Terrible hair loss after minoxidil

[ram]

Hi, I am 27 and experiencing horrible hair loss. I started observing reciding hairline at my temples about 6 years back, but it was very slow and the hair density was really good.

Just last year i saw a doctor and he advised me to use hair4u without explaining me the side effects. I used hair4u with 10% minoxidil for 8 to 10 months( no tablets or anything else ). I stopped using it about 3 months back, as i started to have dark eye circles and lose of concentration while working.

Since i have stopped minoxidil solution my hair fall has increased tremondously. I can see hand full of hair everyday when i wash my hair.

Three months back, my hair density was still good, and i could not see any part of my scalp even after hair wash. But now as soon as my hair gets wet i can see every part of my scalp. I can see myself getting bald more and more, each day. Its very depressing.

These are the questions I need answers for -

1. How much does hair get dependent on minoxidil in 10 months?

2. Does natural hair also fall after stopping minoxidil ( because i think that, i am loosing my natural hair,, since i dint see any new hair growth while using minoxdil)

3. Will the natural hair which fall after minoxidil grow back ?

4. If i cant control hairfall then, should i go back to minoxidil ?

Plz suggest me out of this mess. I met some doctors but everyone try to pull me into one of their long expensive treatments,, which again involve minoxidil. I think if i had not used minoxidil i would have lost hair much slower than this.

 

[mars]

Any hair that is miniturising will become dependant on minoxidil once you start using it so you have to keep using it,any hair that is not miniturising will not be affected by minoxidil what so ever.

My advice to you is get rogaine foam 5% and start propecia,if you are worried about side effects start of on half a pill eod,if you dont do this you will keep losing hair simple as that.

With regards to side effects from meds you named two from 10%minoxidil maybe you wont get them with 5% version,but in reality there are many reaons for lose in concentration you cant just jump to conclusion its the minoxidil.If you are think you are getting these side effects from minoxidil then you might think you will get some from propecia too but you have to give it a go,9/10 chance you wont get side effects.

Have you pics?

 

[ram]

thanks for your suggestions, very appreciated.

Even i think that minoxidil is the best solution for me right now. And i want to clear my 'loss of concentration' part in my first post, what i meant was having constantly dry and burning eyes. I work on computers and it makes it very hard for me to look at a computer screen with dry eyes.

I wanted to know one more thing, if i start minoxidil again, is there any chance of my recently fallen hair to grow back?,,,,

i stopped it only 3 months back,, and lot of my hair fell very recently.

 

[mars]

Of course there is a chance it will grow back get back on it asap,by doing nothing it wont grow back,remember minoxidil is like a plaster it doesnt get to the source of the problem,propecia does.

The only way minoxidil would cause your eyes to burn is if it actually came into contact with your eyes so i dont think u have a problem from minoxidil.

 

[Westcoaster]

Use the foam as Mars suggests, alternatively use a lesser strength Minoxidil such as 5%.

 

[hairtech]

Mars's opinion is really correct.

 

[topccat29]

Sorry but I will have to disagree here guys. I tried minoxidil long before it was an approved treatment and used it off and on during the years at different strengths 5% - 15%. It is only when I used the foam that the side effects were horrendous. I had huge dark circles around my eyes, looked like I aged 25 years and didn €™t feel normal.

Reading this poster €™s experience I think suggesting foam would be disastrous. If the poster does proceed I suggest monitoring the effects on your face very closely and stopping immediately at the first signs of something being not right.

 

[Tobyl55]

Why not try the 2% solution, If you have no symptons with this strength you could gradually increase the strength by using the 5% solution every other day. I`ve heard of people having headaches from using Minoxidil but not dark eyes. Did you capture this reaction on camera by any chance?

 

[topccat29]

Toby sorry no pictures. Didn't think of it at the time as I was in Clearwater, FL.

Kind of a funny story. I went down there for 3 days to investigate PRP. Took the wife for support. After being there the first day all I heard were obnoxious radio commercials for PRP I was thinking to myself hmmmm......this is not good. I thought it to be a huge screaming red flag. Have you heard these obnoxious penis enlargement radio commercials, same thing. But now I had to tell the wife I don't think I want to do this, without looking like a complete psycho.......lol........she has to the most understanding woman in the world. She just laughed and replied well then don't go. We made a short vacation out of it and I noticed my face in the mirror the next morning at the hotel. I had just started using the foam at the time.This happened before I started my repair.

BTW your idea on using 2% makes sense.

 

[topccat29]

This was posted on another forum today. I really believe that the foam form of minoxidil has some issues and one needs to be very careful when using it or recommending it's use.


Been using Minoxidil 5% 2x a day all over my NW6 scalp for about 9 months since I got an ht. Liquid form for about 7 months then switched to foam. Never had any reactions except for maybe a little redness on scalp. Less than 2 weeks ago I broke out in a bad rash with raised skin that itched like crazy on the front and back of my neck and scalp became very red and irritated and burned including near temples and along forehead. One day I had a racing heart incident. Also developed a couple of little growths on my scalp. Didn't know what was going on. Started putting on cortisone cream just to stop the itch which worked a little. Saw my HT doctor who told me to stop the minox that I was probably having a reaction to it and to see a dermatologist just to make sure it was nothing else and to look at the little growths that developed. She said she's seen the scalp reaction before but couldn't explain the rashes on the front and back of my neck and the few growths on the scalp but assumed it was all part of a bad reaction to the minoxidil. She said even though I never had any reaction for all those months of using it you can get a reaction at any time and you have to stop using it immediately as opposed to stopping gradually. 9 days later, scalp is still red and flaking, forehead and temples still patchy red and flaking, front and back of neck seems to be getting a little better after using all kinds of creams including aloe, cortisone, and zinc oxide. What a freakin mess. like I had some sort of chemical burn. Have an appointment with a dermatologist but not till the first week in October. Hope I make it till then. Supposed to get another HT in November or October but have to clear all this up first. Any one else have any reactions to minoxidil like mine or am I just having bad luck? Assuming this is a bad reaction to minoxidil. Thanks.

 

[mars]

Side effects from minoxidil are extremely rare,side effects from propecia are more common and they are less than 2%.

Sometimes people scare themselves into thinking its the meds they take that cause what ever problem it is they have or may convince themselves they have a problem when in reality they dont,example being i seen more than one thread where people said minoxidil was causing them ed which is crazy,another thread that springs to mind this one guy took his first propecia pill 4 hrs earlier and suffered side effects immediatly.

Just for the record i had small side effects initially fom 5% liquid..red,itchy,irritated scalp this last a month or so,had nothing with the foam.

 

[bullitnut]

Mars is right, I myself used the foam a few years ago for a short period and coincidentally developed an itchy rash on my eyelid shortly afterwards so I stopped using it.Turned out to be an eye infection and I had blamed the foam, I have now been using the foam for months with no adverse effects.

Sometimes we are quick to blame these meds for every little ailment.

 

[vanwild55]

i also agreed with mars.

 

[Bigmac]

I found the foam to be a lot easier on my scalp than the Minoxidil liquid, however we all react differently to meds.

 

[ram]

Hello everyone,

Thankyou for sharing your experiences.

I have to agree with mars here. I accepted mars advice and restarted minoxidil and, also tried to avoid touching my eyes and face after applying minoxidil.

I noticed that everytime i touched my hair and then touched my eyes( i have bad habbit of rubbing my eyes every once in a while) it started to burn. So now i have a sanitizer on my desk and i keep cleaning my hands. So now i dont feel irritation in my eyes but it does feel a bit dry.

If we use minoxidil with care it should cause less side effects.

 

[ram]

I have another question now...

1. If you start taking propecia and then if you get good results, then if you stop propecia, does it cause hair fall(i.e all the hair that is affected or grown because of it)?

2. I understand that 1 mg/day is the recomended dosage for propecia. So is .5mg/day enough to maintain remaining hair if you are not interested in new hair growth? ( hence causing less side effects)


please share information on safe dosage of propecia, that should be really helpful.
sorry if i am asking any stupid questions.... information is wealth...

 

[sl]

Hi Ram

Any growth gained from medication will fall once you cease taking it. DHT is no longer blocked so the original balding will no doubt come back as the levels normalise.

FDA approval is for 1mg, I know there are those who play with dosages and frequencies but I think taking half to get retention and not growth is probably a simplistic view of how them medication works. It is not so mathematical and such an exact science.

For some 0.5mg may be enough to block the DHT sufficiently for results and for others not so. Probably not a one size fits all approach.

If you are prescribed the mediction then maybe ask your doctor if he can further assist or wherever you get the meds from.

There are outlets in the UK that have hair retention teams who can advise also with regard to Propecia and Minoxidil usage and side effects so may also be a good source of information.

 

[Bigmac]

As Sl says, any benefits os Propecia will cease if you stop taking it, however there are people who say natural remedies and shampoo`s have helped them maintain there hair.

 

[bullitnut]

If you do decide to use the foam and money is an issue then i would advise buying online rather than in UK shops due to the price.

Regards BN

 

[Bigmac]

Dont buy from the high street chemists as its overpriced.

Hope it works for you.