Considering stopping Minoxidil, need advice

[LJ82]

Hi everyone... so i have been taking minoxidil 5%, finasteride and Ketoconazole shampoo for about 4 years now. I have pretty much stopped losing my hair and have even had joking comments about how i look "less bald" (i was never bald but my hair was definitely thinning, and still is pretty thin tbh). anyways, i have only been taking minoxidil once daily for about 2-3 years now. I would really like to cut it out of my routine all together but am kinda scared as to what the result might be. What could I be risking if I cut it down to only 2- 3 days a week? would that even have any effect? I also read that minoxidil's best results are seen in the first year, does only have to do with hair regrowth? any advice would be appreciated

[Swooping]

Has minoxidil worked for you in the beginning? Then it never "stops" working as long as you take it. If you stop with it though you will lose the results you have gained in the first place.

 

I don't think taking it 2-3 days a week is a good idea, either take it once daily or cut it out completely.

 

You could lose some, which can be significant even if you quit.

[ArochaHair]

Hi everyone... so i have been taking minoxidil 5%, finasteride and Ketoconazole shampoo for about 4 years now. I have pretty much stopped losing my hair and have even had joking comments about how i look "less bald" (i was never bald but my hair was definitely thinning, and still is pretty thin tbh). anyways, i have only been taking minoxidil once daily for about 2-3 years now. I would really like to cut it out of my routine all together but am kinda scared as to what the result might be. What could I be risking if I cut it down to only 2- 3 days a week? would that even have any effect? I also read that minoxidil's best results are seen in the first year, does only have to do with hair regrowth? any advice would be appreciated

 

This is the challenge many hair loss sufferers do not realize in that once they begin a treatment they are locked into it for life. You have to continue with what has worked and any change to your routine can spell disaster, unless of course you don't mind allowing nature to resume it's course. No one wants to be a slave to such a routine but if you want to keep your hair you have to pay the price and continue with what has worked in the past.

[mikeyhwk]

Maybe I am in the minority but I stopped minox and had no regression where I used it. I actually saw an improvement but in my case the minox was an irritant, and caused constant inflammation. I've had 2 leading ht docs tell me they hate minox and don't advise their patients to use it. Dr Hasson and Dr Lorenzo were the docs who told me to stop. Both felt fin was enough.... I'm at least one case where stopping minox didn't mean the beginning of another hair freefall

[HairLostYears]

I'd LOVE to ditch the minoxidil, but since I started the big 3 at the same time (albeit about a decade too late) I don't know how much of a factor minox has played. Never much of any regrowth on big 3, but maintained for about 5.5 years now.

 

Just can't deal with the liquid anymore, it's a greasy ass ache to apply and seems to really irritate my scalp more than it used to. Even with the foam though, I still feel like I need to wash my head about every day.

 

Would be nice to wash hair in the morning, slather on some dermmatch and toppik, then skip a day washing to be able to enjoy my fraudulent full head of hair for a couple days with no extra hassles.

[Speegs]

Are you on finasteride as well? A finasteride regimen can probably mitigate the loss of the minoxidil regimen.

[LJ82]

I'd LOVE to ditch the minoxidil, but since I started the big 3 at the same time (albeit about a decade too late) I don't know how much of a factor minox has played. Never much of any regrowth on big 3, but maintained for about 5.5 years now.

 

Just can't deal with the liquid anymore, it's a greasy ass ache to apply and seems to really irritate my scalp more than it used to. Even with the foam though, I still feel like I need to wash my head about every day.

 

Would be nice to wash hair in the morning, slather on some dermmatch and toppik, then skip a day washing to be able to enjoy my fraudulent full head of hair for a couple days with no extra hassles.

 

Im kind of in the same boat, i started all three at once... but from what I read finasteride is the one that helps the most, so not sure if skipping minoxidil would do much or not. have they ever came out with a minoxidil pill?

[HairLostYears]

Im kind of in the same boat, i started all three at once... but from what I read finasteride is the one that helps the most, so not sure if skipping minoxidil would do much or not. have they ever came out with a minoxidil pill?

 

There are minoxidil tablets called Loniten. I have no personal experience with them.

 

I shied away from looking much into Loniten when I read something about possibly needing to take a diuretic with it to prevent fluid retention. That might have been for someone on a much higher dose than generally used for hair loss though, I don't recall exactly.

[xtatic5]

I started the big 3 last winter. I stopped using Lipogain months ago and stopped using minox last week. I continue to take fin (.25mg). So far, I haven't noticed any increased shedding. To be fair, I didn't use min as directed (only applied once per day) so I may have never seen its full benefits to begin with.

[gillenator]

The plain and simple truth of it is once you stop the minoxidil, you will lose any gains made from it.

 

But if you still decide to stop, I recommend that you stop incrementally. In other words, don't just stop it completely, wean off of it and that may help prevent a massive shed.

 

I stopped it myself about 4 years ago and experienced a massive shed that lasted roughly 18 months...it was horrible to say the least. But still am taking low dose finasteride.