3 Month Minoxidil Experience First Post

Adam Miller

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Hey I'm Adam, I made an account on here today to share my story. So for what its worth I'm a 23 year old male who began losing hair very slowly about 5 years ago. At the end of high school I began to notice my hairline receding, slightly. It didn't come as too much of a shock due to my unfavorable family history when it comes to hair loss. Hairline continued to shift back very slowly throughout college, but I don't think it was super noticeable and girls were still interested in me so I didn't really mind. Some dudes just have hairlines that are pushed back a little so I liked to think that's what people thought of me (but idk haha). Then about one year ago I noticed my hair was thinning not in a typical male pattern baldness way, but just overall thinning (especially under harsh lighting). This kind of freaked me out so I decided to call the dermatologist after reading an article online recommending to do so. Long story short I was prescribed Propecia but ultimately decided against it. I couldn't come to terms with the possible side effects and my gf talked some sense into me. This post is not at all to discuss the probability of getting side effects from that pill.. it was a personal decision.

After deciding against the pill I was pretty bummed out noticing my hair was getting worse almost every week. I did my research on the major treatments. I avoided minoxidil for over six months because I was terrified of a shed. In May I said f*** it, decided it was time to give it a shot and picked up Rogaine foam at the convenience store. The foam has done a great job at thickening the appearance of my hair in the past few months and my expectations have been exceeded in a very short amount of time. I experienced a shed for about 2 weeks around weeks 3-5. It was noticeable to myself but I don't think to anyone else. In June I added a Nizoral shampoo which seems to have played a role in contributing to my hair regrowth. I do not believe any of my hairline has grown back, but it appears thicker than it was previously and has been held in place. The main reason I wanted to write this post is to try to convince anyone who is avoiding minoxidil because of a "dread shed" to just go for it, especially if you are young like me and still have a lot of your hair. There's some people online that claim online that minoxidil caused a shed that never grew back. My advice is to read the clinical trials posted online and see the facts for yourself.

Some closing comments: The Rogaine foam is easy to put on, no itching at all, and dries quickly. Takes less than 5 minutes out of my day every day. Currently not considering switching to a generic version because if it ain't broken I'm not going to fix it to save a few bucks a month. I know this may not be a complete long term solution but if I can hold onto most of my hair for the next 10 years or so I'll be happy. It has only been a few months and I certainly have not grown by all my hair by any stretch, but it feels good to be moving the right direction for sure. At the end of the day its just hair, but I'm happy I decided to do something about it and I'm even happier with the results thus far.

I'm not sure if anyone really cares about my story haha but I needed a break from studying for an exam and this seemed like a productive use of my time. If anyone wants to know anything just ask.
 

tooldude

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Awesome that min is working for you. However, min alone won't maintain in the long term if started losing hair at 18. Just like you're telling others to take the plunge on min, thousands would say the same to you about finasteride.

nonetheless, congrats and good luck!
 

stachu

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*All gains without antiandrogens will be lost in not more than half of year.*

Gratz than minoxidil working for you :)
 

worm

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*All gains without antiandrogens will be lost in not more than half of year.*

I dont agree with that statement. some do very well and can maintain for 10 years on minoxidil. I would see where it takes you, you can always reassess taking finasteride in 6 months.

What I may suggest is looking up Zix, which is essentially vitamin B6 and Zinc you mix together yourself. Ive been using it for 11 years, and i believe it's saved me from going bald. These links summarize my story.

http://www.hairlosshelp.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=10&threadid=103129

http://www.hairlosshelp.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=10&threadid=59841&enterthread=y

I am considering starting with rogaine as well in combination. So far I've been only losing about 20 hairs in the shower down by 30+ hairs per day over the past two weeks. Just waiting to see if things improve cosmetically before i decide to jump on rogaine, figure October will be the month I evaluate.

Good luck!
 

Norwood One

Experienced Member
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Your gains will slowly deteriorate 8 months in. That's what happened to me. Had to jump on S5 (doesn't know if it does anaything) and finasteride (does do something).
 

worm

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If you start to deteriorate, you can always think about finasteride then.

Personally I would try zix.
 
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