Oral Minoxidil Versus hair transplant - Pros And Cons

[ValiantThor]

Hi guys,

Very interested in Oral Minoxidil. Previously tried Finasteride and had side effects.

Apparently 0.25mg daily is a great dose for hair growth, but it seems tablets are sold in 5mg tabs, which would make splitting and so on a pain.

Fortunately my hair loss is very mild and I'm 40 years old (mainly thin peaks, some recession in the hairline).

Does anyone know what would happen if I took it daily for 3-5 years, then stopped? Would my existing hairs become dependent on the minoxidil and then fall out? Or would I keep most of my results (i.e. better than when I started at least)?

The other option I'm considering is simply having a small transplant without any medication. I think there is a chance it'll see me through till I'm 60-70 and then won't care anymore.

Thank you.

 

[AnxiousAndy]

Minoxidil is a life long commitment unfortunately. A 0.25mg dose is extremely small and I don't think it would do anything to your hair. Think about it, in 1ml of topical minoxidil you are applying 50mg of minoxidil, and by only eating 0.25mg orally its going to have to distribute throughout your entire body. From my personal experience 5mg - 10mg works best. I had my blood pressure checked when on 10mg and my levels were normal. Since you say your loss is very minimal I think you could get away with just getting a transplant without the need for medications.

 

[1knox1]

I’d go for meds before transplant.

Where are you located? See if a dr will supply you the 0.25 mg.

Start low.

 

[Retinoid]

I read an article from a doctor who does hair transplants who said he prescribed oral Minoxidil to some men who were not even fit for transplants and their hair came back from the dead. He mentioned dosages as low as .25mg were effective. If I were to take oral Minoxidil I probably would start off with 2.5mg per day. So split one tablet in four and take 1/4 twice daily. This is an effective dose and should not produce any side effects.

 

[tdma]

The medication may not be distributed evenly across the pill. You can ask your pharmacy to rebuild the pills. They will then grind them into powder and create new pills out of it with the requested concentration.

 

[Retinoid]

The medication may not be distributed evenly across the pill. You can ask your pharmacy to rebuild the pills. They will then grind them into powder and create new pills out of it with the requested concentration.

That really is not a huge deal in terms of long term effectiveness.

 

[Michael1986]

It is unfortunately that finasteride gave you sides. Without finasteride it is going to be difficult. Oral minoxidil is powerful stuff which can potentially have very serious side effects, so use it at your own risk.

I recommend you look into using a topical antiandrogen such as RU58841. Some users of these forums have had good results from RU58841.