Change of minoxidil from 2% to 5% and back?

[surferosa123]

Hy All,

I already posted this earlies, but got no replies, so here I go again.

Does anyone of you have experience on switching from 2% minoxidil to 5%?
The plan is to boost regrowth with 5% and switch back to 2% when the mission is accomplished.
I don't know if this is a wise idea - so before I make it worse, I thought to ask around what your experiences are.

As for me:
I am currently starting month 10 of my propecia/ regaine 2%/ nizoral 2% regime, and for my vertex, it has worked fine, hairloss has stopped,
(though I am currently losing more hair again, could be shedding, never had it before)
My frontal hair is still very thin, though I can find my scalp covered with small, pigmentless, 0,5 inch long hairs..

Any Help will be appriciated!

Thanks!
surferosa

 

[Goingat20]

I would suggest that you start with 5% and see how it goes if you get regrowth i would stick with the 5 %....

 

[mre]

Here's my experience, I'll try to be thorough, but there are a number of factors at play here.

First off I started on Propecia over 4 years ago and it worked well until the the beginning of 2004 when I started to notice thining. Around the spring I started on 2% minoxidil and continued for a couple of months before I got lazy and quit. This last September I started on the 2% again and stuck with it for about 4 months until December (mostly applying in the evening only). During this time I didn't notice much hair loss and defnitely no gain. Then I started again in late January applying it in the evening as usual, skipping the odd day. Then after quiting again for a few weeks because I ran out, I got in a shipment of 5% minoxidil. This time I applied at night and the odd time in the morning and I notice way more hair loss. Whether this is a shed or not is anyones guess. When I wash my hair there is more hair in my hands. There are 15 or so hairs in the sink when I do my hair. When I apply the minoxidil and rub it into my scalp there are hairs on my hand. This never happened on the 2% minoxidil.

Sorry for the rambling email but I wanted to give you a complete picture. So either the potentcy of the 5% minoxidil has kick started a shed - something the 2% didn't do or my hairloss has accelerated and the switch to 5% is just a coincidence.

As a side note does this sound like a positive occurance to you guys are if you were in my shoes would you quit the 5% minoxidil do to this hair loss?

 

[surferosa123]

Thanks for the answers....hm....
I am no specialist, I wouldn't get worried too much - as I learned here, you really have to be patient, so I think that 4 months of regaine are just no enough to tell if it's working or not....

I think I never experienced shedding, so I am more worried it is not working for me.

I don't think I would worry too much if I where you - be patient. I think losing hairs when using minoxidil is more often an indicator that it works than making you lose your hair completely, after all I read here.

Don't get hairanoid and give us an update on your regimen!
Keep ya head up!

 

[Bismarck]

Why don't you just stick with the 5% ?
Does it take too long to dry for you ?

 

[Bryan]

In my opinion 2% and 5% versions of topical minoxidil are essentially the same thing, because when you apply them to your scalp, they both end up as fairly saturated solutions of minoxidil in propylene glycol. All that really matters is how much total minoxidil you apply, and 2 1/2 mL of 2% contains as much as 1 mL of 5%.

Bryan

 

[surferosa123]

@ Bismarck;

So far, I am only using the 2%. My Scalp is very sensitive and I didn't know about the 5%.
But after all I read here, it seems to be much more potent as the 2%.
So before I switch to 5%, I want to know if it's really worth the difference.
What do you think - does Bryan's Theory apply? If so, it's probably better for me to stick with 2% and apply it 2ce a day, so my scalp doesn't suffer. (and i think it will with 5%)



Surfer

 

[Old Baldy]

Well of course Bryan's theory applies. It's the amount of minoxidil. applied that counts IMHO.

 

[surferosa123]

Funny
Because in the regaine 2% text, it says that if you apply more than 1ml twice a day, no significant improvements could be achieved

Not that I believe everything I read

 

[Bismarck]

Well, more than 2ml a day is a lot. And the minoxidil itself doesn't hurt your scalp. It's the PPG and the alcohol.
Furthermore 5% is cheap and has a better availability than 2% I think.

bis

 

[surferosa123]

so you would suggest to switch to 5% right?
5% minoxidil solution hasn't more aclohol or irritating substances in it, right?
So if I am fine with 2% (converning my skin) I should also be fine with 5%, did I get this right?

Sorry for all the questiosn

 

[Bryan]

Funny
Because in the regaine 2% text, it says that if you apply more than 1ml twice a day, no significant improvements could be achieved

HAHAHAH! Every word, every comma, every period in that text has to be pre-approved by the FDA. Drug manufacturers can't even go to the toilet without getting prior approval from the FDA! :wink:

And the FDA sometimes plays a little fast and loose with the facts.

Not that I believe everything I read

That's a very good policy to have: don't believe everything you read.

Bryan

 

[surferosa123]

Bryan,

Sorry to ask once again; 5% is the better choice, right?
br
surfer

 

[mre]

Bryan,

Sorry to ask once again; 5% is the better choice, right?
br
surfer

Yes.

 

[Bryan]

Bryan,

Sorry to ask once again; 5% is the better choice, right?

Better in what way?? (That's not a smart-aleck response, I'm quite serious about this.)

Are you talking about which is cheaper, or which is more/less irritating to the skin, or what, exactly? 5% is very likely to be cheaper (per milligram of minoxidil), so I'd say that's probably the better choice.

Bryan

 

[surferosa123]

Better in terms of regrowth and irritation to the skin.
How much minoxidil is usually applied with a 5% solution?
Regaine 2% is recommended to be applied 2ce a day.

Money is also an issue, but I'd sell my car if I would have to decide
(I live in europe, so it's not that bad

Thanks for the help anyway!

 

[Bryan]

Like I said before, I think that for regrowth, they are essentially the same thing. You just have to use enough of either one to get the desired amount of minoxidil. 2 1/2 mL of the 2% solution would provide the same amount of minoxidil as 1 mL of the 5% solution.

The _recommended_ dose is the same for both solutions: 1mL, twice a day.

Bryan