m 36 now and somewhere between Norwood 3A&3V. minoxidil has done a job – never regrowth but I'm certain (certain!) its slowed things down. However in last 6 months Mr male pattern baldness is winning the battle so its decision time – what do I do now ?

My options as I see them -

1)Do nothing. Continue wth 2% minoxidil and accept what male pattern baldness has in store for me. Yep it’s horrendous but I am frankly sick of my daily hair battle so maybe its time to say screw it, avoid the health risks and go with the flow.

2)Move up to 5% Minoxidil. I am thinking this is probably the safest option when weighing up between doing something to battle back and the risks of using more long term drugs.

3)Go on finasteride (and continue 2% minoxidil). However I am worried by finasteride - The side effects, shedding, cost, well I don’t need to tell you do I ? You all know the questions and concerns.

4)Go on finasteride and up to 5% minoxidil at the same time. I have a feeling this is what you guys will advise. However please think long and hard before you simply say “do itâ€. I am putting a lot of faith in what you advise me. Remember I have been 15 years on 2% minoxidil. I am worried by submitting myself to a lifetime of more and stronger drugs plus if it works I wont know if one drug alone would have done it.

My goal is to keep what I have, anything else is a nice plus !
So which way to go ? ….My gut feeling is 5% minoxidil for 6 months with finasteride as a fall back. What do you think guys ? and thanks for bearing with me on this.

 

[jeffsss]

well let me be the first to say your lucky you found somethign that lasted so long for you!!! 15 years ?? wow.

i dont think propecia causes as much shedding as minoxidil does according to users.. i personally think propecia accelelrated my hair loss some. but a lot of people and studys will tell you different.

I'd suggest using 5% rogaine.. if 2% worked well for you then there ya go!

 

[mon]

Just imagine you had been using an anti-dht treatment along the lines of propecia, revivogen for some of this time i.e. last few years. You could now be a norwood 2 or better. Your hair would definately have been thicker and lots more maintenance, I guess. Please be assured that I am not tryng to make you feel guilty by suggesting you should have been on something to fight DHT.

 

[viperfish]

I would reccomend propecia and 5% minoxidil. Or you could try proxiphen (http://www.drproctor.com - my choice) or a combination of spironolactone and minoxidil (http://www.minoxidil.com). This way you stick with the minoxidil, but you up your regimen by combating DHT. Good luck!

 

[damnthis]

15 years amazing, I think that is the longest time somebody has been using it that I know off. Could you maybe elaborate a bit about your experience with minoxidil and also where you were loosing hair, do you exerience inflamation etc.

I would recommend upping the minoxidil and see if that helps and if it doesn't i would go for the propecia. I use it and I do not experience side-effects

good luck

 

[KrazyK]

Up it to 5% minoxidil. Don't touch the Propecia just yet. Wait at least 2-3 years before trying propecia after you switch to 5% and don't see any improvement or maintence.

 

[Packers]

Thanks for this post man. One of my worries about starting minoxidil was the five year window. Your post helps erase at least some of that doubt. Congrats on your success.

 

[Guest]

Re: 15 years on Minoxidil, time to change ! - advise please

Ok here we go, first post by me so hello guys! I need informed advise and can't think of a better bunch to ask !

Quick history. Balding since 21. Been on 1ml of 2% minoxidil twice a day consistently for @15 years - yep 15 (anyone here been consistently on it longer?) I’m 36 now and somewhere between Norwood 3A&3V. minoxidil has done a job – never regrowth but I'm certain (certain!) its slowed things down. However in last 6 months Mr male pattern baldness is winning the battle so its decision time – what do I do now ?

My options as I see them -

1)Do nothing. Continue wth 2% minoxidil and accept what male pattern baldness has in store for me. Yep it’s horrendous but I am frankly sick of my daily hair battle so maybe its time to say screw it, avoid the health risks and go with the flow.

2)Move up to 5% Minoxidil. I am thinking this is probably the safest option when weighing up between doing something to battle back and the risks of using more long term drugs.

3)Go on finasteride (and continue 2% minoxidil). However I am worried by finasteride - The side effects, shedding, cost, well I don’t need to tell you do I ? You all know the questions and concerns.

4)Go on finasteride and up to 5% minoxidil at the same time. I have a feeling this is what you guys will advise. However please think long and hard before you simply say “do itâ€. I am putting a lot of faith in what you advise me. Remember I have been 15 years on 2% minoxidil. I am worried by submitting myself to a lifetime of more and stronger drugs plus if it works I wont know if one drug alone would have done it.

My goal is to keep what I have, anything else is a nice plus !
So which way to go ? ….My gut feeling is 5% minoxidil for 6 months with finasteride as a fall back. What do you think guys ? and thanks for bearing with me on this.

Horse Shoe,

As a humble request may I ask you to post some of your before and after pictures (if you have some). I am sure a lot of depressed souls are looking to draw inspiration for your example.
On a norwood scale how was your progess for the last 15 years ? from what level to the level you are now ?

 

[Bryan]

Re: 15 years on Minoxidil, time to change ! - advise please

Quick history. Balding since 21. Been on 1ml of 2% minoxidil twice a day consistently for @15 years - yep 15 (anyone here been consistently on it longer?) I’m 36 now and somewhere between Norwood 3A&3V. minoxidil has done a job – never regrowth but I'm certain (certain!) its slowed things down. However in last 6 months Mr male pattern baldness is winning the battle so its decision time – what do I do now ?

Listen to me very carefully: MINOXIDIL DOESN'T MAINTAIN YOUR HAIR, except in a very superficial sense. If you want to keep your hair, get on a treatment that DOES maintain your hair. Those are generally antiandrogenic types of treatments like finasteride, dutasteride, spironolactone, fluridil (allegedly), Proxiphen, Revivogen, etc.

Bryan

 

[ACT10Npack]

If I was you, I would go up to 5% minoxidil and start taking propecia. I dont know if propecia will grow any hair for you because it's works best when you start lossing your hair. But what I hear from you, I think it will help you with the stop of your hair loss for an other 5 to 15 years. Or atleast slow it down even longer. It's really up to you.

I'm supprise you use minoxidil for 15 years. I hear it's a pain in the *** to put it on and then trying to style it when the hair is really greesy. I could never do that.

 

[Britannia]

Propecia + 5% Minoxidil + Nizoral Shampoo =

 

[lucky Horseshoe]

Thanks everyone for the feedback- fantastic. Quite a mixed bag, as to be expected I guess in this hair loss information minefield we live in. Someone asked for more info on my situation / experience on 2% minoxidil. I don’t know if it will be the positive news we all crave but it will be an honest subjective account. Here goes -

Started out age 21, Norwood 0.25 - basically I had a lot of hair and you would not have noticed. Now age 36 & between Norwood 3a-3v. I have a Jack Nicholson hair line but with no bald spot and the hairy bits are thicker. If I comb it forward you cannot see any scalp through it. If I slick it back you would see its thinning gin the frontal region. Temples are greatly receded…as I say like Jack. My crown has always been pretty good but in the last year my “large crown†is becoming borderline “baldspotâ€. I first noticed it at the temples. Even as a kid they went miles back but one seemed to be creeping back further and I started to notice a lot of hair in the bath after washing, combing etc. male pattern baldness was rife in he family and I could see what was coming. However I cannot be sure if I was just paranoid at this early point or if male pattern baldness really had started. In either case I caught it early.

#FACT - I have never noticed any regrowth on it.
Right at the start there was some peach fuzz on the temples. I don’t know if this was due to the minoxidil or just because I was looking more closely but as for big fat terminal hairs – forget it ! Maybe there was regrowth in amongst my other hair but I never ever noticed it there or in any visible areas.

#FACT – I never noticed any side effects on it.
Well ok I’ll mention one thing but don’t freak. I very very occasionally have a heart flutter. Few seconds, no biggie. I have had my heart checked out and its ok so its probably nothing to do with the minoxidil at all. I sometimes wonder what may happen to my blood pressure should I come off after all this time.

#FACT
It takes me about 5-10mins to apply twice a day. Dry scalp to start. Few drops of minoxidil to finger tip then gently rub onto balding areas (especially hairline for me). To my mind a topical solution for baldness should be applied to the scalp, not the hair.Hence the finger tip between the hair onto the scalp. Its slightly more viscous than water and 1ml is not a lot that dries basically instantly and I can style it immediately after application with no greasiness problems.

#NOT FACT – OPINION. I feel it has slowed down male pattern baldness for me.
I have heard minoxidil is no use for slowing male pattern baldness. Maybe that’s right but my experience is at a variance to this. However would a DHT blocker have been better ? I don’t know !

THE FUTURE – I think I am heading for Norwood 5+ if I don’t act. Options here seem about split on what to do next. finasteride or minoxidil 5% or both. I don’t think I would go straight on both so its one or the other to start. Anyone else got an opinion. See my original post for details and big thanks again guys.

 

[oni]

Propecia + 5% Minoxidil + Nizoral Shampoo =

I second that !!!

I think that's the way for you to go!

 

[oni]

finasteride can be cheap !!!

 

[tal17]

Sup Lucky,
First off, I must say that 15 years is a hell of a long time to be on any one treatment. Wow. Gratz on that.

Now, if you do not want to take Propecia, then you should use an alternative anti-DHT product. Such as Revivogen and/or Sprio cream/lotion. Revivogen is a shampoo that cleanses the hair folicles of DHT and spironolactone helps block the androgen receptors from accumilating DHT. Propecia is a way of fighting hair loss by combating DHT. Read this thread for more info: http://www.hairlosstalk.com/discussions ... highlight=.
I started it a little while back and got a response from Socks who seemed to know what he was talking about.

In that thread, he explains how DHT causes hair loss. And why you should use an anti-DHT product with your regimen. Propecia is not a must, but it might help some. And should you see any side effects, you can stop and the side effects will most likely dissapear as well.

If I have given any incorrect advice/info, someone please correct me.

Good luck

P.S. I have been using Revivogen for a few months now. I am unsure if it is helping, but I will post my results when I can tell.
Also, Folligen might be good for you. I just received mine and will be starting it today.

 

[Bryan]

#NOT FACT – OPINION. I feel it has slowed down male pattern baldness for me.
I have heard minoxidil is no use for slowing male pattern baldness. Maybe that’s right but my experience is at a variance to this. However would a DHT blocker have been better ? I don’t know !

I figured you might say something like that, so that's why I was careful to specify that minoxidil "slows" male pattern baldness only in a very superficial sense.

minoxidil provides an extra offset of growth, without really interfering with the fundamental process of balding. In other words, even after you get that extra little spurt of growth a few months after beginning minoxidil, your haircounts will continue to slowly decline at about the same rate that they did before. It only SEEMS like it's "slowing" male pattern baldness because it's just buying you a little extra time. See what I'm saying?

Bryan

 

[lucky Horseshoe]

Great stuff guys, please keep it coming !

Bryan, yes I do see what your saying. I guess the point is how much time its buying you. In my case I think it bought me a few years not a few months.

I’ll put you down as 1 in favor of finasteride.

 

[Bryan]

Bryan, yes I do see what your saying. I guess the point is how much time its buying you. In my case I think it bought me a few years not a few months.

Yep. How much time it buys you depends on your natural rate of balding. In your case, you were fortunate to have a very slow rate of male pattern baldness.

BTW, just to be sure that you understand exactly what I mean, I never ever said that it'll buy you "a few months" of hair. What I said is that it typically takes a few months to get the maximum offset of growth from topical minoxidil. Those are two entirely different issues.

Bryan

 

[rockandroll]

Put 2 down for finasteride. It's really a matter of looking at the scientific info on this stuff. finasteride will slow down your hair loss by attacking the source of it; Rogaine stimulates hair growth by stimulating the follicles, but does not attack the source of male pattern baldness.

However, since you have been using Rogaine, you should not quit it. You should start with the Propecia (or other finasteride) AND keep using the 2% Rogaine. Also add Nizoral to your regimen; apparently it's of the utmost importance.

BTW. After approx. 1 1/2 years of using Propecia, I have not noticed any sexual side effects whatsoever.

 

[Thinning Sucks]

15 years amazing, I think that is the longest time somebody has been using it that I know off.

Been on either 2% or 5% since 1985 when you had to see a doctor to purchase. Not solid use throughout....I guess I win