Hey Guys.. looking for some feedback here,

I have been on 12% minox and 1.25mg OD proscar for a month so far and have experienced significant shedding all over my head ever since.. to the point where I've stopped the 12% minox and am seriously thinking about stopping proscar. If I were to stop both treatments, I understand that my hair will eventually progress with the MPB, but will the hair that has shed eventually grow back to where it was prior to treatment? Can anyone comment who has thrown in the towel has their hair has turned out, or can anyone comment on seriously thinking about throwing in the towel and sticking with it only to eventually see positive results?

Thanks!

Steelie17,

In my opinion, you should really reconsider throwing in the towel. Shedding from these medications is common for the first 3-4 months, and (with the exception of rare cases) the hair will grow back thicker and stronger. However, if you do stop now, any progress you've made (visible or not) will be lost. I would strongly suggest conducting some research on the discussion forums. This should help ease some of your anxiety regarding this tough issue. I hope this helps! Good luck!

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Blake (Future_HT_Doc)

Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant for the Hair Transplant Network, the Hair Loss Learning Center, the Hair Loss Q&A Blog, and the Hair Restoration Forum

All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice.

If you were going to quit one of the treatments I would quit the minox. Try one for a year to see if it works (Fin). If it does, great! And if you want to add minox to see if you get the synergistic effect than knock yourself out. If you start both at the same time it is very hard to know which medication is working for you and which one isn't.

__________________
2008 Dr. G – presumably 1,000 grafts / 2,142 hairs
2009 Dr. Paul Shapiro – 2,348 grafts / 4,258 hairs
2011 Dr. Paul Shapiro – 1,999 grafts / 3,624 hairs

My Hair Transplant Journey with Shapiro Medical Group

As Future HT Doc said, I reckon you should stick with it! Because of the way these drugs work, particularly minoxidil, the hair must shed before stronger, thicker hair can grow back. There have been some cases of minoxidil causing hair to shed and not regrow but these are pretty rare (as in, to my knowledge, way below even 0.1% of users.

Hair takes time to grow, so at least 3-4 months of hairs growing back again is needed before you really know the situation. The most likely scenario is you're shedding because it's part of the natural, necessary process of growing stronger hair. It's not nice but that's how it is! And you'll be much happier when your hair starts growing back thicker and stronger.

If you throw in the towel now then the medication will not even have chance to work. Your hair would still take time to grow back, so you'd still be looking at 3-4 months before you get back to where you started. If you keep using the medication in that time there is a strong chance your results would be much improved.

The best thing to go is keep up with the medication and look for signs of new growth - small sprouts of new hair where it shed, thin vellus hairs in new places etc. Chances are they will start to show within the next few weeks (maybe even already?) and if you can see them then it would strongly suggest your hair is growing back and, not only growing back, but will now be healthier, thicker and more plentiful.

That of course, is not to say if you can't see those hairs something has gone wrong. If you're getting really worried go see a dermatologist. They can look for good signs and explain things properly as well as making a much better diagnosis about whether anything is amiss (which would be unlikely).

Above all, no knee jerk reactions! Wait a couple more weeks and look for signs of new growth, or if you can be brave wait for 3-4 months before making a full assessment. If at any point in that time you really, genuinely feel you need better advice or a stronger assessment, go to see a doctor (dermatologist) and they should be able to help!

hello steelie 17,several years ago armed with very little info i packed in finasteride and minoxidil because of the shedding,i went back on both five months ago but this time stuck it out through the scary shed and now i can see and feel quite a bit of improvement,my only regret is that i did'nt have the knowledge i now have years ago and i would'nt now be where i am with this ammount of loss,my advice is to stick with it for at least six months and see how you get on,all the best and have a nice day........