Info. about Minoxidil

[Person]

My personal opinion... dont bother using it.

1. Its only truly effective in roughly 40% of ppl who use it.
2. It has side effects related to your heart health and skin aging/bloating as well as headaches. Research minoxidil side effects for more info
3. It must be used for life, and if you quit after using it for about 6 months you will experience rapid hair loss (treatment induced telogen effluvium)
4. Max results are seen at about 3-4 months , then hair loss continues at previous rate see graph (http://divineskin.com/uk/spectralDNC...oxidilMech.PDF)
5. Do not use on the hairline, it will destroy it. A very small number of people have used it on hairlines with success.
6. It must be applied twice daily...very annoying
7. Just because it is FDA approved does not mean it is SUPER effective, it just means its safe enough and has some efficacy.
8. It causes a shed from the moment you begin usage. Although hair usually regrows and this is a sign its working, some times hair will not regrow and you can look worse than before. See disclaimer on rogaine website.
9. It does not stop the source of hairloss, it is just a medicine that had a side effect of growing hair
10. Better treatments such as Allergan's Bimatoprost for Scalp will probably be available around late 2014 or early 2015

[Tracy C]

1. Its only truly effective in roughly 40% of ppl who use it.

This statement is not true.

3. It must be used for life, and if you quit after using it for about 6 months you will experience rapid hair loss (treatment induced telogen effluvium)

Any and every treatment for hereditary hair loss must be used for life. Hereditary hair loss is progressive and does not stop once it is triggered into action.

Any and every "future" treatment will also need to be used for life.

This will remain true until a true cure for hereditary hair loss is found.

4. Max results are seen at about 3-4 months , then hair loss continues at previous rate see graph

This is absolutely not true. There is not a single word of truth in that entire statement. It takes three to four months just to find out if Minoxidil will work for you. You do not know how well it will work for you until you have been using it for 12 to 18 months.

5. Do not use on the hairline, it will destroy it.

Though this is possible, it is mostly not true. It is not guaranteed in any way to "destroy" the hair line. Though it is true that males should not use it on their hair line.

Genetics "destroys" a males hair line, not Minoxidil - but using Minoxidil on the hair line can speed up that genetically programmed process.

6. It must be applied twice daily...very annoying.

Minxoidil works best when used twice a day, but it also works if used only once a day. Using it twice a day is not a "must".

8. It causes a shed from the moment you begin usage. Although hair usually regrows and this is a sign its working, some times hair will not regrow and you can look worse than before. See disclaimer on rogaine website.

Any and every treatment for hereditary hair loss causes shedding. This is part of the process of treating hereditary hair loss and there is no way to avoid it.

The shedding can be greatly reduced by tapering up to the normal dose slowly over time.

9. It does not stop the source of hairloss, it is just a medicine that had a side effect of growing hair.

This is the only thing you have posted that was actually completely true.

10. Better treatments such as Allergan's Bimatoprost for Scalp will probably be available around late 2014 or early 2015

It is not yet known if Allergan's treatment will be any more effective than Minoxidil. Though there is very heavy speculation that it will be, this has not yet been proven to be true.

[Spex]

I have found over the years the foam to be the best Minox product personally and use it 1x a day


No real significant sides other than shedding that i have been aware of. Use it in small amounts and not overkill. Less is more.

3. what is the cheapest brand around? since i can not afford expensive treatments.

You can get the foam version cheap from reliable sites such as www.minoxidil-direct.co.uk - this site has been going a long time and is where i get mine. They also sell the Kirkland liquid version cheap however i found that hard to get on with as very greasy.

Best
S

[dex89]

OP, you have to stay positive, NOT EVERYONE has these side effects.

[Tracy C]

OP, you have to stay positive, NOT EVERYONE has these side effects.

Very very few experience the possible side effects of these two medications. Though some actually do, many of those few who do are actually experiencing a psychosomatic response. This is much more common than the fear mongers are will to accept or admit.

However, if your only concern is your hair line, neither of these medications are appropriate for you. It is very important for you to know and realize that.

[5000]

1. Decent, I started it around 18, it definitely slowed my hairloss but did not stop it, I knew it slowed it as when i would go off it for say a week I would shed much more. Overall no growth though, just what I would call artificial slowing.

2.No serious sides however I do get heavy dandruff but that can be attributed to the brand i'm using, I get less dandruff on different brands but even with Nizoral/dandruff shampoos my dandruff is somewhat consistently around.

3. I believe generic at walmart is the cheapest. Overall it's not an expensive treatment in the first place.


Side note- I'd reccomend looking into propecia as well as of the two FDA approved drugs it's the only one that I can say actually inhibits or helps to inhibit what is causing your hairloss.(it doesnt necessarily regrow but if you have no sides it can almost permanently halt your loss.).

thankyou! but im not daring to try propecia as of yet because im going to get married soon.

[5000]

This is largely fear mongering. The real possibility of this happening to any one is so unlikely it is is only just barely worth mentioning.

Many women use Minoxidil. If Minoxidil actually did age skin in a statistically significant number of people, women would not go anywhere near the stuff.





This is also largely fear mongering.

You need to talk to a doctor who specializes in treating hair loss. This is especially true if your only concern is your hair line. If you do not have thinning in your vertex and/or mid-anterior areas, neither Finasteride or Minoxidil are appropriate for you. The risks of possible side effects greatly outweighs your perceived benefit - and neither are likely to do anything for your hair line anyway.

One last thing. You always have the option to do nothing about your hereditary hair loss and simply allow nature to take it's course. There are only two medications that are proven to work and FDA approved for treating hereditary hair loss. As with all other medications, they both have possible side effects. Again, you always have the option of doing nothing to treat your hereditary hair loss. There is no shame is choosing that option.

Finally i presume Tracy is right with minoxidil had to do something with aging the skin, girls would have been concerned more with that rather just hairloss... so i think i should give minoxidil a try!!

[5000]

I have found over the years the foam to be the best Minox product personally and use it 1x a day


No real significant sides other than shedding that i have been aware of. Use it in small amounts and not overkill. Less is more.

3. what is the cheapest brand around? since i can not afford expensive treatments.

You can get the foam version cheap from reliable sites such as www.minoxidil-direct.co.uk - this site has been going a long time and is where i get mine. They also sell the Kirkland liquid version cheap however i found that hard to get on with as very greasy.

Best
S

thats right!! thankyou. if there are no significant sides for so many of among us than its worth trying. i hope it will keep the hair i have

[5000]

Very very few experience the possible side effects of these two medications. Though some actually do, many of those few who do are actually experiencing a psychosomatic response. This is much more common than the fear mongers are will to accept or admit.

However, if your only concern is your hair line, neither of these medications are appropriate for you. It is very important for you to know and realize that.

Tracy one thing i like about your posts is, you write so positive and it really helps!! thankyou buddy!

[Spex]

Best of luck with it