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  1. #1
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    Default Stopped using Regaine (Minoxidil)

    hey guys

    new to the forums, hoping i can get some help and advice from yourselves. Basically im 25 and i noticed about 20 months ago that my hair started thinning from my crown. Didnt do much about it at the time because i didnt know where to start but i started using a protein thickening shampoo which did a decent job.

    So over the last 20 months hair has been gradually thinning but its wasnt too bad and in October 2011 i decided that i should start using Regaine. I stopped using it last week. I must point out, my dad is 56 and has only just started showing signs of balding but my mum has very, very thin hair and u can see her scalp. My sister also has the same problem but my brother who is 17 has a thick, thick set of hair.

    So started using Regaine, twice a day as directed. Initially i couldnt compare my shedding to when i wasnt using Regaine, cant say whether there was an increase etc. I had side effects, mainly aches and pains but i got through that and up until last week there were times when my arms and legs would go numb for 30secs to a min or so at random times. Never use to happen before. I didnt apply Regaine on Friday morning as i play footy on Friday night and my legs use to go numb.

    My hair has got thinner and it looks worse than before i started, i noticed a lot more shedding (i understand that indicates its working), my hairline which perfect has receeded and in general my hair looks quite bad. Crown has got bigger, thinner and now can see my scalp whereas before u had sort of look for it.

    Last week i notice for some weird reason that i had a lot more fine hair on the top of my hands, on the underside of my arm, eyebrows, ear and even new eye lashes poking above my exisiting ones. This hair was definitely not there before i started. Before anyone mentions, only been applying the foam on my crown. This was the final straw, i stopped using the foam because of this unwanted hair growth elsewhere.

    My questions:

    what happens now after stopping Regaine? Ive shed quite a bit of hair, will that grow back? Im not talking about the hair that Regaine has helped to grow, i understand that will fall out.. im talking about the shedded hair?

    How long does Regaine still have an effect on your hair after you stop using it?

    What should i expect in terms of shedding? i.e how long should it last after stopping Regaine.

    Also has anybody had an issue with hair growing elsewhere?

    Many thanks for your help.

  2. #2
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JALLAN View Post
    My questions:

    what happens now after stopping Regaine?
    You have not been using Regaine long enough for it to make much difference. Your hair loss will resume as it would have before you started the medication.



    Quote Originally Posted by JALLAN View Post
    How long does Regaine still have an effect on your hair after you stop using it?
    You were not using Regaine long enough for it to make much difference.



    Quote Originally Posted by JALLAN View Post
    What should i expect in terms of shedding? i.e how long should it last after stopping Regaine.
    This is different for everyone. However you were not using Regaine long enough for it to make much difference.



    Quote Originally Posted by JALLAN View Post
    Also has anybody had an issue with hair growing elsewhere?
    This is neither typical or common. Rogaine works were you put it. However you were not using Regaine long enough for it to make much difference.

  3. #3
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    Hi Tracey

    many thanks for response.

    May i ask how long does it take for the shedded hair to return?

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by JALLAN View Post
    May i ask how long does it take for the shedded hair to return?
    As I said before, this is different for everyone. Since I've never stopped my treatment, I cannot tell you how long it would have been if I had stopped.

    It would be a good idea for you to familiarize yourself with how hair cycles work - and how long it takes hair follicles to go through each phase of their cycles. Some phases of the cycles are significantly longer than others (very long). Hair follicles that have been damaged by DHT usually have messed up cycles. During your very brief use of Minoxidil, those damaged follicles were just starting to repair, so they will still have messed up cycles. The cycles would continue to be messed until they had reached a stage of repair that allowed them to have a nearly normal cycle. Since you interrupted that attempted repair process, it is nearly impossible to predict how long it would be.

  5. #5
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    Hey Jallan,
    I had the exact experience with Minoxidil. I shed a lot of hair when i used it for one month. But then I had to stop because of other side effects.

    It has been a month since I have stopped. But I don't know when of if those shedded hairs will grow back. I hope they will. If my assumption that they have been pushed into the resting phase is correct, then it might take 3 to 6 months.

    But I can't be sure.

  6. #6
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    [QUOTE=Tracy C;49980]You have not been using Regaine long enough for it to make much difference. Your hair loss will resume as it would have before you started the medication.

    This is not true. Almost all stories i have heard involving stopping minoxidil resulted in telogen effluvium, thinning of the entire scalp, not just the area you applied it. Apparently it gets really bad at month 3 and continues to get worse and around month 6 you MAY go back to pre-minox hair level.

    I was only on it for 5 weeks, then quit due to sides and now my previously thick healthy hair is thin

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Person View Post
    This is not true. Almost all stories i have heard...
    You cannot trust the stories you've heard because you do not know all the details of what those people did. You only know what they tell you and they usually do not tell you the whole story. The devil is in the details and the details do matter. Many people who buy this medication do not use it properly, or they buy those illegal high percentage blends. Those are examples of details. Those details matter.

    Minoxidil is approved by the FDA to regrow hair. Minoxidil would not have FDA approval to regrow hair if it did not regrow some hair. Minoxidil would also not have FDA approval if it had an unacceptable side effect profile. The truth is most people who use this medicine properly will regrow some hair. I did and so have many many others who have used it properly. Most people who use this medicine properly will not experience the possible side effects. I have not and many many more who used it properly have not either.

    If you had side effects, don't use it. If you have a fear of side effects in general, don't use any medications of any kind at all for any reason - because you are going to get what you fear.

  8. #8
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    This is not about results. You are correct that if you do not use it correctly you will not get results. But if you get bad side effects then you need to stop.

    My point was, there seems to be NO clear answer to the question "does the healthy hair you had before stopping minox ever regrow". Because once you stop minox, you get loss all over the top of your scalp regardless of where you applied it. Everyone always says "You will only lose the hair rogaine helped you grow."This is not true.

    Even people who stopped after only using minox 1-2 months get hair loss all over their scalp after....so its not like they regrew and hair from rogaine and were only losing THAT hair.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Person View Post
    My point was, there seems to be NO clear answer to the question "does the healthy hair you had before stopping minox ever regrow"..
    This is something that is hard for people to get a grip on. This medicine does not cause healthy hair follicles to shed hair. This medicine causes damaged hair follicles to shed hair as those damaged follicles are healing. The healthy hair follicles do not shed. The hairs that shed out are from follicles that are not healthy. They might look healthy and you may think they are healthy but they are not healthy. If you stop treatment before those follicles can heal, those follicles might not be able to grow hair anymore.

    I do agree that people need to think more carefully before trying a treatment though. Maybe the available information could be better - but honestly, most people who buy this medicine don't read it anyways.



    Quote Originally Posted by Person View Post
    Everyone always says "You will only lose the hair rogaine helped you grow."This is not true.
    Actually, this is true.



    Quote Originally Posted by Person View Post
    Even people who stopped after only using minox 1-2 months get hair loss all over their scalp after....
    That happens if that person had damaged hair follicles all over their scalp. Damage that existed BEFORE they started using Rogaine. If they had continued treatment, those damaged hair follicles would have been more likely to finish healing and the hair those follicles had shed out would most likely have grown back. Again, this is hard for people to get a grip on but it is what it is.

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