I have no idea if my friend who is really bald ever used meds. We never talked about his hairloss.
I had another friend in college who started going bald around then, used minox, and got no results. He was a NW3 the last time I saw him (when he was 23 or 24).
There are tons of people here who use minox and got results, though. Personally, I don't use minox because, like you, I think it would be too much of a hassle.