Is minoxidil Shedding A Guaranteed/sure Way To Know Its Working?

[Moosey]

Like most people, im very well aware that minoxidil doesnt work for everyone.
My question is, if i experience massive, MASSIVE (again massive) shedding on minoxidil, is it guaranteed to work?
Or in other words, is it possible to experience shedding, and only shedding on minoxidil with absolutely no regrowth at all? That would seem highly unlikely, no? Certainly minoxidil could do nothing for your hair, but make it 5x worse is very unlikely, right?
The reason im asking is because i've been on minoxidil for 5 months now. In those 5 months, i have lost ca. 60 of the hair i had. I had only slight signs of thinning, but now 60% of the hair i had is gone. I probably lost 400-500 hairs everyday, for the entire of this 5 month period. Im surprised i didnt go NW7 in this time.

Obviously in my mind im now thinking that minoxidil doesnt work for me. But it cant be a coincidence that this massive shed only started right when i started taking minoxidil.
Doing heavy steroid cycles made me lose maybe 10% of the hair that minoxidil did in those 5 months.

 

[HLV]

Like most people, im very well aware that minoxidil doesnt work for everyone.
My question is, if i experience massive, MASSIVE (again massive) shedding on minoxidil, is it guaranteed to work?
Or in other words, is it possible to experience shedding, and only shedding on minoxidil with absolutely no regrowth at all? That would seem highly unlikely, no? Certainly minoxidil could do nothing for your hair, but make it 5x worse is very unlikely, right?
The reason im asking is because i've been on minoxidil for 5 months now. In those 5 months, i have lost ca. 60 of the hair i had. I had only slight signs of thinning, but now 60% of the hair i had is gone. I probably lost 400-500 hairs everyday, for the entire of this 5 month period. Im surprised i didnt go NW7 in this time.

Obviously in my mind im now thinking that minoxidil doesnt work for me. But it cant be a coincidence that this massive shed only started right when i started taking minoxidil.
Doing heavy steroid cycles made me lose maybe 10% of the hair that minoxidil did in those 5 months.

There is no guarantee of course, but generally it is normal to experience massive shedding in the beginning and then to experience regrowth afterward.

HLV

 

[Ikarus]

There is no guarantee of course, but generally it is normal to experience massive shedding in the beginning and then to experience regrowth afterward.

HLV

What if you just finished an initial shed from dutasteride, and then decide to go on oral minoxidil? Will there be another shed? That’s a fear of mine

 

[Derelict]

What if you just finished an initial shed from dutasteride, and then decide to go on oral minoxidil? Will there be another shed? That’s a fear of mine

You will shed like a mofo on oral minoxidil for a while, even if you have just finished a dutasteride shed. I lost count of how many hairs fell out during my first oral minoxidil shed, always hated washing may hair and seeing hairs everywhere.

 

[HLV]

You will shed like a mofo on oral minoxidil for a while, even if you have just finished a dutasteride shed. I lost count of how many hairs fell out during my first oral minoxidil shed, always hated washing may hair and seeing hairs everywhere.

I am more experienced with topical minoxidil. However because the mechanism of action is different from finasteride 1MG or Dutasteride, it
Is possible you will shed again at the start of treatment on oral minoxidil. This is natural however.

If an individual regrew hair on minoxidil, added finasteride and then stopped using minoxidil it is likely that the hairs gained on minoxidil will be lost despite using finasteride. This is because the hairs grown on minoxidil are dependant on it.

You are on a cocktail of strong drugs I believe Icarus, you will not go bald.

HLV

 

[Ikarus]

I am more experienced with topical minoxidil. However because the mechanism of action is different from finasteride 1MG or Dutasteride, it
Is possible you will shed again at the start of treatment on oral minoxidil. This is natural however.

If an individual regrew hair on minoxidil, added finasteride and then stopped using minoxidil it is likely that the hairs gained on minoxidil will be lost despite using finasteride. This is because the hairs grown on minoxidil are dependant on it.

You are on a cocktail of strong drugs I believe Icarus, you will not go bald.

HLV

I guess it is better to just get through the shed. Is it a large shed? I have heard that it’s mainly the rapid shed of telogen hairs, so would it be telogen effluvium?

 

[Ikarus]

You will shed like a mofo on oral minoxidil for a while, even if you have just finished a dutasteride shed. I lost count of how many hairs fell out during my first oral minoxidil shed, always hated washing may hair and seeing hairs everywhere.

How long did your shed last for? And what type of results did you see?

 

[Moosey]

How long did your shed last for? And what type of results did you see?

If oral minoxidil is stronger like alot of people say, let me say you are gonna want to eat a bullet. Thats how much hair you are going to lose.
I went from "yeah i might start balding in 20 years" to "its over bro, just shave it" in those few months of topical minoxidil.

 

[Ikarus]

If oral minoxidil is stronger like alot of people say, let me say you are gonna want to eat a bullet. Thats how much hair you are going to lose.
I went from "yeah i might start balding in 20 years" to "its over bro, just shave it" in those few months of topical minoxidil.

I don't have much hair left to shed in all honesty... Although, my regimen is sort of strong, oral minoxidil could be able to speed up the process. Was the shed that bad? It makes me worried!

 

[Moosey]

I don't have much hair left to shed in all honesty... Although, my regimen is sort of strong, oral minoxidil could be able to speed up the process. Was the shed that bad? It makes me worried!

How do i explain it. I was on steroids for 4 years straight, without ever coming off. The damage 4 years of steroids use has done to my hair is 10% of that what minoxidil did to my hair. And no, im not exagerating. You would never thought i was balding before i started using minoxidil.
Just try to imagine 60% of the hair on the top of you head is gone. Imagine your hair density if you lose 300-400 hairs everyday for 5 months straight. As i said in my first post, i shouldnt have any hair left on the top of my head because i lost more hair than a human actually has on its scalp.
Anyways, i stopped minoxidil because i couldnt take it anymore. Shedding stopped. I went on dutasteride and and shed continued just as bad. Thats when i realized theres no way around it and i just have to go through with it.

 

[Ikarus]

How do i explain it. I was on steroids for 4 years straight, without ever coming off. The damage 4 years of steroids use has done to my hair is 10% of that what minoxidil did to my hair. And no, im not exagerating. You would never thought i was balding before i started using minoxidil.
Just try to imagine 60% of the hair on the top of you head is gone. Imagine your hair density if you lose 300-400 hairs everyday for 5 months straight. As i said in my first post, i shouldnt have any hair left on the top of my head because i lost more hair than a human actually has on its scalp.
Anyways, i stopped minoxidil because i couldnt take it anymore. Shedding stopped. I went on dutasteride and and shed continued just as bad. Thats when i realized theres no way around it and i just have to go through with it.

Do you regret using minoxidil? I am quite weary to go near it now... It would be overly risky, especially since I have a seriously important event in late August. I have seen others success with oral minoxidil, and that draws me to it however the initial shed might be too great.

Has your hair improved?

 

[Moosey]

@Ikarus I dont really regret it. I just wish i would have used dutasteride instead. Because your hair kind of gets addicted to minoxidil so you have to keep using it, unlike dutasteride.
Its only been 2 months on dutasteride, but my hair is starting to improve now yes.
Whatever, i cant go back to minoxidil because it gave me the worst cosmetic side effects i could imagine. It made my face look so horrible, no amount of hair is worth it.
This is my advice: If you are currently on a protocol you are sure is working for you, dont add oral minoxidil.
Do you have any pictures?

 

[Ikarus]

@Ikarus I dont really regret it. I just wish i would have used dutasteride instead. Because your hair kind of gets addicted to minoxidil so you have to keep using it, unlike dutasteride.
Its only been 2 months on dutasteride, but my hair is starting to improve now yes.
Whatever, i cant go back to minoxidil because it gave me the worst cosmetic side effects i could imagine. It made my face look so horrible, no amount of hair is worth it.
This is my advice: If you are currently on a protocol you are sure is working for you, dont add oral minoxidil.
Do you have any pictures?

I don't think I will use oral minoxidil now... I don't want to have such an extensive initial shed again, it's a bad feeling seeing a lot of hair shed on my pillow when I wake up!

I don't have any recent photos unfortunately, I will take some soon though. My hair loss is aggressive though, I would put myself as a Ludwig l-4

 

[HLV]

I don't have much hair left to shed in all honesty... Although, my regimen is sort of strong, oral minoxidil could be able to speed up the process. Was the shed that bad? It makes me worried!

On the regimen you’re on I’m not quite sure there’s anything you should be worried about in my opinion.

HLV

 

[Derelict]

Do you regret using minoxidil? I am quite weary to go near it now... It would be overly risky, especially since I have a seriously important event in late August. I have seen others success with oral minoxidil, and that draws me to it however the initial shed might be too great.

Has your hair improved?

I would wait for 6 months to a year with your current regimen before thinking about minoxidil tbh.

 

[Carguy89]

@Ikarus I dont really regret it. I just wish i would have used dutasteride instead. Because your hair kind of gets addicted to minoxidil so you have to keep using it, unlike dutasteride.
Its only been 2 months on dutasteride, but my hair is starting to improve now yes.
Whatever, i cant go back to minoxidil because it gave me the worst cosmetic side effects i could imagine. It made my face look so horrible, no amount of hair is worth it.
This is my advice: If you are currently on a protocol you are sure is working for you, dont add oral minoxidil.
Do you have any pictures?

Same thing happened to me had barley any hair loss only slight thinning. Started roganie and lost a crazy amount of hair over 4 months, had to stop or i would of had NO hair left in no time.
Never got the hair back i shed and the worst thing is i knew about the shed and i wanted to get on finasteride to halt hair loss(thats all i really needed to do) but my doctor convinced me to get on rogaine insteed.
Now 5 months later im on finasteride and no sides yet, just wish i never touched minoxdl and i hated the feeling of it on my head.

 

[transam]

Same thing happened to me had barley any hair loss only slight thinning. Started roganie and lost a crazy amount of hair over 4 months, had to stop or i would of had NO hair left in no time.
Never got the hair back i shed and the worst thing is i knew about the shed and i wanted to get on finasteride to halt hair loss(thats all i really needed to do) but my doctor convinced me to get on rogaine insteed.
Now 5 months later im on finasteride and no sides yet, just wish i never touched minoxdl and i hated the feeling of it on my head.

you should have NEVER stopped minoxidil when you first started.

 

[Seeñor Pelitos]

In my case I haven’t experienced a she’d like the scary one everyone is talking about. Im not the type that pays much attention to sheds or counts hairs that fall. I suggest you guys do the same because It only causes you more stress and get depressed. I just go by appearance. I’ve been on minoxidil once a day for 3 months now with light microneedle every 3 days for absorption. Hair fall is the same so I haven’t seen the minoxidil shed but my hair definitely looks darker and fuller from my hair line which has new hairs growing to the mid scalp. As far as my crown which is my main target I haven’t looked at it and I won’t until my 4 1/2 month mark. I don’t want to get discouraged so I won’t look at it until then when I take pics and post it on the microneedle/minoxidil thread. Who knows maybe I’m a day or a week away from that big shed.

 

[Moosey]

@Seeñor Pelitos
" Im not the type that pays much attention to sheds or counts hairs that fall. I suggest you guys do the same because It only causes you more stress and get depressed"
Bruh, its literally impossible to not see it if you shed as much hair as i did in the past.

 

[mannyFJ]

Min works for me and no shedding but makes my skin look like sh*t