Those who had success with topical minoxidil and switched over to oral, what were your results like?

[SadAndMad]

I tried switching over to oral min but honestly It did not end well. I was shedding like a dog and lost a bunch of hair. The funny thing is that when I use topical minoxidil, a good part of it goes systematically because I use a fairly high dose (2.5 ml once a day) and hair grows / falls in cycles all over the body.

What I noticed was that during those 5 months of using the oral min, my skin looked undeniably better. I just don't understand why there were no results at all, minoxidil obviously works well for me but when I switched to oral version it just didn't work.

Studies have shown that oral minoxidil is better, but all I see is that people complain that they don’t achieve results at all. Since these people could be in a group that also does not respond well to the topical, has anyone with excellent results from topical switched to oral and maintained / regrew something?

I am willing to try it again but I'm not going to go over 5mg. Quitting topical cold turkey was obviously a mistake but I was afraid of the sides. Also I just don't believe that was the reason for the failure of the pill version.

 

[NW9000]

My results have been great, and I saw the beginnings as early as at the two months mark. People who claims 'no results' on oral minoxidil I suspect as full of sh1t, and yes that includes you.

 

[SadAndMad]

My results have been great, and I saw the beginnings as early as at the two months mark. People who claims 'no results' on oral minoxidil I suspect as full of sh1t, and yes that includes you.

Why would I lie? What do I gain from it? I lost almost all minoxidil hairs along the hairline, I've got a whole album of pictures to prove it.

 

[Moz5x]

I tried switching over to oral min but honestly It did not end well. I was shedding like a dog and lost a bunch of hair. The funny thing is that when I use topical minoxidil, a good part of it goes systematically because I use a fairly high dose (2.5 ml once a day) and hair grows / falls in cycles all over the body.

What I noticed was that during those 5 months of using the oral min, my skin looked undeniably better. I just don't understand why there were no results at all, minoxidil obviously works well for me but when I switched to oral version it just didn't work.

Studies have shown that oral minoxidil is better, but all I see is that people complain that they don’t achieve results at all. Since these people could be in a group that also does not respond well to the topical, has anyone with excellent results from topical switched to oral and maintained / regrew something?

I am willing to try it again but I'm not going to go over 5mg. Quitting topical cold turkey was obviously a mistake but I was afraid of the sides. Also I just don't believe that was the reason for the failure of the pill version.

What were your expectations from oral min? If you were already a good responder to topical min then the improvement from switching to OM might not be noticeable. Also, it’s possible you didn’t stay on it long enough. The initial shed from starting OM can be intense and prolonged. Due to the nature of the hair life cycle it could have taken you several more months for shedded hairs to regrow to be cosmetically significant and noticeable. Where did you source your OM from? Perhaps it’s an issue with the manufacturer? This can happen with certain generics for finasteride/dutasteride as well.

Also if you were fearful of the side effects from topical min, then why did you attempt OM which comes with the potential for so many more side effects?

 

[SadAndMad]

What were your expectations from oral min? If you were already a good responder to topical min then the improvement from switching to OM might not be noticeable. Also, it’s possible you didn’t stay on it long enough. The initial shed from starting OM can be intense and prolonged. Due to the nature of the hair life cycle it could have taken you several more months for shedded hairs to regrow to be cosmetically significant and noticeable. Where did you source your OM from? Perhaps it’s an issue with the manufacturer? This can happen with certain generics for finasteride/dutasteride as well.

Also if you were fearful of the side effects from topical min, then why did you attempt OM which comes with the potential for so many more side effects?

I just wanted to keep what I had, that’s all. And within 5 months of oral minoxidil everything I had previously gained fell out.

What you want to tell me is that I should completely forget what I previously learned by monitoring my sheds with topical minoxidil because oral works differently? Man, 5 months is enough to see that it obviously doesn't work. I always shed with minoxidil, but I never go below baseline line and lose ALL minoxidil hairs along the hairline.

The pills are legit from Pfizer that I bought at a state pharmacy with a prescription. 5mg didn't work, 10mg sometimes made me ran out of breath but gave me 0 results.
Btw. about the sides part, I was just talking about making my skin look like I’m a hairless rat when I use it topically. In combination with OM I would look like a dead person.

I just passionately hate topical minoxidil. I hate applying it, I hate the fact that I get dermatitis no matter what brand / version I use, I hate the way my skin looks. Yes It's better than being bald, but still, If there is something better out there I will give it a try.

 

[Moz5x]

I’m not telling you to forget anything. I apologize if the tone my post came across as dismissive. That was not my intention. I do empathize with your situation.

The severity of your shed after starting OM is consistent with what many others have reported and I honestly think it’s unlikely that you’d be worse off in the long run since the response rate to OM is high. Also any change to a regimen can trigger a telogen effluvium. But if you are convinced it failed then I won’t try to change your mind. You know your body best.

Unfortunately fighting hairloss is all about trade offs and we are often stuck choosing between the lesser of two evils.