Have you experienced shedding/hair loss after switching from 15% to 5% minoxidil?

[WarLord]

I have been on 2-5% minoxidil for 15,5 years and it comfortably preserved my Norwood2 temples. It worked reliably, but I never regrew any solid hair. Only after switching from 2% to 5% minoxidil in 2008 I regrew several thin hairs on places that have been bald for 11 years.

In January 2011 I decided to try ******* 15% Plus on my temples and I used it for 5 months. To my surprise, it produced some limited hair regrowth, but in my left temple, where I applied it on hairy areas, it had a devastating effect, because I lost a lot of hair. When I ran out of ******* in July 2011, I bought EssenGen 15%, I applied it in temples only every other day, then in August I mixed it with 5%Kirkland to achieve 10% concentration and I applied it once every other day as well. Some of the lost hairs went back, but the overall state of my hair in the left temple was still worse than before, and the stuff also didn't produce any further results. Apparently, the hair cycle was disturbed and shortened, because some of the hairs repeatedly fell out and grew back.

In mid-February 2012 I decided to stop using the 10% concentration completely and I used only my regular 5% minoxidil. I expected that the lost hair in my left temple would grow back - as many internet experiences indicate. However, in mid-April I started to lose whole groups of hair along the hairline. It was a slow process, some hairs here and there, but it has been continuing until today, 4 months after the cessation of use. Some of the lost hairs started to grow back after several weeks, but still not in full density and strength. At the same time, the hairline in my right temple, where I applied it only on bald places, is unchanged and firm like before. Moreover, with the help of dermarolling, I have been even regrowing some new solid hair there, It's crazy...

I suspect that the hairs became dependent on the high concentration minoxidil. However, it's frustrating that the hair loss continues for 4 months already. It looks like if I didn't use any minoxidil at all. In mid-April I already upgraded my 5%Kirkland to 6% concentration (by mixing it with 15% EssenGen), but it doesn't stop and I don't know, where it ends. It would be a very bitter end of my experiment. I admit that 15% minoxidil can be helpful to many people, for others it may simply be too strong. I wish I would never touch 15% *******...

Frankly, it becomes unbearable for me and I think about jumping on finasteride. On Wednesday, I will also go to a hair specialist to consult a hair transplantation, because I don't want to continue in such silly experiments anymore.