Is it ok to stop minoxidil?

[okthen1]

(Found the right place to post, ha)

I made a previous thread before but I thought this is a different question. I currently use 7% 2ml of minoxidil on my scalp every night. My only noticeable experience of a side effect was a itchy scalp which has subsided now. I've been using minoxidil for about 6 months now. I am with Ashley and Martin which is a hair loss clinic. They guaranteed me using this 100% will maintain my hair. I am using this treatment to maintain my hair and possible grow back any that I have lost.

My questions are:

1. Will stopping my minoxidil treatment cause all of my hair that wasn't affected by male pattern baldness to start shedding or balding? As in if my hair wasn't balding or thinning but I've been applying minoxidil there too, would stopping it start making it lose hair or thin because of the withdrawal of minoxidil?

2. Are there any health risks of stopping minoxidil? if there were any possible side effects I may have gotten from using it, will they all go away after stopping minoxidil or are there possible permanent side affects?


They're basically my questions. Basically if you weren't affected by male pattern baldness and started using minoxidil for a few months and then stopped, would your hair start falling out or actually start balding/thinning?

What can happen from stopping and will the side effects obtained from using minoxidil go away after stopping and can it cause any by stopping?

Oh and does using or stopping minoxidil affect your eyebrow hair at all? thanks.
Thanks!

 

[okthen1]

Thanks for the reply, do you think you or any one could answer the questions I asked? thanks in advanced if you can

 

[GoldenMane]

minoxidil is temporary life support for DHT afflicted follicles, only follicles being kept active will be affected when you quit, but you don't know exactly which follicles these are, especially if you aren't on finasteride, in which case as more follicles became DHT sensitive and unhealthy, they too may have become minoxidil dependent, probably more hair than when you started.

Your hair loss clinic was very irresponsible to 100% guarantee you hair maintenance, minoxidil doesn't maintain hair, finasteride (And dutasteride) is the only thing that can do that at present, and the success rate is more like 84%, not 100%. If a clinic told me that, I'd try to find somewhere better...

If you don't have male pattern baldness though, then quitting minoxidil won't cause any issues, you'll be fine.

 

[okthen1]

I wasn't sure if I was thinning/balding, it was more of a worry that I will as my dad did and the hair clinic said I should start up. So basically, no if my hair wasn't thinning before and wasn't suffering, starting up minoxidil and then stopping won't cause any unwanted affects besides the hair that grew from it (if it did) would fall out?

And do you think you or anyone else could answer Question 2?

minoxidil is temporary life support for DHT afflicted follicles, only follicles being kept active will be affected when you quit, but you don't know exactly which follicles these are, especially if you aren't on finasteride, in which case as more follicles became DHT sensitive and unhealthy, they too may have become minoxidil dependent, probably more hair than when you started.

Your hair loss clinic was very irresponsible to 100% guarantee you hair maintenance, minoxidil doesn't maintain hair, finasteride (And dutasteride) is the only thing that can do that at present, and the success rate is more like 84%, not 100%. If a clinic told me that, I'd try to find somewhere better...

If you don't have male pattern baldness though, then quitting minoxidil won't cause any issues, you'll be fine.

 

[GoldenMane]

As far as I'm aware there are no health risks associated with stopping minoxidil. Sounds like your hair clinic is a really bad one...

 

[LBerg12]

If you stop using minoxidil, your hair loss will resume.

 

[kirk]

How bout my answer to your original post douche?

1) minoxidil makes me swell up a bit, but I exercise and drink lots of water. I also take a natural diuretic to help. Some folks say it gives them rapid heart rate and/or face wrinkles.
2) The consensus on this board seems to be that your hair will end up where it would be if you had never used minoxidil. If you can tolerate it DONT STOP USING IT! I did this, and I lost all gains.
3) ?
4) minoxidil can make hair on the body more dense. So quitting will reverse this effect if it is happening.
5) Maybe, but you should research DHT inhibition i.e Finasteride.

Good Luck

 

[swingline747]

4) minoxidil can make hair on the body more dense. So quitting will reverse this effect if it is happening.

I have never heard this. minoxidil is local so you would have to apply it to the body hair no? I would love to read up on that honestly if you have anything

 

[swingline747]

In fact swingline, it is true. I have hair growing out of my forehead whre I don't apply it, and some weird lonely hairs in my back.

A part of the minoxidil is absorbed systemically, unwanted body hair growth is clearly listed as a side-effect in the notice.

That's the reason women are not adivsed to use more than a 2% concentration.

I figured that was just on the hands, but Id blame that on excessive masturbation