minoxidil with spironolactone a good idea?

[Paul M]

I'm a first time poster, 32 years old, I've been losing hair at the crown and all over the top for the past year but it's still able to be styled. The hairline has been receding for much longer, probably 10 years so the right and left temples are getting bad. The small bald spot on the crown is what I'm concerned about most but the entire top of my head is losing hair rapidly.

I'm going to get a prescription for Propecia and use it with the new Rogaine foam people seem to like in order to maintain hair and help with regrowth at the crown. I'm going to start using Nizoral shampoo as well. I don't know if the dht blocker in Propecia will work because I've already tried Procerin the last 6 months and it did nothing. If anything it just made me shed even more hair.

Since minoxidil is supposed to help with growing new hair at the crown but not in the front, would combining spironolactone 5% with minoxidil be a good idea? I've read that you're not supposed to apply anything else on your scalp when using minoxidil but I'm hoping that spironolactone would help grown hair on top closer to the forehead. If I don't find a solution soon I'll eventually have hair only on the sides and back of my head.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Guest]

I don't know what the censored out word in your post was, but if it was something like Proc*rin or Proc*de, it's worthless. Propecia is a PRESCRIPTION drug, and it is 100 times better than either of those piece of sh*t products.

 

[Paul M]

Yes, it was Proc*rin that was censored from my post and it has done nothing but cause me to shed more hair than ever before. I'm praying that Propecia will work for me but I'm scared of further shedding since I'll be using Propecia and minoxidil and these forums have indicated these products cause a lot of shedding.

Is spironolactone something you would recommend? Should I use it with minoxidil? I really need to regrow hair all over the top of my head and not just at the crown.

 

[Guest]

Yes, it was Proc*rin that was censored from my post and it has done nothing but cause me to shed more hair than ever before. I'm praying that Propecia will work for me but I'm scared of further shedding since I'll be using Propecia and minoxidil and these forums have indicated these products cause a lot of shedding.

Is spironolactone something you would recommend? Should I use it with minoxidil? I really need to regrow hair all over the top of my head and not just at the crown.

Where would you say you are on the Norwood scale? If your loss is somewhat recent then I'd just start Propecia and Nizoral for now. Use the Nizoral shampoo twice a week, leave in for 5 minutes, then rinse out. Take one Propecia tablet a day. Ask your Doctor to give you a script for Proscar which is the 5 mg form of finasteride(active ingredient in Propecia), and you can cut it in fourths with a pill cutter and take one quarter pill(1.25 mg) each day. Much cheaper, because this way you can spend $250 a year on your Proscar instead of the 700 a year that Propecia would cost you. Nizoral is available at your local supermarket/phramcy and it's over the counter.

The reason I say to wait on the minoxidil is that if you start it at the same time you start finasteride, both products are capable of regrowing hair and minoxidil does nothing for some people. You lose nothing except your self-confidence by giving the Propecia a full year to regrow your hair. You gain nothing by starting minoxidil now becuase if Propecia does not maintain your hair, any regrowth that minoxidil will gives you you will lose soon after anyway. You need to be able to attribute your results to specific products. minoxidil is a huge hassle having to apply it to your hair twice a day every day, in comparison to propecia which you just pop the pill when you wake up or whatever.

So give the Propecia and Nizoral a year, then add minoxidil if you are not satisfied with regrowth. Propecia should stop you from losing any more in the next year because 83% of men in the Propecia studies at least maintained their beginning hair count over a 2 year period. As for spironolactone, unless your hair is really short, it's a hassle to apply anywhere but along the hairline and temples. It is certainly a worthwhile drug but I would also wait on that for a year instead and give Propecia the time it needs to work. It is far more effective than either minoxidil or spironolactone are at maintaining what you have.

Good luck.

 

[Paul M]

I really appreciate the feedback, thank you. I wanted to ask if you think Proscar at 1.25 mg is much better than 1 mg in Propecia. Also, if Propecia causes shedding and then possibly helps me maintain hair after a few months, is there really much of a chance it will help me re-grow hair? It seems like a number of people posting say that it helps to maintain but not necessarily re-grow hair the way minoxidil is supposed to. If minoxidil would help re-grow hair that would be fantastic even if it took a few months.

Is it true that minoxidil only works for 20% of the men who use it? I really want to try the foam because I definitely need to regrow hair all over the top of my scalp, especially at the crown. If Propecia causes shedding and then doesn't grow any hair back I'll be in really bad shape. I thought combining Propecia, minoxidil, and Nizoral was the most popular regime among people who post here. Are you thinking it's unlikely that minoxidil would work for most people? I'd sure like to hope it would work for me. Any additional insight would be great.

 

[Guest]

I really appreciate the feedback, thank you. I wanted to ask if you think Proscar at 1.25 mg is much better than 1 mg in Propecia. Also, if Propecia causes shedding and then possibly helps me maintain hair after a few months, is there really much of a chance it will help me re-grow hair? It seems like a number of people posting say that it helps to maintain but not necessarily re-grow hair the way minoxidil is supposed to. If minoxidil would help re-grow hair that would be fantastic even if it took a few months.

A lot of times, the people who shed the most from Propecia typically have the best results afterward. I shed a ton on Avodart and now I'm seeing a lot of regrowth. Sheds are not bad things. Propecia maintained hair for 83% of men in the 2 yr study and 66% of men in the study had visible regrowth. minoxidil can regrow hair as well. The key is to start these drugs as soon as you can after the onset of the balding process. It is much easier to maintain than to regrow.

Is it true that minoxidil only works for 20% of the men who use it? I really want to try the foam because I definitely need to regrow hair all over the top of my scalp, especially at the crown. If Propecia causes shedding and then doesn't grow any hair back I'll be in really bad shape. I thought combining Propecia, minoxidil, and Nizoral was the most popular regime among people who post here. Are you thinking it's unlikely that minoxidil would work for most people? I'd sure like to hope it would work for me. Any additional insight would be great.

The foam is supposedly more effective than the liquid minoxidil. I think that minoxidil works for a majority of people but the earlier you start the better the results you can expect. I think the number is higher than 20%, but the percentages are not the be-all and end-all. What matters is how they work for you and they tend to work better in people where the follicles have not been dormant for a long time. If you were a slick bald NW6, for example, and had been for 10 years, chances are the most you could expect from Propecia would be maintenance and you'd have an incredibly slim chance of regrowing anything from minoxidil or Propecia or even Avodart.

But if you are an NW2-3, and your loss is fairly recent, you have a better shot at regrowing.

 

[Paul M]

I'll try Propecia and minoxidil with Nizoral and hope the shedding isn't too bad. I'm guessing the shedding is worse when you use both Propecia and minoxidil instead of just Propecia but if they can both help me regrow hair, especially minoxidil, that would be great. If spironolactone can help regrow hair too then I'd like to order it online if it's not available in stores. Is spironolactone something you'd recommend?

Also, you said you're seeing a lot of regrowth from Avodart. Do you think going with the dutasteride is better than taking finasteride? Is Avodart more effective than Propecia? I've read the side effects can be more dangerous in dutasteride but it sounds like it's working for you.

 

[Guest]

I'll try Propecia and minoxidil with Nizoral and hope the shedding isn't too bad. I'm guessing the shedding is worse when you use both Propecia and minoxidil instead of just Propecia but if they can both help me regrow hair, especially minoxidil, that would be great. If spironolactone can help regrow hair too then I'd like to order it online if it's not available in stores. Is spironolactone something you'd recommend?

Also, you said you're seeing a lot of regrowth from Avodart. Do you think going with the dutasteride is better than taking finasteride? Is Avodart more effective than Propecia? I've read the side effects can be more dangerous in dutasteride but it sounds like it's working for you.

Did you read what I said about waiting on the minoxidil?? I said it above. If you start both at the same time you'll never know which worked and didn't work. minoxidil is a hassle and having to use it indefinitely without knowing whether it ever worked fr you would be awful.

spironolactone doesn't really help regrow much if any hair. It's more of a maintenance topical.

Yes Avodart is more effective. Yes Im happpy on it. The side effects are not more dangerous. They just last longer if you get them due to the drugs longer half life.

 

[Paul M]

Thanks for the feedback. I'm just afraid that Propecia will cause me to shed and then possibly maintain without any substantial regrowth. If minoxidil would help regrow hair I'd be thrilled. At this point I'm just unsure of what to do but I want to regrow hair at both the crown and closer to the front.

If Avodart is more effective than Propecia, why don't more people take it instead of going with the finasteride? I want to take something that really works and if Avodart is more effective then I'd have to consider it especially if the side effects are not more dangerous.

 

[roki]

it sounds to me that you have the same approach as me
so yes if you hair is importent enough for you get on dutasteride and start with minoxidil -applying it is no fun but together with the dutasteride it'll probobly give results -id also try applying retin-A or azaliec acid once a day before the minoxidil its not expensive and it helps absorption.hair vitamins cant hurt and you can get it cheap online from puritan.com
i think that with that kind of treatment plus nizoral you would get some regrowth for sure 'you just have to stick with it and wait
and wait
and wait
and
wait
it sucks...

 

[Guest]

If Avodart is more effective than Propecia, why don't more people take it instead of going with the finasteride? I want to take something that really works and if Avodart is more effective then I'd have to consider it especially if the side effects are not more dangerous.

Because people are scared of the longer half-life and the fact that it's not approved by the FDA. Also the fact that it inhibits type I DHT which Propecia does not. Propecia only inhibits type II, and Avodart inhibits both.

You have to decide what's best. Talk to a doctor.