demezz2

5 hours ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

Demez,

Ultimately, the medication that serves the function of stopping hair loss and/or regrowing hair is inside the tablet. Resemble, whether you take the pill whole, crushed or cut into fourths, your body has to break down the outside coding in order for the medication to be released. Thus, The fact that the pill may have broke in your mouth while taking it isn’t going to be a problem.

where this becomes a possible issue is four pills on a timed release. But time release pills are typically very difficult to cut or break with her teeth for that very reason. So I don’t think that’s an issue here. I imagine the minoxidil you were taking is fast release in which case, breaking the pill isn’t going to be much different than taking it whole.

I hope this helps.

Rahal Hair Transplant

thank u for the in depth response!!

i cut my 5mg into fourths where i get small pieces, i put it in my mouth and thought i swallowed it and closed my mouth but ended up crushing the pill a little because it was still in my mouth and then fully finished swallowing it, is this okay?

5 hours ago, Gatsby said:

@demezz2 are you having to pay more money for 15% as opposed to 5%?

 

idk its like $40 for 4 months

13 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

Ok. But how do you find 15% minoxidil? I’m only aware of 5% being available. From memory studies showed that more than 5% topical is no more efficacious. All the best. 

dualgen-15. yea i’ve heard of those studies aswell, i mainly just chose it bc it had finasteride and the 15% was an added benefit, whether or not its more effective than 5% didnt matter too much 

7 minutes ago, Gatsby said:

I would definitely speak with your dermatologist about this. I’m sure you would be able to balance both the topical and oral doses. Perhaps you could find a suitable styling product in place of the topical minoxidil instead? Also how are you able to obtain 15% topical? All the best. 

i’ve experimented w products tbh but i can’t find any that work. 15% min + 1mg fin from minoxidilmax, and i think speaking to a derm is a good idea but i’m lowkey too insecure about it to do it, ive been doing my best to monitor everything myself and have been taking my blood pressure for the past week in case i see a change if i start oral min. i still haven’t decided, i might try 0.25mg to test or something, i’m not sure 

i’m currently taking 15% min on my hairline and 5% everywhere else (including back) 2x a day and i’ve been doing this routine for about 6 months with no side effects. assuming some of the minoxidil goes systemic anyways, would adding 1.25mg oral min daily be fine, but stop applying topical min to the back of my head, and just the front and top be ok?

i dont want to stop using topical min as it is like a styler for my hair, but i ordered oral min when i did want to stop but i changed my mind and i already have it, so i thought i could just stop applying topical min to the back of my hair and that should even it out? and maybe get longer eyelashes and better eyebrows? im mainly just worried about heart stuff.

im 18 and pretty healthy, i have a slightly above normal blood pressure (stage 1) anyways so maybe oral min would help.

if i do it, i plan on starting at 0.625mg for 3 days and switching to 1.25mg, which would be the highest dose id do

8 hours ago, JoDimaggio22 said:

Totally understand that. You said your hair has been like that since 13? May not be balding could just be widows peak since it looks like Norwood 1.5-2. You have incredibly thick hair though so it probably is fairly easy to hide. But I agree confidence is important. And why the industry exists for the most part. If the world was more universally accepting of bald men I feel there would be more just accepting hair loss. Anyways yes with the routine you have keep it up and by 25 you could easily have an Ht if you have stabled. But my advice as a friend and someone who wants to see you gain confidence is don’t jump on a hair transplant at 19-20. Wait 4-5 more years atleast if not more. Of course I can’t tell you when to get one but the sooner is usually not the better. I think if you wait you’ll find out exactly what you want and won’t wast grafts doing it. Your confidence will definitely come.

thanks man, yea fs id wait until 22/23 atleast, but ultimately would want to wait as long i can.

15 minutes ago, JoDimaggio22 said:

I can respect that. It all comes down to stabilizing. That’s why so many on here including some doctors are against doing an HT under 25 if not 30. There is the risk you further bald. So even though you may view it as the ends to the hair loss more then likely it won’t be the last hair transplant if you are balding more. One may get one at 25 and then need another at 33. I understand your point though but at 19 hair loss is just beginning. Most men I know had great hair until 24 or so then lost very bad ground from 24-28. Some where even on fin. That’s why waiting is always safer than having it early because you want to enjoy your life later! But I haven’t seen your case and the limited photo I did see appeared you had a great head of hair. So I wouldn’t worry about HT until someone gets to like Norwood 3 level

yea u right, but tbh i really don’t see the problem w having to get another transplant if needed, or even not, like i’m desperate for just a good hairline that if the rest of my hair started to thin (behind the transplanted hair) i wouldnt mind near as much, id just comb it back, or use fibers. how i feel is that even if you’ll lose all of your hair by 35 if u got a transplant at 24, atleast u can be confident enough to chase all ur dreams. again this is just my case bc i’ve had a bad hairline since like 13 so its all i ever wanted 😭 im ok w all my other looks, i just need to fix my hair, hopefully it thickens more and gets better on oral min and fin and i can get a transplant to finally get rid of the worry, if even ill have to worry about getting another one, thats ok w me, i’ll just have to make the money to do it again. 

anyways, but yea stabilizing is most important for people who save up the money and are seeing it as a long-term investment, etc. but for me, and probably others, i see it as a way to make me feel happy rn and ill figure out the rest if i need to

4 hours ago, JoDimaggio22 said:

I think this is a very mature and smart idea. As someone who is 25 I still think I’m fairly young for anything but it doesn’t hurt to explore the options in your mid 20s. The problem is many man don’t try medications for a couple years and just do HT think it is the final cure. I’ve seen many regrowth cases with just meds. I’d say by 25-27 range you are a potential candidate and anything after 28 if you have seemed to stabilize in meds then you become a very serious candidate.

yea i agree, however, i also believe your mid-late twenties should be spent doing things u love without having to worry about hair loss, so if you can, and your hair loss is too bothersome, id get a transplant. rn i’m working in the medical field under my parents, making money, and by the time i turn 25 i hope to have had a transplant and ready to do things further in life, like acting and such as it’s something ive always wanted to do. whether or not it just becomes a hobby or an actual job doesn’t matter, i’ll have the confidence to do things i always wanted to and in the meantime, i’ll make money and build confidence in other ways 

i’m in a similar situation as you and i’m 18. since we both are experiencing hair loss at such a young age. let you know my plan, which i think would benefit you. my plan is to stay on finasteride 1mg for about 2 years, and im going to be starting lose dose oral minoxidil 1.25-2.5mg as well. after the two years, in which i’ll be 20, which is still not old enough to get a transplant imo, i’ll add dutasteride if i deem it necessary but also just because our hairloss can be seen as more agressive, so it’s best if you use the best treatments possible. then, stay on dutasteride for 2 years at which i’ll be 22 where i plan on looking to learn and consult with a hair transplant specialist, so that by the time the operation comes around, depending on who i go to, ill be 23 or 24. not the best time, but a reasonable time that i hope theyd be ok with, especially if the hairloss stabilized.

4 hours ago, Rahal Hair Transplant said:

@demezz2,

At only 18 years of age and considering you haven’t even given finasteride more than a couple of months, I would not switch to or consider using dutasteride at this time.  In my opinion, consider sticking with finasteride for at least a year and continue with topical minoxidil unless for some reason you are experiencing side effects from thaw  topical minoxidil.  In my opinion, topical minoxidil is more effective than oral minoxidil and frankly, I have my doubts that oral minoxidil really does anything to benefit the hair.

Best wishes,

Rahal Hair Transplant 

interesting, do you have any research supporting your claim that oral minoxidil does not do anything to benefit the hair? i’ll take your first advice though, ive decided to not start dutasteride yet. thanks to everyone’s comments, ive decided itd be best if i just waited

i came across this thread which is asking the same question, however, id like to know what people here think, it’s really deterring me from trying dutasteride at all, i would suspect it’s just a shed etc but ive heard of a lot of people like a year after using dut that it never got better. what do u think?

im going to be switching to oral minoxidil and without having to always apply topicals, does anyone have suggestions for some products to try? i’m mainly looking for products that will make my hair appear thicker and with a decent hold. here is my hair which i achieved with just topical foam minoxidil so maybe something similar to what the minoxidil achieved but better??

https://ibb.co/fSbNt4q

1 minute ago, Melvin- Moderator said:

Given your age and aggressive hair loss I would consider switching to dutasteride. I would consult with a doctor, you're still young and might still be developing. 

i wouldn’t say that i am, i mean i hit puberty at 11 and i haven’t grew for awhile, etc. isn’t there like a small percentage of growing you can do after 18 anyways?

8 minutes ago, im_not_a_robot said:

In my opinion you should stick to finasteride for at least a year to see how it works for you. Your remaining hair is still thick, which means that if finasteride is able to stabilize your hair loss you might have a good head of hair for some years. I wouldn’t jump on dutasteride unless its absolutely necessary, especially at such a young age. If you start dutasteride and oral minoxidil now, you have no good alternatives down the road if your hair loss progresses. If it turns out finasteride works for you, you should keep using it until it stops being effective, and then you can reconsider dutasteride

thanks, yea you’re right, i’ll probably do this. i wasn’t originally gonna use oral min but just want a break from always having to apply minoxidil to my head and experiment w different products for a change and since id be using oral min i figured i might as well add dutasteride aswell. but yea for now, i’ll hold off on dut

i’m 18 w a norwood 2.5-3 id say, and luckily somewhat thick hair, ive been on topical minoxidil for a year, and oral fin for about 3 months, i’m gonna be switching to oral minoxidil in a couple weeks and i was considering just adding dutasteride a couple times a week aswell, even though i haven’t gave finasteride the full amount of time for results just so i can go through all the shedding now and get it over with and i feel like id use it in the future anyways since my hair loss started at a young age. it is worth mentioning though that my hairline receded a lot during puberty  11-14 but has remained basically the same from what i can tell for the past 4 years, so im praying that means its slowed down but i dont really want to risk not being on the best protocol.

my hair:

https://ibb.co/Qvxd9yc
https://ibb.co/r6NNLG3

i don’t know, i just feel like id use it anyways but if you guys really think i should wait, i can, i kinda just want to know im doing everything i can for the hair loss and not worry about it at all until i get a transplant.

but idk ive heard some horror stories on dutasteride aswell. i havent had any side effects on fin tho 

5 hours ago, Gatsby said:

2.5mg under the supervision of a good dermatologist. From what I have read I wouldn't be going over 5mg. All the best!

yea thats what ive read aswell, even though its still rare, and people have used this medication for awhile at much larger doses, its better to not risk it long term

also, i have slightly high blood pressure (stage 1) so maybe this would be good anyways, at a low dose it might be controlled along with increase in hair growth

6 hours ago, John1991 said:

No one should be on 10 mg oral minoxidil for hair purposes.  That dosage is for people with high blood pressure.  And 5mg is really pushing it too.  Anywhere from .625 mg to 2.5 can be effective.  If not very effective.  And far less likely to cause side effects than the way-too-high dosages listed in the above post.

ill start at .625mg and assuming i have no side effects, i’ll go to 1.25mg, after being on that for awhile and if it seems safe, ill consider upping the dose, thanks!

what is the minimum dose of oral minoxidil necessary do be as effective as 5% topical minoxidil twice a day would be.

7 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Hey @demezz2 to be honest I don't really see a difference?

that’s fair, it’s mainly in the way it sits though ig. in the first one, i could go all day and my hair would stay in that position, but in the second one, it starts laying down flat

https://ibb.co/BssJJFD

im not sure how i got my hair to look like this, and it was like this for a week continously, even after washes etc.

i just applied my normal topical fin and foam min. now, no matter what i try i can achieve the same look.

here’s a pic of what my hair is normally kinda like now:

https://ibb.co/R9CFWSC

idk why i can’t get the look from the pic i showed, i didn’t change anything, shower frequency etc. and i plan on honestly switching to oral usage so is there any products i can use to make my hair look like the first pic? where it is like solid but looks kinda fluffy if that makes sense? 

4 hours ago, John1991 said:

I'm not a doctor man.  You should have a doctor advise you what the best starting dose is.  I'm on .625 mg and haven't noticed any sides.  I may increase to 1.25 mg in a few months depending on how things go.

thanks, appreciate it. yea atm i decided to stay off of it, until maybe ive gave finasteride and dutasteride a full try, and if im feeling desperate  

1 hour ago, John1991 said:

Yes, cutting pills is a thing people do.  That said, 10mg cut in half is still 5mg, which is too high - especially to start.  You should cut it into quarters.

thanks! i will do this, and in the future, assuming i have no side effects, when should i increase the dosage?

https://www.inhousepharmacy.vu/p-99900825-minoxidil-10mg-tablets.aspx

id like to split these into halfs for oral usage, is the medication distribution proportional? if u split it in half is it 5mg evenly? and is it as effective?

50 minutes ago, MissMyLongHair said:

I've used the 2.5mg tablets from there. It gave me hypertrichosis so I'd say it worked.

oh wow, i was going to start with 5mg but maybe i’ll start with 2.5mg instead or even 1.25