Minoxidil stopped working suddenly?

[gooose]

Hi All,

I started using Regaine 5% foam 4 months ago, with gradual thickening and filling in of my crown. I was very pleased. In the last month the process has gone into reverse sadly. Has anyone else experienced this or able to shine a light on the cause / remedy?

Thanks.

 

[warner8]

your scalp dht might be rising as you are getting older. i would suggest using a dht blocker such as propecia/finasteride. this is will allow the rogaine to continue working/ i find that if the scalp dht levels are too high, rogaine will not work.

 

[jbrog1987]

Always possible you're simply going through a shed and it'll grow back thicker in time.

http://hairlosshelp.net/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=10&threadid=108087

This thread on hairlosshelp is telling (check out the pics)...^ Though shedding 4 months in (when generally you'd expect to see regrowth) is unusual considering 3-4 months is when initial regrowth is expected.

 

[rcom440]

That is quite normal. In my case I get regrow then after 6-10 months of good regrow and density I go through shed and loose density then after a while I regrow it. It's a cycle that happens.
When I started using minoxidil a 6 years ago I got nice regrow but I think it was also 4 months when I lost density however after 1 month of continuing using minoxidil I was able to regrow it.
So my advice is don't stop using minoxidil.

 

[Agustin Araujo]

gooose,

It's not that Minoxidil stopped working suddenly, what's actually happening is that your Androgenetic Alopecia is getting more aggressive according to what seems like is happening. If you're not on a DHT inhibitor such as Finasteride, you'll need to get on Propecia so your hair loss doesn't keep getting worse.

 

[DoctorHouse]

gooose,

It's not that Minoxidil stopped working suddenly, what's actually happening is that your Androgenetic Alopecia is getting more aggressive according to what seems like is happening. If you're not on a DHT inhibitor such as Finasteride, you'll need to get on Propecia so your hair loss doesn't keep getting worse.

Your homework is paying off, Agustin. Great advice.

 

[Johnn178]

Dht levels

Your dht levels must be overpowering the Minixidol

 

[gooose]

Thanks guys for the replies. I first started using it about 2 years ago and the results after about 3 months were nothing short of a miracle. After several months of growth i got complacent and came off it. A bit of that was also due to concerns over dark circles. I got my looks back but then 3-4 months ago decided i wanted hair so got on it again. Growth came as expected but now it's going into reverse. I'll keep up the Regaine and hope there's an upturn again! I'm too scared of propecia. I've tried it twice in 10 years and each time the first pill gave me serious groin pain! Whatever anyone says about the pain subsiding that cannot be healthy.

 

[gooose]

The falling away in hair coverage on 5% Regaine has flat-lined which I is guess better than losing everything i had. I switched to Lipogaine 2 days ago and I'm getting that mix of tingling and irritation in my face i remember when i first used Regaine. It's a long shot but maybe the Regaine was a bad batch and the minoxidil in the Lipogaine is working again....

 

[shulk]

gooose,

It's not that Minoxidil stopped working suddenly, what's actually happening is that your Androgenetic Alopecia is getting more aggressive according to what seems like is happening. If you're not on a DHT inhibitor such as Finasteride, you'll need to get on Propecia so your hair loss doesn't keep getting worse.

So within exactly these four months his Androgenetic Alopecia kicked to a full 100% and he lost all the progress. I would place my bet on the cycle as replied by rcom440.

 

[gooose]

So a few months on nothing has changed. I continue to apply the minoxidil but it's not having any effect in terms of thickening/regrowth. That being said i know from past experience that if i stopped applying my hair would be worse. At least now i have enough for concealer to attach itself to.

Have been trying to see what if anything i did different last time when i had a great response. I can think of two things. First i applied far more than i'm doing now. Unfortunately that brought my blood pressure down to 90/60. The second thing i did was wash my hair with Nizoral in the gym and then leave for 15 minutes whilst sat in a sauna before rinsing out. I'm going to try this and see if it makes a difference.

As an aside, i tried switching to Lipogaine but that didn't work either. I think my face looked better on it though.

 

[wilson2]

Are you using 12.5% minoxidil like it says in your "regiment" still? That concentration of minoxidil would be what could cause you to have blood pressure issues. Also why are you leaving Nizoral in for 15 minutes? It says on the label to use it for 3-5 minutes.

I would just use the products how their intended. If you're not seeing results it could be that your losing ground due to hairloss progressing. It doesnt seem like your on any "anti-androgen" product. Not that I recommend you take those. I just think it's worth while mentioning that you may be losing grounds even using nizoral and rogaine because your not doing anything to prevent internal DHT build up. However messing with internal DHT is a whole other ball game in terms of side effects.

 

[gooose]

I've only ever used 5% minoxidil. My regimen is incorrect not sure why that appears as 12.5%. I think i might have tried 12.5% a few times and perhaps typed that in upon joining the forum. On the subject of % i've never worked out why people try the higher strengths such as 12.5% or even 20% when the manufacturer of Regaine say applying more doesn't help. Perhaps there are people who have responded to higher strength but not to 5% - if so i'd like to know.

I leave the Nizoral on for 15 min because that's how long i spend in the sauna. No particular reason but that happens to be what i did when i grew hair last time.

You're right i'm not on any DHT blocker although have started the S5 cream a few weeks ago...no idea if working. Too freaked out by propecia.

 

[jamesrav2]

why is this a surprise, minoxidil effect peaks at 4 months and then begins to level off or actually decline (and things definitely return back to the initial stage if you go off it). There can't be infinite improvement (even tiny) continually or we'd all be back to Norwood 1. So be glad for the improvement and of course don't go off minoxidil.

 

[Pavi]

why is this a surprise, minoxidil effect peaks at 4 months and then begins to level off or actually decline (and things definitely return back to the initial stage if you go off it). There can't be infinite improvement (even tiny) continually or we'd all be back to Norwood 1. So be glad for the improvement and of course don't go off minoxidil.

Absolutely false. Minoxidil PEAK REGROWTH is at 2 years and then you can MAINTIAN that regrowth for another 4-5 years or so depending on your hair loss