aykay7

What an absolutely incredible result! Congratulations and thank you for sharing your journey with us. 🤩

I went for a consultation at Dr. De Freitas's clinic last year. Unfortunately he was unavailable due to my short notice in scheduling, so one of his leading Drs. lead the consultation for me. I am considering booking the op soon.

Could I ask you if they required/requested you to go on any meds? They prescribed me finasteride & minoxidil. I started minoxidil but experiences side effects so I have stopped.

On 3/25/2024 at 11:49 PM, Dr. Wipawan Vathananai said:

Hello Aykay7,

Regarding your concern,

1. Three months are usually not enough to see the full effect of oral minoxidil. However, since you are not taking a low dose, I recommend seeing a doctor so they can help you adjust the dosage and identify the causes of weight gain. You might also need some blood tests to check electrolyte levels.

2. Topical minoxidil is a lot less effective compared to oral minoxidil, from my experience. However, if you really cannot tolerate the side effects of oral minoxidil, even with a low-dose regimen, you could switch to topical minoxidil.

3. The foam is quite sticky, and most of my patients don't like it because it makes their hair look greasy.

4. There are many brands of topical minoxidil with different solvents. You might have to try different brands to see what you like.

5. If you stop using minoxidil, either topical or oral, the hair will simply revert back to its natural state without the medication, which means it may become thinner and less dense. Please keep in mind that hair loss from AGA is not a life-threatening condition, and your overall health is more important.

Best,

Dr. Wunny

Hair transplant surgeon and Dermatologist

BHI Clinic, Bangkok, Thailand

 

Hello Dr. Wunny.

Thank you very much for the detailed reply and your feedback. Apologies for the late reply but I really do appreciate your comments!

On 3/12/2024 at 10:41 AM, GoliGoliGoli said:

My personal experience with topical: It works pretty darn well to grow hair. However I did notice that it made my face more bloated and also seemed to have increased the dark circles under my eyes. I've always had dark circles but minoxidil did seem to make them worse. The face bloat seems to go away pretty quickly, and the dark circles do improve after being off for about a week but only slightly. 

Most concerning: I'm 95% sure it started making my eye/eye area twitch pretty excessively. This only started about 1.5 years into using it. And yes I'm fairly certain it was the minoxidil and not lack of sleep or magnesium deficiency or something. Full disclosure, I was only using once a day 5/6 times per week, but was using at least double or triple the recommended amount simply because it's hard to cover much area at all with the "half a cap full" recommended dose. I've now been off a week but plan on re-starting again maybe 3-4 times a week with a dosage closer to the recommended amount. 

Thanks for sharing. I'm still debating myself whether I should switch from oral to topical, as I've only been on oral 3 months and see no result. I understand it's still early so thinking if I should give it another 3 months to see if there's any growth or just switch to topical now. Not sure what to do...

On 3/12/2024 at 2:55 AM, hairman22 said:

i actually think using both is a great  option.

2.5mg orally along with 5% minox. Im reluactant to stop topical because it works for me

how long did it take to start working for you?

Do we know which is usually more effective and gives a better result? oral minoxidil (5mg) vs topical minoxidil (5% foam)?

On 3/10/2024 at 11:56 AM, Westview said:

Should be fine swtching.  I did it and had no issues.

Topical has very little side-effects for most people.

You can buy cheap Kirkland generic on Ebay, works just as good as Rogaine.

No risk when you stop

Okay great, thank you for the info. Have you noticed a better result from oral vs topical?

On 3/10/2024 at 6:45 AM, TheManeMan said:

How do you know it's causing you weight gain? Do you track your calories and macros every day?

I'm just suspecting atm, since I've always had a fairly stable weight and only started the gain since starting the pills. 

Hi all,

I've been on oral minoxidil pills for almost 3 months now, at 5mg daily. I feel it's not that effective (I know it's still early) and it's causing me some weight gain which I'm unhappy with. So I'm considering switching to topical since I hear it yields better results with less sides. I was recommended Rogaine foam 5%, to be applied twice daily. I just have a few questions.

Is it okay to just stop the pills and switch to topical?

Any sides I should expect from the foam?

Is Rogaine the best of the best?

Is there a big risk if I eventually stop it?

Thanks to anyone willing to share their input or experience if made the switch.

I'm now considering stopping the pills and taking topical Romaine 5% instead. Does anyone have experience with this? Is it okay to just make a switch like that? Any experiences to share? Thanks in advance

7 hours ago, TorontoMan said:

No i don't think anyone would recommend you drink less water, of course its important to hydrate, but spend slightly more time sweating at the gym, so doing a little more cardio throughout the week. 

Yea I was only being half serious haha. My pills run in soon. I might take a couple of weeks off them to see how my weight goes and then decide if I'll go back on them or not.

11 minutes ago, TorontoMan said:

Minoxidil aids in some water/fluid retention, which could be making you feel heavier 

Should I drink less water/fluids so less is retained? Lol 

16 hours ago, Gatsby said:

I've been on oral minoxidil 5mg per day for well over a year now. To date I haven't noticed any side effects. Other people however may and will experience side effects. I guess coming off the drug without changing anything else (dieting, exercise changes, etc) should show you if the minoxidil is causing the weight gain. Wishing you all the best!

Thank you very much for your input Gatsby. Yes you're right, I might go off it for just a couple of weeks or so to see if that is the cause, or if it's something else. I am yet to see any change in my hair (I'm almost 3 months in and I understand it's still early), have you noticed any change?

18 hours ago, Eli_Avdikian said:

No not really. I even lost some weight in the beginning (part of my diet plan at the time), and it has been steady ever since

alright thank you for your input and sharing your experience so far  

On 3/6/2024 at 9:00 AM, hairman22 said:

i have lost weight on OM.

it can certaintly cause weight gain though due to water retention

thanks, I wish it caused my to lose weight too 😂

On 3/6/2024 at 8:48 AM, Westview said:

Within just a few days after stopping oral MX my weight went back to normal.

I noticed it especially in my face. Thats where my bloating was the worst

 

alright thank you for your answer. I'm trying to figure out if my weight gain and difficulty to lose weight is due to the minoxidil or my recent lack of exercise. I've cut carbs down to the bare minimum, so need to figure it out. but thanks for your input!

3 hours ago, Westview said:

Yup, it causes bloating.

Thats why I had to stop it

 

😢😢

when you were on it, did you feel it was easier to gain and harder to lose weight?

since going off, you're back to normal? have you felt a big difference?

23 hours ago, lunch_owl said:

Edema maybe?

Nah its more like feeling more bloated/fluffy

On 3/4/2024 at 4:33 PM, Eli_Avdikian said:

I don't think oral minoxidil causes weight gain. I personnally have been on it for a year and I didn't notice any weight gain. 

Or have you experienced any bloating? Easier to gain weight, harder to lose weight?

Hi all,

Ive been on oral minoxidil for almost 3 months now and I feel like I’ve gained alittle weight since starting it, also i feel it’s much more difficult to lose weight. 
 

I’ve done some research but couldn’t find a definitive answer if weight gain indeed is a side effect of minoxidil or not. 
 

Does anyone share the same experience or have any input? 
 

thanks 

Hi all,

Which doctors would you say work best with already thin donors? 
 

Looking for a doctor/clinic which can best salvage my donor area, which was left abit depleted from my mistake of HT #1 in Turkey. 

Looking to add better density to my hairline and mid scalp.

Thank you in advance! 

6 hours ago, LostAndFound said:

I’ve sent you a message!

Hello, I am also deciding between the two. Could you send me a similar message as well please? Thank you in advance! 😊

23 hours ago, Thagppps said:

I "No meds, no growth".

Dr. De Freitas said that? 

I think that's being a bit extreme. I hope its not true 🥺

Congrats, you have chosen one of the hairline masters.

What did he say about not using meds?

I have my consult there in November and very excited. Also will not be taking meds.

Sorry for the silly question but...

My beard hair color is black and head hair color is brown...

What happens then? 🤨

Please share who you are planning to do the repair with, some of us might have a similar situation as you. Or dm works too  

Also how do you plan on repairing the donor patches? With implanting over them?