Got A Few Questions That Need Answering.

[dontfukwiththebaldies]

Hi,

I've read Minoxidil stops working after a period, is this correct and will I be able to maintain new hair grown by Minoxidil by using Finasteride only?

Thanks.

 

[Illusions]

No, must keep using Minoxidil as well in order to maintain the gains that you've gotten from it, however finasteride may regrow hair as well as maintain. Don't worry about minoxidil eventually stopping to work because finasteride also loses it's effect eventually but should give you at least 5-10 years if you respond well.

 

[jetlife1]

No, must keep using Minoxidil as well in order to maintain the gains that you've gotten from it, however finasteride may regrow hair as well as maintain. Don't worry about minoxidil eventually stopping to work because finasteride also loses it's effect eventually but should give you at least 5-10 years if you respond well.

Actually this is wrong. finasteride does not lose effectiveness in most men and in most cases it becomes more effective with time. My friends older brother has been using it for 14 years and has thicker fuller hair than when he started. Otherwise he would probably be bald.

 

[Illusions]

Actually this is wrong. finasteride does not lose effectiveness in most men and in most cases it becomes more effective with time. My friends older brother has been using it for 14 years and has thicker fuller hair than when he started. Otherwise he would probably be bald.

It usually lasts between 5-10 years in most men since it doesn't block all DHT only around 70% of it, however there are obviously exeptions where it will be effective for a longer or shorter period of time. Dutasteride would be more effective over a long period of time since it blocks around 90% of DHT, but with that obviously increases the chances of side effects.

 

[jetlife1]

It usually lasts between 5-10 years in most men since it doesn't block all DHT only around 70% of it, however there are obviously exeptions where it will be effective for a longer or shorter period of time. Dutasteride would be more effective over a long period of time since it blocks around 90% of DHT, but with that obviously increases the chances of side effects.

I understand what you're saying but where did you get the 5-10 number? If anything I think that loss of effectiveness would be the case for a small number of men, not most. If I knew it would lose effectiveness then I would switch to dutasteride in a heartbeat, but it works great as a preventative and my hair continues to get thicker after more than 2 years of use.

Also, it's the type 2 DHT that matters in male pattern baldness and finasteride blocks 90% of that while dutasteride blocks even more. I think 90% should be enough to halt hair loss for a long time, maybe till we're old men lol. Hopefully something better comes along so we won't need to be taking it that long.

 

[GoldenMane]

No telling how long finasteride/dutasteride will work. Anecdotally it seems it can and does lose effect at around 7-8 years. It's all relative though. If you start at Nw1 and decline to Nw2 or NW2.5 by 40, can you really say finasteride is losing its effect? It could be... If you've been on finasteride for 14 years and still above baseline does it mean finasteride works indefinitely? Or does it mean you never had strong hair loss genes to start with? So many unknowns makes speculation just that

 

[jetlife1]

No telling how long finasteride/dutasteride will work. Anecdotally it seems it can and does lose effect at around 7-8 years. It's all relative though. If you start at Nw1 and decline to Nw2 or NW2.5 by 40, can you really say finasteride is losing its effect? It could be... If you've been on finasteride for 14 years and still above baseline does it mean finasteride works indefinitely? Or does it mean you never had strong hair loss genes to start with? So many unknowns makes speculation just that

I see your point of view. If you drop one norwood level on finasteride after a long time it could have been way worse if you never used it. I'm lucky to have started at the first signs of male pattern baldness so hopefully that will be good in the long run even if it does continue to progress. I would consider a drop in norwood level as a loss of effectiveness/failure though because the ultimate goal is to maintain. It's not like guys are going from NW1 to NW4,5,6,7 while on finasteride right? I just don't think it is possible. How has it worked for you GoldenMane?

Edit: The guy who used it for 14 years has a family full of baldies. I swear it is like he's adopted.

 

[dontfukwiththebaldies]

Thanks for the replies. Hopefully there will be a cure within 5-10 years. I read a few comments suggesting Minoxidil is ineffective after 2 years.