Is It Possible That Rogaine Will Make Me Bald Faster?

[vico]

The question is how much do you value your hair? What are you willing to do to save it? Are you a risk taker or not? These are questions you need to ask yourself. For me, I value my hair and I was willing to take the risks and I still have alot of hair because of it. My penis is still intact but I still have watery semen and less ejaculate. That is about the only downside that I can leave with. If you live in fear, you will never accomplish anything in life.

Hi Doctor

I really appreciate your reply. so base on ur previous thread , you said you would have continue to use Regaine but due to it sides. would you mind explain what the sides you experience with Regaine?

PS im aware that Regaine work differently on each individual, so therefore the sides you experience may not be the case for some other people.

Also correct me if you wrong, your current usage is Propecia and 2% Minoxidil.? if so, where you get the 2% anyway? every Regaine products contain 5%.

PS im just come to accept my fate that i have an aggressive balding, the top of my head is so thin for a 20 year old. It really hard to accept such things. this shitty things is so bad it's even make me question myself whether or not to have kids cause it a really crappy gene to pass on.

 

[SmoothSailing]

Hi Doctor

I really appreciate your reply. so base on ur previous thread , you said you would have continue to use Regaine but due to it sides. would you mind explain what the sides you experience with Regaine?

PS im aware that Regaine work differently on each individual, so therefore the sides you experience may not be the case for some other people.

Also correct me if you wrong, your current usage is Propecia and 2% Minoxidil.? if so, where you get the 2% anyway? every Regaine products contain 5%.

PS im just come to accept my fate that i have an aggressive balding, the top of my head is so thin for a 20 year old. It really hard to accept such things. this shitty things is so bad it's even make me question myself whether or not to have kids cause it a really crappy gene to pass on.

I believe the pink one, for girls, is 2%.

 

[Paul the fourth]

ladiesmanfelps,

So did your hair improve now? I mean did your hair get back to the way it was prior to using minoxidil? Because it's been more than 2 years now, i hope it did.

In my case, i used minoxidil 12% for 3 weeks but decided to stop, so now im into a lot of shedding everytime i take a shower and i am into the 3rd week since i stopped minoxidil. Hope you have good news for me

 

[Deepak2797]

Hi everyone, please help me as fast as possible please. I have been using the minoxidil+ propecia since 9 months.I have a huge shedding after 1month and after that my hair regrew I was happy. Now after 8 month I am having another 2time shed.My regrew hair with black thick hair is falling out. (more are black thick). ....MY question is "Does my medicine stop working or anything else".. Please reply me as I am really feeling helpless..

 

[Deepak2797]

Please answer my question as I am in great trouble..... Plz plz answer

 

[DoctorHouse]

Please answer my question as I am in great trouble..... Plz plz answer

You have the dreaded 8 month shed. It happens to alot of people. It happened to me. Hair cycles last average 6 months and sometimes up to 8 months. As you cycle, you will go thru sheds that are synergist when using hair loss treatments. I noticed this happens more often when using minoxidil. Unfortunately, you have to just keep waiting until the 2 year mark. That is when most treatments peak. If you tend to stick to the same treatments the hair cycles will start to have less shedding after a few hair cycles in most cases. Hair loss treatments are nothing but a waiting game. Just remember without them, you could be worse but you will never know.

 

[rclark]

Hi everyone, please help me as fast as possible please. I have been using the minoxidil+ propecia since 9 months.I have a huge shedding after 1month and after that my hair regrew I was happy. Now after 8 month I am having another 2time shed.My regrew hair with black thick hair is falling out. (more are black thick). ....MY question is "Does my medicine stop working or anything else".. Please reply me as I am really feeling helpless..

It shouldn't stop working, but it's more likely the DHT is defeating the follicle growth.

 

[GolDRoger]

You have the dreaded 8 month shed. It happens to alot of people. It happened to me. Hair cycles last average 6 months and sometimes up to 8 months. As you cycle, you will go thru sheds that are synergist when using hair loss treatments. I noticed this happens more often when using minoxidil. Unfortunately, you have to just keep waiting until the 2 year mark. That is when most treatments peak. If you tend to stick to the same treatments the hair cycles will start to have less shedding after a few hair cycles in most cases. Hair loss treatments are nothing but a waiting game. Just remember without them, you could be worse but you will never know.

House - I have a question. I'm almost a month in with minoxidil and I'm very unhappy with the shed, as my hair wasn't that bad before starting treatment. I'm contemplating whether to stop Minoxidil and just hop on finasteride, or whether to just ride this shed out. Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

 

[DoctorHouse]

House - I have a question. I'm almost a month in with minoxidil and I'm very unhappy with the shed, as my hair wasn't that bad before starting treatment. I'm contemplating whether to stop Minoxidil and just hop on finasteride, or whether to just ride this shed out. Would love to hear your thoughts on this.

You can spend countless hours on forums and look at posts with success stories and most of all of them will have one thing in common. They use both finasteride and minoxidil together. And yes, they will complain about shedding too but then they recover 6 months later. You have to understand shedding most of time is a good sign as it means you are responding to treatment. I would hop on finasteride if you haven't. Minoxidil only acts as a growth stimulant. Finasteride is a DHT blocker. Balding is caused by DHT.

 

[GolDRoger]

You can spend countless hours on forums and look at posts with success stories and most of all of them will have one thing in common. They use both finasteride and minoxidil together. And yes, they will complain about shedding too but then they recover 6 months later. You have to understand shedding most of time is a good sign as it means you are responding to treatment. I would hop on finasteride if you haven't. Minoxidil only acts as a growth stimulant. Finasteride is a DHT blocker. Balding is caused by DHT.

So if I understood your posts in this correctly, your choice to cease using Minoxidil is mostly due to the psychological burden of having to go through massive sheds every 6 months or so, correct? So it's going to be Finasteride that does the bulk of the heavy lifting so to speak, and Minoxidil does help a bit, but not enough for you to offset those massive sheds?

 

[DoctorHouse]

So if I understood your posts in this correctly, your choice to cease using Minoxidil is mostly due to the psychological burden of having to go through massive sheds every 6 months or so, correct? So it's going to be Finasteride that does the bulk of the heavy lifting so to speak, and Minoxidil does help a bit, but not enough for you to offset those massive sheds?

I would not stop using minoxidil if that is what you are asking. They work together better than alone. I guess finasteride keeps your existing hairs from miniaturizing and minoxidil keeps them in the growth phase longer so you get thicker hair. They both can help save those hairs that were about to miniaturize. Some people say minoxidil shows more obvious results than finasteride. Or some people start with finasteride and then add minoxidil later and see a huge improvement. Multiple scenarios but one thing that happens is they work best together.

 

[Rudiger]

With House on this one. He nailed it. I hate minoxidil now and wish I never started. It was sweet when I had a massive regrowth and every girl was oooing and awwing at me,

Oooo damn baby u lookin DENSE today, checkin dem fine *** vellus hairs fillin in too dayummm

 

[Deepak2797]

You have the dreaded 8 month shed. It happens to alot of people. It happened to me. Hair cycles last average 6 months and sometimes up to 8 months. As you cycle, you will go thru sheds that are synergist when using hair loss treatments. I noticed this happens more often when using minoxidil. Unfortunately, you have to just keep waiting until the 2 year mark. That is when most treatments peak. If you tend to stick to the same treatments the hair cycles will start to have less shedding after a few hair cycles in most cases. Hair loss treatments are nothing but a waiting game. Just remember without them, you could be worse but you will never know.

Thanks for the reply DoctorHouse.

DoctorHouse, could you please tell me why I have seen a regrowth and then it all gone just in 3 weeks. Will I again gain that regrow hair or they all gone......please reply.

 

[DoctorHouse]

Thanks for the reply DoctorHouse.

DoctorHouse, could you please tell me why I have seen a regrowth and then it all gone just in 3 weeks. Will I again gain that regrow hair or they all gone......please reply.

Sorry to say but I can't predict anyone's future success in hair loss treatment. You just have to wait for the next hair cycle in 6 months to see what happens. It takes alot patience to treat hair loss. I have been treating it for over 12 years.

 

[Deepak2797]

Sorry to say but I can't predict anyone's future success in hair loss treatment. You just have to wait for the next hair cycle in 6 months to see what happens. It takes alot patience to treat hair loss. I have been treating it for over 12 years.

So you are basically saying that I am going through a cycle of sheds.....means first hair grow then fall and then again grow in every 6 months ....???????

 

[DoctorHouse]

So you are basically saying that I am going through a cycle of sheds.....means first hair grow then fall and then again grow in every 6 months ....???????

Let's wait and see, my friend.

 

[Pacey123]

Lol hair cycles are shortened because of DHT, but one hair cycle is NOT 6 months. It's 5-7 years. When you start regrowing your hair, they most likely don't have there full 5-7 years of anagen phase (growth) it will take some cycles to get them back to strengh.

 

[melky1]

I've been on finasteride for about 10 years and have held strong but in the last four months I have been shedding far more aggressively than ever before. Hair is noticeably thinner and hairline has noticeably receded. Miniaturized hairs, white hairs (I'm 31), thick dark healthy hairs, all going at a steady pace.

This shed could definitely correlate to some extreme stress and dietary changes (crash diet--> lost 30lbs in two and a half months from February - April), but it could certainly be my genes catching up with me after all these years on finasteride.

In a panicked moment I ordered myself a 6-month supply of minoxidil foam to try and regain (no pun intended) some ground, but, Dr. House, your initial post on this thread has given me pause. Of course I am still on finasteride, but if its effectiveness has waned, will minoxidil really help me to attain positive results that aren't just an "illusion," as you put it? Or could the addition of minoxidil help to further the efficacy of finasteride? Should I instead go full bore and upgrade from finasteride to dutasteride?

I was hoping minoxidil would be the potion to save what I've got left and perhaps gain some ground back. Now I'm not so sure that the stress of the initial shed would be worth it.

Thanks for any input or opinions.

 

[623]

Dr. House,

Thanks for all the info on Rogaine. I have been considering it for a while but this thread has always given me pause. I have been on Propecia for 4 years (now 25). I originally started thinning rather aggressively (diffuse) but the Propecia seems to have basically stopped it dead in its tracks. My hair grew back and I think it probably looks as good now as it ever has in the last 4 years. The issue is I really want just 10-20% improvement to grow in my vertex, some hairline and mostly density.

minoxidil seems like the perfect tool for this since the finasteride is working at the moment. I'm okay with a shed for a month or so, but am concerned that I will get these "synchronized" sheds you refer to in the future, such that my hair looks worse than baseline in those periods.

I honestly have not seen this mentioned anywhere else regarding minoxidil but that would be a major concern. So, if I am maintaining very well or at a "snails pace" with the finasteride, what do you think about minoxidil, assuming no sides?

@melky1 I would first determine if your lifestyle changes cause this loss. Try to de-stress and get to an even level of health and see if some comes back. You can also get your DHT levels tested. If not, I would look into upping to dutasteride or something stronger. Based on everything I've read, minoxidil without effective DHT blocking is not worth it. Just my 2 cents, interested if others agree.

 

[DoctorHouse]

Dr. House,

Thanks for all the info on Rogaine. I have been considering it for a while but this thread has always given me pause. I have been on Propecia for 4 years (now 25). I originally started thinning rather aggressively (diffuse) but the Propecia seems to have basically stopped it dead in its tracks. My hair grew back and I think it probably looks as good now as it ever has in the last 4 years. The issue is I really want just 10-20% improvement to grow in my vertex, some hairline and mostly density.

minoxidil seems like the perfect tool for this since the finasteride is working at the moment. I'm okay with a shed for a month or so, but am concerned that I will get these "synchronized" sheds you refer to in the future, such that my hair looks worse than baseline in those periods.

I honestly have not seen this mentioned anywhere else regarding minoxidil but that would be a major concern. So, if I am maintaining very well or at a "snails pace" with the finasteride, what do you think about minoxidil, assuming no sides?

@melky1 I would first determine if your lifestyle changes cause this loss. Try to de-stress and get to an even level of health and see if some comes back. You can also get your DHT levels tested. If not, I would look into upping to dutasteride or something stronger. Based on everything I've read, minoxidil without effective DHT blocking is not worth it. Just my 2 cents, interested if others agree.

I would try minoxidil and see if it helps. Just keep in mind shedding can mean the treatment is working. Your goal is realistic so I would go for it.