changed minoxidil strength and brands....

[nightlife]

hi guys, would really appreciate opinions on this issue...

i started regaine minoxidil 2% treatment at the beginning of sept 05. first few weeks noticable increase in hair loss on pillow bath etc. this then stopped and hair loss fell to low levels, lower than with no treatment, all was good i think the treatment worked well. then i decided to switch to kirkland minoxidil 5% due to the lower price and higher strength. I have been on this treatment now for 4-5 weeks. the same thing happened at the start of treatment, increase in hair loss at a much higher rate than that of when i began regaine 2%. i put this down to the higher strength etc and thought it must be a good sign that the treatment is having an effect.

HOWEVER....this increase in hair loss hasnt stopped! its been roughly 5 weeks now and im still experiencing a higher than normal level of hair loss. Starting to worry about it as i cant see an end to this high level of hair loss.

has this happened to anyone else? (an extended period of increased hair loss)

do you guys think i should quit it and move back to 2% strength?

is it a good sign? bad? has it totally screwed my hair ?!

any info/observations of own treatment/results would be greatly appreciated

thanks

 

[-cj-]

The strength increase could cause loss to the telogen hairs that the 2% did not effect. As I understand you should assess your shedding after 100 days of treatment.

What are the quality of the hairs shed?

 

[nightlife]

they just look like normal hair, infact they look a lot thicker than some of the more thin weak looking hair i have

 

[-cj-]

they just look like normal hair, infact they look a lot thicker than some of the more thin weak looking hair i have

Keep an eye on it, you may want to add another topical DHT blocker like Spironolactone.

 

[rkim]

"What are the quality of the hairs shed"

Well what does it mean to loose thick hairs? This hairs? What does each say about one's hairloss?

I noticed an increase in shed when moving from 2% to 5%. Never stopped and it's over a year. I gave the minoxidil a break for a week and there really did seem to be less fall out. I started up on 2% now for a week and noticed some more hairloss but still not as much as with 5%. Can it be contributing to a bad scalp environment? How significant is scalp condition in the equation? I'm a diffuse thinner.

I loose both thick and thin hairs. What looked like over a hundred before. Now it's about 30 to 40 or so.

Thanks for any help.

 

[-cj-]

"What are the quality of the hairs shed"

Well what does it mean to loose thick hairs? This hairs? What does each say about one's hairloss?

I noticed an increase in shed when moving from 2% to 5%. Never stopped and it's over a year. I gave the minoxidil a break for a week and there really did seem to be less fall out. I started up on 2% now for a week and noticed some more hairloss but still not as much as with 5%. Can it be contributing to a bad scalp environment? How significant is scalp condition in the equation? I'm a diffuse thinner.

I loose both thick and thin hairs. What looked like over a hundred before. Now it's about 30 to 40 or so.

Thanks for any help.

Personally at the beginning of treatment I was only losing thin and whispy hairs.

I would try to improve your scalp health by throwing in Nizoral 1-2x/wk and also a copper peptide.

 

[rkim]

Back for an update. I've since quit the minoxidil to see what would happen. I was still loosing a lot on the 5%. Since stopping about a 2 weeks ago my fall out in the shower had reduced to near nothing. I still have some fall out when styling but overall I seem to be loosing much less hair. I still look thin however. What could be the cause of this? Any theories? I was thinking of getting on 2% but now I think I should see how it goes on nothing first. I don't want to loose ground at the same time. Any advice???

 

[ANDREW_J_I]

^i dont think you'll lose ground. surely its just a shed that everyone on this site is mentioning? iv only been on minoxidil and propecia for 1 week so i cant really comment. but i definately wouldnt stop taking it, and i wouldnt go back to 2% as 5% wont be damaging your hair, it will only do good.

 

[rkim]

No, it couldn't be the typical shed. It lasted over a year. Just took a shower and far less hair again. How could it be?

 

[ANDREW_J_I]

dunno man. i shaved my head bout month ago, and i aint losing no hair atall that i can see in my hands. its wierd, when my hair was longer i was losing hundreds it seemed.

i been on propecia and minoxidil for 8 days so it aint that yet!