Is Oral Minoxidil Worth It At This Point In My Loss Journey?

[WaccWaccWacc]

21 y/o. So Ive been on finasteride 1mg for about 17months now. Haven’t seen any improvement, one can make a strong case for maintenance.

Due to all this I want to up my regime and add Oral Minoxidil but from what Im reading it just sounds very subpar. The side effect profile seem to be more likely than finasteride side effects.

If I were to start I am thinking of either 1.25mg or 2.5mg. I am not willing to go above these dosages regardless of what people say. The only study done on OM for male pattern baldness shows a 35% side effect profile at 5mg.

Things I am concerned about starting OM:

shed, do not want to lose the maintenance finasteride has gave me

water rentention, dont wanna have to just stockpile meds in my regime to make my hairloss meds work without side effects.

what do you guys think?

 

[Xander94]

why dont u start with topical + microneedling?

 

[WaccWaccWacc]

why dont u start with topical + microneedling?

Time. And mess. I tried topical a long time ago, no way I could do that everyday of my life. Id rather shave my head.

 

[Xander94]

Time. And mess. I tried topical a long time ago, no way I could do that everyday of my life. Id rather shave my head.

just use foam 1 per day

 

[jazz1]

I would add Minoxidil and derma roller alongside Ketaconazole shampoo like Nizoral and Regenepure DR.

 

[WaccWaccWacc]

just use foam 1 per day

Nah lol. Literally just said why.

 

[WaccWaccWacc]

I would add Minoxidil and derma roller alongside Ketaconazole shampoo like Nizoral and Regenepure DR.

Already use keto 2%.

 

[jazz1]

Already use keto 2%.

Add derma roller and minoxidil foam...

 

[WaccWaccWacc]

Add derma roller and minoxidil foam...

Perhaps if I start losing noticeable ground. As I explained previously, those activities are time consuming.

 

[jazz1]

Perhaps if I start losing noticeable ground. As I explained previously, those activities are time consuming.

Fair enough, I find once you get into the routine nothing becomes time consuming..........

 

[DiffuseSucks]

Perhaps if I start losing noticeable ground. As I explained previously, those activities are time consuming.

I tell my self to either suck it up or I'll be bald. It's better to start treatment early to save as much hair as possible

 

[WaccWaccWacc]

I tell my self to either suck it up or I'll be bald. It's better to start treatment early to save as much hair as possible

I am on a AA. I don’t think anything will restore my temples other than a hair transplant. I lost my temples as soon as I hit puberty... 13-15y/o. Ever since then my hair has stayed pretty consistent. Minoxidil is messy, and I got headaches from it. I really dont think its a long term option.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

I am trying to verify how many ml of Kirkland equals 5 mg oral tabs. Anyone with info or experience, I would appreciate it.

 

[DiffuseSucks]

I am trying to verify how many ml of Kirkland equals 5 mg oral tabs. Anyone with info or experience, I would appreciate it.

1 drop is about 2.5mg oral

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

1 drop is about 2.5mg oral

Thanks.

You would think that I would have something to measure with but since I am divorced, you know how that goes. I have some utensils but not much else. I have been trying to eyeball .2 ml in the dropper. I can have some discrepancy because I think that I have advantages in terms of side-effects given that I have no hair below the lashes plus I am used to getting laser removal so I am mostly looking out for growth on the forehead that isn't connected to my hair. I have noted also that much of this growth is supposed to resolve itself upon stopping oral minoxidil use in one to several months.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

1 drop is about 2.5mg oral

So 6 drops would equal 15 mg in the tablets, then. I am still trying to decide on dosage related to maximizing growth and what level of sides is acceptable. No problems pouring it down my throat. It tastes yuck but also sweet without prolonged aftertaste.

 

[Equal Rights]

5% minoxidil is 50mg/ml. If you want 5mg in a solution that will be 1/10 of ml. Idk how you mixing the solutions but a 10$ scale will help you, 100mg or 0.1g is what you are looking for. Keep in mind that approximately only 1-3% or so of topical minoxidil goes systemic, according to various ppl from this forum.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

5% minoxidil is 50mg/ml. If you want 5mg in a solution that will be 1/10 of ml. Idk how you mixing the solutions but a 10$ scale will help you, 100mg or 0.1g is what you are looking for. Keep in mind that approximately only 1-3% or so of topical minoxidil goes systemic, according to various ppl from this forum.

Thou dost grant me credit in excess. I am just eyeballing the dropper. which is non-straightforward towards the bottom. I am thinking .02ml twice a day is likely to work best and maintain the half-life of the active ingredient.

 

[Equal Rights]

@WaccWaccWacc once you pass the point of having hope, and desperation kicks in you will use topicals. Eventually, you realize that this is never-ending, tomorrow is guaranteed to be worse than today, next year is going to be worse than this year and everything will only ever go downhill. Time heals everything they say, quite the contrary with hairloss, every day it only feels shittier as hope slowly fades away.

Anyway, not everyone experiences shedding on mnx, and you should be playing the long game anyway. Remember shed is just a shed, you are gonna get it back, so focus on the long term benefits. I have never gotten sheds from either finasteride, duta, topical min, or oral min. I can attest however that after 2.5month of 5mg OM face is fast as f*ck, trying to get a eplerenone prescription so hopefully that helps.

If you are going to start, dont bother with 1.25mg, go straight to 2.5 and cut back if you need to but the results at such a low dose are negligible. Also please add oral castor oil as it will have synergetic effects with min.

 

[JaneyElizabeth]

@WaccWaccWacc once you pass the point of having hope, and desperation kicks in you will use topicals. Eventually, you realize that this is never-ending, tomorrow is guaranteed to be worse than today, next year is going to be worse than this year and everything will only ever go downhill. Time heals everything they say, quite the contrary with hairloss, every day it only feels shittier as hope slowly fades away.

Anyway, not everyone experiences shedding on mnx, and you should be playing the long game anyway. Remember shed is just a shed, you are gonna get it back, so focus on the long term benefits. I have never gotten sheds from either finasteride, duta, topical min, or oral min. I can attest however that after 2.5month of 5mg OM face is fast as f*ck, trying to get a eplerenone prescription so hopefully that helps.

If you are going to start, dont bother with 1.25mg, go straight to 2.5 and cut back if you need to but the results at such a low dose are negligible. Also please add oral castor oil as it will have synergetic effects with min.

Thanks. I was worried about a shed from oral after reading that.