"Weaning" myself off of the Gaine

[DocBenway]

I have two bottles of Rogaine left, and I have been on Propecia(Finpecia) for over a month now and so far I am very confident that it will work for me. I cut down on Rogaine to once a day (money issues, and I think it added a slight chin flab that angers me.)

So here is the part where I need advice. I am going to use up the last two bottles slowly but surely, and stick with Finpecia strictly. Has anyone here done this and is this a bad idea?

 

[Avery]

You're going to lose whatever you gained by using Rogaine. A lot of people think you can regrow with Rogaine and keep it with finasteride. This isn't true.

 

[ali777]

I actually want to know the answer to this question as well... My guess is that everyone is different and it might work for some and it may not for others.

 

[Renegade]

Exactly whatever Avery said, with one small modification to his statemt. You will lose AT LEAST the amount you gained from the Gaine. "Weaning" off will only make your shed less drastic (but longer lasting) - the net effect will be the same though. Nor will finasteride "offset" this effect - not by any appreciable amount anyway.

The important thing to understand here is that finasteride and min work through entirely different mechanism. And while they are good compliments to each other, they are by no means substitutes for one another.

If you really want off the Gaine, by all means go for it if you think you can take the hit. You can "wean" it or quit cold-turkey. But if I were going to do that, I would have actually waited for about 6 months after stopping it to start finasteride. That is b/c you will be at your (new) baseline and can more accurately assess any benefits.

My best advice to you at his point is to "Remain on the Gaine" once a day. It really isn't that much of a burden (at least if you are using either the foam or Dr. Lee's.

I know this isn't the answer you were hoping for, but it based on my experience and interest in everyone's success here.

 

[DocBenway]

I had a feeling that was the answer. I want to get off Rogaine because I have no idea if it is even working on my vertex (a little on the temples, but it's hardly noticeable)

So to understand a little more. Let's say Rogaine is just barely maintaining my hair. But I am positive Finpecia is working for me. I will lose what I kept with Rogaine (if it actually did anything at all,) but in the long run, will Finpecia hairs grow in where the Rogaine hairs fell out?

 

[treadstone]

So to understand a little more. Let's say Rogaine is just barely maintaining my hair. But I am positive Finpecia is working for me. I will lose what I kept with Rogaine (if it actually did anything at all,) but in the long run, will Finpecia hairs grow in where the Rogaine hairs fell out?

That's what happened for me.

Dr. Proctor has said that even the most efficacious treatment can only grow hair up to about where your hair was 1-2 years ago. Luckily I had only been using minoxidil for about 1.5 years and decided to switch to finasteride, and the trade-off has been pretty even.

 

[Renegade]

How long have you been on Rogaine? The longer you've used it (whether or not it has regrown anything or is just maintaining what you have), the more drastic your loss will be after stopping it. Ex: 2 month or less - probably only a slight loss; 6 months - moderate loss; year or more - heavy loss.

What I can say is that, at this point there is simply no way you can be sure that it is just the Finpecia that is working. What is the most likely cause of whatever you are noticing is the COMBINATION of finpecia and rogaine. And I hate to break it to you, but most of it is probably attributable to the rogaine.

If you have been on rogaine for quite a while and stop, you are taking a big risk. There is absolutely no guarantee or evidence at all that finasteride, by itself, will regrow the same hair lost from discontinuing rogaine. And even if it did regrow some hair in those areas, it most likely wouldn't be as much as rogaine did; and I can almost guarantee you that it wouldn't regrow the amount that a combination of the two would.

These answers proabably sound like they just keep getting worse for you. Trust me though, I went through the same hatred of the thought being stuck on Rogaine "forever" (like so many others here have), but you will find that when your hair loss gets noticible enough, you will do whatever it takes to regrow/maintain the most amount of hair possible.

Best of luck in whatever you choose.

 

[DocBenway]

I see. I've been on Rogaine for a year, Finpecia...not very long at all. I guess I'll stick with the once a day use if that's adequate. Thanks much.

 

[Petchsky]

I've found that once you have been on minoxidil for over a year, maybe 18 months, you can quite safely cut down to once a day without any changes.

 

[treeshrew]

I was on finasteride for about 4-5 months before starting foam. The finasteride helped immensely, but my temple hair continued to recede. I added minoxidil, and while it has not grown new hair, it has thickened up and maintained the temple hair. I plan to use it for life, until it stops working, or until something better comes out. Dabbing on a little foam each night is not that big of a commitment.

 

[Odie]

So to understand a little more. Let's say Rogaine is just barely maintaining my hair. But I am positive Finpecia is working for me. I will lose what I kept with Rogaine (if it actually did anything at all,) but in the long run, will Finpecia hairs grow in where the Rogaine hairs fell out?

That's what happened for me.

Dr. Proctor has said that even the most efficacious treatment can only grow hair up to about where your hair was 1-2 years ago. Luckily I had only been using minoxidil for about 1.5 years and decided to switch to finasteride, and the trade-off has been pretty even.

I find that hard to believe. I have seen plenty of photos from members here who have re-grown a substantial amoutn of hair, way more than they had 1-2 years before they started meds. I think the key is everyone responds differently.