why isnt shedding mentioned by upjohn or merck in there stud

[jason566]

anyone have any knowledge as to why in the fda studies there is no mewntion of shedding hair by either merck or upjohn on there products?

 

[Guest]

Maybe it would scare people into taking the product.

 

[jason566]

into taking? dont u mean not taking?

I would like to hear HairLossTalk.com opinion about this though since he is very knowledgeable

 

[HairlossTalk]

Shedding is mentioned by Minoxidil. I believe its on the Rogaine box or in the insert. So ... they recognized it in the studies and have published it. As for Merck ... they covered the base too, in their own creative marketing way ... they simply said "you may continue to lose hair for up to 12 months. if you do not stop losing hair by 12 months, propecia is probably not working for you". This covers the bases of constant ebb and flow, shedding and regrowth, which happens at least once or twice during the first 12 months of Propecia use.

HairLossTalk.com

 

[Rsx]

Yes, Shedding did memtion in Kirkland booklet, it said you would have 2 weeks shedding the first time you use minoxidil 5%.

Thanks

 

[jason566]

That isnt exactly mentioning shedding HairLossTalk.com
That just saying the product may not work for you..people say shedding is a good sign that it will lead to increased thickness over the long run ..Merck saying that isnt admitting the shedding iam referring too thats just them saying it may not work for you if u dont see improvement after a year..

 

[Hotlegs]

That isnt exactly mentioning shedding HairLossTalk.com
That just saying the product may not work for you..people say shedding is a good sign that it will lead to increased thickness over the long run ..Merck saying that isnt admitting the shedding iam referring too thats just them saying it may not work for you if u dont see improvement after a year..

Yeah, I agree with this. Talking about hair loss stopping isn't the same as referring to shedding.
I think Merk left it out because they didn't look at it in detail. They only assessed overall hair appearance at the end of the trial. It was significantly better in the finasteride group than the placebo group so the drug appeared to work. They didn't consider what was happening along the way.

 

[Bryan]

In all the pile of hairloss-related studies that I've read, I've never once seen a mention of the so-called "shedding" phenomenon.

Bryan

 

[jason566]

Why do you believe that is Bryan? I isnt there ever a mention of it yet users of these products claim shedding according to Dr Lee he tells me in the case of propcia excessive shedding is a sign of Telogen Effluvium induced by propecia..but minoxidil on the package insert does mention a temporary increase in shedding when first starting the product

 

[Bryan]

I'm not completely sure, but I suspect it's just because the vast majority of hair doctors/researchers couldn't care less about perceived day-to-day fluctuations in hairs that loosen and fall out. I think 99% of them only care about the Big Picture, like what your scalp looks like at six-month and 1-year intervals, etc. I recall that vivid statement that Dr. Panagotacos made in an interview on Regrowth several years ago: he said that he had treated something like 600 men with finasteride (if I recall that number correctly), and had never seen a case of "shedding".

I personally have NEVER experienced "shedding" in the nearly 10 years that I've been treating my own condition. I would have no clue at all, not the slightest HINT that such a thing even existed, were it not for reports from other people on these hairloss forums.

Bryan

 

[jason566]

Yeh but not also just posters complaining about it but even this site has info and Dr Lee mentions shedding on his version of minoxidil so..its not completely unknown..i suppose investogators as i was told by one hair transplant Doctor is that basically propecia sychronizes the hair growth cycle which if your balding can cause more noticeable hairloss cause the hair is growing all at the same cycle rather than each hair havin its own indivdual cycle as they normally do..he told me this starts to change after a year or 2 on propecia they start going back to there indivdual cycle..thats best i can understand the shedding is that the hair starts to sychronize and therefore rather than teleogen hairs fallin out in 90-100 days they fall out say maybe 60 days or more earlier..cause of the drug..hope i got that right..but still no mention of this in any study by most docs..when i asked the hair transplant Doctor about this ..he looked at me puzzled even

 

[HairlossTalk]

That isnt exactly mentioning shedding HairLossTalk.com
That just saying the product may not work for you..

That's why I prefaced it by saying that they mentioned it in their own "creative marketing" way. I fully believe they're aware of it, and instead of being brash like Rogaine and just saying it straight out, they did it with creative marketing jargon. You're right. They didn't outright mention it, so your point stands, but I do believe they intentionally phrased it that way to cover the base. "You may continue to lose hair for up to 12 months" could be nonresponsiveness or shedding. Its a vague, safe way to describe what might happen, without alarming people or potentially reducing their sales. Hang around marketing long enough and you see some of the most creative ways to "technically" tell the truth while simultaneously tricking millions of people into completely missing it and going along on their happy ignorant way

Regarding Bryans comment that most doctors dont discuss it because they consider it an interim condition that is part of the treatment process. It is just that. Its what happens along the way. Treating hair loss is at the very least a roller coaster of weekly ups and downs. Over time, this ebb and flow minimizes, and your mental torment decreases. Partially because the sheds aren't so dramatic, and significantly because you start to realize there's nothing to worry about. It goes away but it will come back, as long as you're on an effective treatment

HairLossTalk.com

 

[BadHairDecade]

Hang around marketing long enough and you see some of the most creative ways to "technically" tell the truth while simultaneously tricking millions of people into completely missing it and going along on their happy ignorant way

The very reason why I got out of sales and marketing.

 

[The Gardener]

From the Rogaine website, and also stated on the insert in the Rogaine box:

Don't be alarmed if you experience a temporary increase in hair loss during the first few weeks of treatment. The increased shedding may occur as part of the hair growth cycle. New growth will follow the brief shedding period.

So, Merck DOES mention this as a specific side effect.

 

[Axon]

I'm not completely sure, but I suspect it's just because the vast majority of hair doctors/researchers couldn't care less about perceived day-to-day fluctuations in hairs that loosen and fall out. I think 99% of them only care about the Big Picture, like what your scalp looks like at six-month and 1-year intervals, etc. I recall that vivid statement that Dr. Panagotacos made in an interview on Regrowth several years ago: he said that he had treated something like 600 men with finasteride (if I recall that number correctly), and had never seen a case of "shedding".

I personally have NEVER experienced "shedding" in the nearly 10 years that I've been treating my own condition. I would have no clue at all, not the slightest HINT that such a thing even existed, were it not for reports from other people on these hairloss forums.

Bryan

Same. Never once had I had a "shed" period where I've lost more hair than normal. Further, the notion that a shed could be somehow permanent has always rubbed me the wrong way; it essentially suggests that these treatments somehow force the root out of the skin or somehow shrink the follicle.

But then, paranoia and self-indulgent moaning does abound on these forums.

 

[Brasileirao]

Same. Never once had I had a "shed" period where I've lost more hair than normal. Further, the notion that a shed could be somehow permanent has always rubbed me the wrong way; it essentially suggests that these treatments somehow force the root out of the skin or somehow shrink the follicle.

But then, paranoia and self-indulgent moaning does abound on these forums.

This is the way I'm starting to think Axon. Shedding is a natural process and we get so focused on it that we have brought forth a negative stigma.

Shed = depression, saddness, treatment is not working.....etc...

It really shouldnt be that way.

Tony

 

[jason566]

From the Rogaine website, and also stated on the insert in the Rogaine box:

Don't be alarmed if you experience a temporary increase in hair loss during the first few weeks of treatment. The increased shedding may occur as part of the hair growth cycle. New growth will follow the brief shedding period.

So, Merck DOES mention this as a specific side effect.

Merck doesnt make rogaine Upjohn is the makers of rogaine so No Merck Doesn't mention shedding

 

[not me!]

But then, paranoia and self-indulgent moaning does abound on these forums.

Talk about a mouthful. I swear I saw the entire room shake when that much truth came barreling out onto the floor.



BTW, I have never had a "shed" either.

 

[Guest]

I am in the 'NO shed' club also.

 

[HairlossTalk]

I did have a noticeable increase in loss during the first 4 months on Propecia, but the funny thing is how it ended. I literally saw and counted (god forbid!) 75 new hairs along my hairline. That wasn't the funny part. The funny part was they were all exactly the same length. They were all exactly ___ that long. It was the weirdest phenomenon Id ever seen on my head. To this day I live and breathe and swear by the theory that shedding is nothing more than simultaneous dormancy of a larger # of follicles at one time, than normal. .... and they will return. Wish I had a digital camera that day. Damn.

HairLossTalk.com