Advice on upgrading the regimen?

[Hairball]

Hey everyone,
Basically, how long does a shed last? I've been shedding consistently since
July (4 months) so I'm getting a bit worried. Been on Proscar more than a year (14 months) and Rogaine for about 5-6 months. I'm on a Folligen/Rogaine/Proscar/nizoral
regimen. Proscar/nizoral itself worked for a while, but then started shedding heavily. added Rogaine/Folligen, helped a bit, back in shedding mode. I'll not switch till another six months. So, first question, which has been asked before but never answered, is:

1)How can you tell a shed from the medicine is just not working?

However, in the mean time I'm researching what to add or subtract

2)If Big 3 aren't working that well (i.e. you've done them for a year), should you upgrade, or wait another half year/year?

If so,

3) And if so, what to upgrade to?

I've been thinking of just pushing the whole regimen up. This means
Proscar -> dutasteride + revivogen, Rogaine -> Xandrox (1x day)+ rogaine (1xday), cutting Folligen, and still using my nizoral of course. I've had zero side effects on proscar of the sexual kind, but dutasteride is still kinda scary. Also, my hair seems to be thin all around, oily in general, with major hair loss from (surprise!) the back of the head, where for most people it isn't loss very much. What does everyone else think? I would expect a really big shed after upgrade, but hope to maintain after that. I need to maintain for 2 more years, after that I will be able to afford a hair transplant if needs be.

I'm getting a digital camera next week so I'll post photos soon. Just to note, I also keep my hair fairly long and use a tad bit of Toppik, and my hair loss is not noticeble. Would like to keep it that way!

 

[mvpsoft]

Are you using 2% or 5% minoxidil? Applying it once or twice a day? How much per application? Are you using a dropper or a sprayer? Applying Folligen once or twice a day? How much? Applying it with a dropper or a sprayer? How often are you using Nizoral? 1% or 2%?

If you're not using at least 1 ml of 5% minoxidil twice a day, you might start there. Also, you can use 1 ml of Folligen twice a day. Apply both with a dropper, not a sprayer, as you'll get more on your scalp with a dropper, where it needs to go. If you're not using 2% Nizoral three times a week, try that. I don't think I would abandon finasteride for dutasteride just yet, try these other things first for at least six months. I also would not abandon Folligen.

You could add Revivogen, but applying five topical applications daily requires dedication and a flexible schedule. While you can apply Folligen and minoxidil at the same time, the makers of Revivogen state that you need to apply it by itself and give it three hours minimum on the scalp, so using it is a commitiment.

IOW, make sure you're getting the most you can out of your current regimen before changing it.

 

[Hairball]

Answers

Rogaine 5 percent 1.0 mL 2 x day
Folligen 1 x day
Nizoral 3 x a week

Both via dropper and spreading it around with my hands. My spreading is diffuse,
although concentrated up front, so that method has proven to be the best.
I think I might upgrade to Folligen 2 x day, but that might cause - well, even more intense shedding.

Again, I'm commited not to change anything for another 6 months. Should I double the Folligen? Or would that cause another shed?

 

[mvpsoft]

I suppose anything can cause shedding, but I think that copper peptides tend to do it less than other topicals. My guess would be, and it's only a guess, that adding more cu won't cause a shed.

Do you use 2% Nizoral? If not, you might want to try that when you current supply runs out.

 

[jimmystanley]

how much hair are u seeing each day?? (obviously i know the standard of 100 - 200 a day) but shedders obviously see more.