Attempting to switch from Rogaine to Natural

[helpme123]

Hello All,

I have been using Rogaine for about 10 years and I feel like it used to work somewhat. I never saw regrowth but balding seemed to cease. Now it seems I'm balding while using it. I don't really want to use it anymore as I'm trying to only use natural stuff in my hair (oils, etc.) Anybody out there know what I can expect to happen when I stop using the Rogaine totally? How bald wil I be. I still have pretty good coverage now. Should I wean myself off of it instead of just quitting?. I have already gone to every other day instead of every day. I just feel like it's not really working anymore and start to wonder if it ever really did or was did I just thinning a little and then starting to thin a little more now. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thank you

[heresjohnny]

Sorry I dont really have an answer for you. Not sure anyone on here can tell you were you will end up if you stop using Rogaine. It would not be an overnight transition, but from what I have read, within a year your hair loss would reflect where you would be had you never used Rogaine at all. Where that place is ??? Do you have older brothers?

[helpme123]

Thanks! Yeah, I've read that too on other sites. Seems like I'll just look ike I would have as if I never used it at all...which is OK, except this horrifying long shot possibility that I'll be totally bald. I do not have nay brothers, however my dad made until 50 with quite a bit ot hair, Both my grandfathers were pretty bald by 30, which I have just surpassed.

[heresjohnny]

kind of scary huh lol... I might, if it were me, work the new in and the old out.. I saw possibly in a post here a very extensive list of vitamins and minerals and what each ones importance to hair care was... good luck I’m sure it is liberating to some extent to just say WTF and let it go.

[CIT_Girl]

If you discontinue using Rogaine, you will likely experience significant shedding 3 months to 5 months after you stop it. It's possible you will not experiencing shedding after cessation, in which case, you will know it was not doing anything for you.

If you are looking to switch to all-natural therapies/products, I would suggest trying saw palmetto, vitamins (zinc, in particular) and Hair Cycle products.

[helpme123]

Thanks a lot for the replies everyone. The suggestions and confidence help. I saw that about saw palmetto and will give it a shot! I will also keep you updated on how it's going in case that could help someone else out! Thanks again!

[DrKDSiporin]

Hello All,

I have been using Rogaine for about 10 years and I feel like it used to work somewhat. I never saw regrowth but balding seemed to cease. Now it seems I'm balding while using it. I don't really want to use it anymore as I'm trying to only use natural stuff in my hair (oils, etc.) Anybody out there know what I can expect to happen when I stop using the Rogaine totally? How bald wil I be. I still have pretty good coverage now. Should I wean myself off of it instead of just quitting?. I have already gone to every other day instead of every day. I just feel like it's not really working anymore and start to wonder if it ever really did or was did I just thinning a little and then starting to thin a little more now. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thank you

Dear Helpme,
I think you are raising a topic that is very infrequently addressed, and that there are no absolutely science based answers for, and that is the issue of when to stop or slow down medical therapies, and in your specific case, minoxidil, when you are not seeing objective evidence of improvement. The reason there are no scientic answers, is because, to my knowledge, there have been no prospective controlled studies looking at men with hair loss who used minoxidil for a while, and then stopped. In other words, nobody has scientifically examined what happens to patients over a period of time, when they withdraw the medication.
The drug companies of course, would like you to continue the medications indefinitely, because that drives their profits up. However, there probably are a great deal of men who are using both propecia and minoxidil, who are not benefitting greatly. Still, I must say, that with the lack of scientific evidence, we have been told that if you stop minoxidil and or propecia, you will eventually return to the place that you would have been had you never started the medications. Theoretically this makes sense, which is why we recomment to our patients, that if they are not suffering any side effects, if they can afford the treatment, and if they are still worried about future hair loss, the best plan is to stay with the treatments. Nobody has looked at weaning off the treatments, cutting the dose or the applications in half, or in switching regimens years after you started the medication, so everything is just conjecture.
My personal belief is that you can cut back on both rogaine and propecia years after you started, and still maintain a benefit, but I emphasize that this is just my personal opinion, and not backed by any scientific evidence. I tell my patients that if you are very concerned about your hair loss, then continue with both rogaine, or propecia, or both. If you are unsure of whether you are seeing any benefit, then in my mind the best approach is to be seen by a physician or professional who can objectively measure your hair loss either through digital photographs, or trichograms or either hair measuring devices, so that you can follow your hair loss over time and make a decision based on some objective criteria.
If you do not want to go through the trouble of doing this, then it a personal decision. Obviously the biggest risk is that after withdrawing the treatment you undergo accelerated loss, and that should be a concern, however, that does not mean you cannot try stopping the treatment for awhile, to see how you respond.
I am working with a company who has a water which may increase the ability of rogaine to thicken your hair.
If anybody is interested in trying this water, I would be happy to talk to you about it. The water can be ingested, which is fairly expensive, or sprayed on your scalp immediately before applying the rogaine, which is much less expensive. In theory the water would work best when both ingested and sprayed. Still this is an experimental treatment, but I would love to entertain any of your questions regarding the use of this water.
Ken Siporin, M.D., F.A.C.S., 310 479-4247

[KeepTheHair]

I have heard a ton of stories of people stopping minoxidil treatments and shedding a ton of hairs after a few months. Perhaps slowly stop using it rather than suddenly stopping. Perhaps use it less until better treatments are available?

"Natural" treatments will do very, very little for your hair.

[jooder]

I do not agree that 'natural' does very little for your hair.
I would suggest you visit immortalhair.org and visit the forum. I would also suggest you wean yourself off it while starting a natural regimen.

[helpme123]

thanks everyone for the replies! I really do appreciate it. Thank you Dr. Siporin and everyone. I am weaning myself off, and I figured someone one here may have the same issus as I do. I will visit that other site and will let everyone know what happens with my hair (or lack of). Thanks!