Does oral minoxidil cause shedding or not?

[Mr White]

I've been experiencing some shedding, ever since I started oral minoxidil 3 or 4 weeks ago.

I didn't experience any shedding when I started dutasteride 2 years, improvements were almost immediate.

Hair looks good but the shedding is annoying.

Any thoughts?

 

[Moz5x]

A telogen effluvium is fairly common when starting oral minoxidil. One of the forum members here referred to it as the “mother of all sheds”. Just gotta ride it out. I experienced a shed that gradually intensified to ~300 hairs/shower and then it suddenly dropped off around the 9/10 week mark.

 

[spring15]

I shed excessively when I first started oral minoxidil, it should cease in a few weeks

 

[losingbattle88]

I shed up to 100, 2 weeks into oral minoxidill it lasted maybe 3 weeks and stopped. Today I lose 0 hairs in shower.

 

[Mr. Slap Head]

Idk but it definitely makes your dick bigger

 

[ninarosshairtherapy]

Yes, oral minoxidil can cause temporary shedding as a side effect in some individuals. This phenomenon is known as telogen effluvium, where existing hairs prematurely enter the shedding phase of their growth cycle. This shedding usually occurs within the first 6 weeks of starting the medication and typically resolves within 4 weeks.

 

[Elithair]

Late to this thread but this comes up a lot so worth addressing for anyone finding it later.

Oral min can absolutely cause an initial shed. It's the same mechanism as topical, minoxidil pushes resting follicles into the growth phase which means the old hairs have to fall out first to make way. Three to four weeks in is right in that window.

The fact that your hair looks good despite the shedding is actually a positive sign. It suggests the follicles are responding and transitioning rather than just losing ground.

dutasteride working without a shed for you isn't unusual either, 5-alpha reductase inhibitors work differently and don't typically trigger that kind of transition phase.

Give it another six to eight weeks. If the shedding hasn't settled by then it's worth revisiting.