Impatiently upped to 15%

[bald86]

Hello all,

I'm a new member to this forum. I recently started paying attention to my hair loss problem and decided to put a stop to it or at least slow it down.

I started Rogaine Foam about a month ago and Generic Finasteride two weeks ago. I saw some improvement and noticed my hair is getting thicker and the initial shedding was really minimal contrary to what I expected. Even though I noticed improvements, I was happy about it and decided to take it even a step further, so I got myself 3 bottles of Minoxidil 15% w/ Azelaic Acid 5% from Perfect Image and started applying 1ml of it at night and 1ml of Rogaine 5% solution at mornings. Now I'm noticing a lot of shedding and I can even see my scalp in areas where I couldn't before.

My questions are:

• Given that Minoxidil 15% is now out of the market, will I lose any gains later when I have to switch back to 5% ?
• I have been on Minoxidil 15% for a two weeks now, is it a good idea to switch back now to 5% or should I just continue with my 15% and be consistent ?

Thanks

[jayth]

I'm not sure bald86. I was on the 15% for 4 mos and am now switching back to 5% so we'll see what happens??

[Tracy C]

I started Rogaine Foam about a month ago and Generic Finasteride two weeks ago.

Hi bald86.

You have not been on your regimen long enough to even know if anything is going to work for you.

It takes a long time to treat hair loss. Increasing your dose does not equal speeding up the process. There is a reason 5% is the strongest the FDA will approve for sale without a prescription. Increasing the percentage is not likely to increase the effectiveness of the medication - but it will very likely increase your chances of experiencing the possible negative side effects of Minoxidil.

It takes four to six months to know if Rogaine (or generic Minoxidil) is going to regrow any hair for you. At about four to six months the regrown hair looks like downey peach fuzz. It takes longer before you will know how well Minoxidil is working for you. About twelve to eighteen months. Over time and hair cycles that downey peach fuzz hair improves in quality as it cycles through. But this takes time. Time that is measured in months and years, not weeks.

It takes eight to twelve full months before you will know if Propecia (or generic Finasteride) will slow down or arrest your hair loss. It takes longer before you will know if any of your hair will be able to grow back without additional medication such as Minoxidil.

Using both Propecia (or generic Finasteride) and Rogaine (or generic Minoxidil) together is a very good idea. These two medications do two different things. Those two different things they do work synergistically (they help each other). However, it still takes time. You should allow your regimen at least a full 12 months before you will know how well it is working for you. You need to be patient. Impatience is not going to help you in any way.

[bald86]

Thank you guys! I will continue my treatment and keep track of my progress.

jayth, please keep us posted, I would love to know if this will have any effect on your progress.