LeveledUp

On 3/13/2024 at 11:02 PM, Eli_Avdikian said:

In no world is topical minoxidil more effective than oral minoxidil. If you're experiencing sides, try to lower the dose instead of quitting completely

For me it was.

So yes in this world it can be more effective.

1 hour ago, Gatsby said:

No I don’t 

Do you feel bad any negative impact hairloss wise?

Ive been on Fin awhile although not consistently as I should be…When I run out I tend not to rush out to get more or I go through periods where I don’t take it out of forgetfulness.

But feel my libido as of late has gone down whilst I’ve been more consistent that last few months…Can’t say it’s Fin for sure or fin alone, but wouldn’t surprise me if it’s playing a part.

Thinking to either do 3x week or 0.5mg daily or maybe stop completely 

.

6 hours ago, Gatsby said:

Hey @Shadman. I had sexual side effects on oral finasteride on lots of different doses from 1mg a day to 0.25mg every second day. I tried topical finasteride at 0.25% but I found that my libido disappeared after three months. I might consider l going back to my dermatologist and try 0.1% topical finasteride but I’ll see. 
My advice would be to continue with oral minoxidil as it’s far more effective than the topical version and have your dermatologist prescribe 0.1% topical finasteride. That way your are getting the maximum benefit of oral minoxidil. All the best with whichever way you choose to proceed. 

So do you not take finasteride at all now?

if you don’t mind me asking 

Why are you thinking about a transplant is that a joke lol

 don’t need one mate, keep that in the tank for the future 

I went to 5mg no sides but also no results.

i came from topical which worked a lot better for me.

Im one of those where topical seems way more effective than topical.

Year on oral minoxidil - 2.5 then 5mg, and 4 months of topical gave me more regrowth than a year on oral.

I think if you’re a responder topical directly to the follicles will work better imo

9 hours ago, alexmillne said:

I just watched a video where a doctor claimed that using topical minoxidil is as effective as taking 0.5mg of oral minoxidil. I found it hard to believe. You can find this claim at the 1 hour and 45-minute mark in the following video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mAW4PmXw4M

Yeah I don’t buy it at all.

From my own experience and others

if it was me on 5mg I should be a poster boy for oral minoxidil.

For me, if you’re an actual responder applying directly to the follicle vs orally and hoping that it reaches your hair follicles in a sufficient amount.

Is there a particular reason you want to purchase through a clinic?

19 hours ago, alexmillne said:

secondly, people are getting this all wrong. If you are a super responder to topical minoxidil, then topical minoxidil will be superior to oral minoxidil, because it actually working on the roots/scalp itself.

if you are a weak or none responder to topical minoxidil (which 60% are), then oral minoxidil will be waay better then topical

My advice: Try topical for a year. If you dont see great results, then switch to oral. 

If you had great results on topical and switch to oral, dont cry if you loose ground

Completely agree with this.

i switched and lost major ground.

Makes complete sense for topical to

more effective, if you’re a responder than oral.

If topical works don’t switch it’s as simple as that 

5 hours ago, Sunset Dune said:

You are wasting your time, you need to take 1MG every day. 

Definitely not wasting his time.

fin 3x per week will be still be somewhat effective

Maybe anecdotal took a break from Fin been nearly a month and I feel like E quality has improved.

Going to start again next week but do 1mg 3x a week rather than daily. 

19 hours ago, Yoni said:

I've got the chance to try Oral Minoxidil, which i kind of want to.

but the liquid minoxidil has been doing great for my remaining hairs. Went from Foam 1x day 2 years barely noticed anything, to now 3 months liquid 2x day. It's been doing good on my crown/midscalp,

I want to give it 6 month to a year since I still see small sheds when applied. Some look very thin and others thicker.. thinking is a sign is still doing its magic.  I dont like the greasy wet look when applied but dries withing 1 2 hours for me is that one of the reasons you don't switch back since regret it or  can someone not switch back again from pill to topical?

I mean you could give it a go your experience may be completely different to mine.

You can switch back from pill to topical if you like.

I just think if topicals working don’t mess things up, I know you said you don’t like the greasy wet look.

Maybe apply at night only?

i think I’m still using oral as I’m holding onto the hope things will suddenly improve, but that’s wishful thinking. 
 

8 hours ago, WoundedWolf said:

How much oral dose did you took daily and what was topical dose ??  are you planning to bring in topical again or combination of both ?

2.5mg for 7 months then 5mg for last 4-5months.

Topical was 5% 1-2x per day. 

Probably seen more arm hair growth then head growth on oral.

Well I moved to oral mainly for convenience, I personally don’t see the point in using both for my use case.

i think that’ll be overkill, I’d rather just use one and be done…And probably will increase sides.

I’m likely going to wait until the new year to switch, part of me wants to change back now.

But at the same time I don’t want to go through a massive shed right now….But maybe I’ll take the plunge within coming weeks as don’t see my situation changing.

Guess sooner the better and maybe that time next year my hair will be a lot better and I’ll regain what I lost being on oral over the last 12 months 
 

33 minutes ago, WoundedWolf said:

for me topical worked fine i used to use it 2 times daily 5% it showed results in 5-8 months after my 1st HT

I started oral minox 2.5mg daily once 2 months back heavily shedding till now, so now no idea will it work for me or not have to wait for 1-2 months more, also i m confused should i start topical again i stopped it because it was greasy and had application fatigue  

I’d reevaluate at the 6 months mark.

Although based  on my results since switching to oral 1 year ago, topical probably would give me you better results.

i switched and regret it, Oral hasn’t done much and topical was night and day 

Im tempted to wean off finasteride, just to see if it has contributed negatively to my depression and also see the difference in libido.

Although I do take anti depressants also which could also be affecting libido.

Probably next year maybe, as just recently bought 6 months worth 

or even just tapering down to 3x weekly

Both ideally.

Although I know Dr Bisinga has said If patients are reluctant to finasteride or are older patients he just prescribes oral minoxidil and has seen success.

5 hours ago, UKLad81 said:

How reliable is this place? Bit concerned it’s completely different brand that I’m used to. 

Not had any issues personally.

Was previously using Manual.co for Oral Minoxidil. 
Came without 2 weeks

i believe oral minoxidil is dirt cheap in Thailand hence the price 

On 8/31/2023 at 11:38 AM, UKLad81 said:

Hi guys, just wondering where ppl from the UK purchase oral Minox from in the UK. I previously have been getting from UKhairmeds which was recommended by one of Bisanga’s advisors and they are around £250 for 6 months supply. Just wondering if there are other cheaper options?

Goodstuffstore 

Comes from Thailand 6 month supply for £30

Domg pay £250 lol that’s crazy 

Meh don’t see a problem with investigating claims 

On 8/27/2023 at 8:47 PM, jim1973 said:

I have heard that if you don't see results in 4-6 months, then it isn't working.  I've also seen what you recommend (wait 12 months).  Its just tough to wait out the daily shedding without an end in sight.  I feel as though some are better responders to topical than oral but I may still wait a little longer.  

Yep waiting 12 months seems daunting when there’s no improvement in sight.

im approaching 12 months in October, and the lack of progress. Has just made me realise I’ve probably wasted the last year by switching to oral…Instead of just being content with topical.

Been 3 months on 5mg after 7 months on 2.5mg.

And even increasing I’m not seeing any real difference which is frustrating. I’d like to hold out a bit longer but everyday I just think to quit and just finally start topical again.

Always interesting how medication differs for people.

Some get amazing results from oral where as others like myself see nothing, and got better results on topical.

Genuinely feel like I’d have to take a dose that’s not considered “low dose” to see results on oral.

I could never do it consistently tbh.

always been too lazy to do it, I’d do it once then put it off for like a month 

On 8/15/2023 at 9:07 PM, Melvin- Moderator said:

Microneedling is honestly not a good idea. If you do it to rough, it can cause scarring and shock loss. 

Even for those without a transplant?

I think I’m shedding but I’m unsure.

Looking at photos from last month to now, seems to be last hair around the hairline which was already scarce.

But unsure it was the castor oil I was using that made the hair look thicker by making my hair lay down flatter.

I have curly Afro type hair

Ultimately I’m still not convinced by Oral Minxodil in my case and will probably be back to Topical next month. 

I think based on my experience Topical should always be tried first and if it works stick with it.
Don’t be tempted by Oral unless you absolutely don’t get along with Topical.

I’ve had no sides though, so can’t relate to what Kevin’s mentioned in his videos. Maybe my hands look a bit hairier but nothing out of control. And I could just be thinking that as can’t say I’ve paid much attention to my body hair before 

I think I’m going back to topical.

just not convinced oral minoxidil is working for me.

seems my hair prefers topical directly to scalp vs having to share it with the rest of the body and hoping it gets enough.