Dedicated to hair growth after years of being on and off, now experiencing shedding, need advice

[sausalito8]

I've (40, m) been on on and off fin 1mg for years because I was always concerned about the side effects. When my hair loss finally got to a stage where I couldn't tolerate it, I decided to do whatever I can to preserve and regrow my hair. I started taking 1mg fin consistently since mid/late September of this year - 2023. Went to the doc to get my scalp looked at and control my dandruff. He also prescribed oral minoxidil 1.25mg daily. I have not taken the min yet since I want to make sure I understand what the side effects are. I have continued on fin 1mg daily pretty religiously though, and taking nutrafol but not consistently.

when I ran out mid October, my pharmacy refilled and switched from Ascend to Aurobindo.

Fast forward to late November, and I'm starting to see shedding like I've never seen before. Every time I wash my hair - every other day - I see much more hair than normal. I feel like I'm below baseline now. The tricky thing is, I don't know if this is a normal shed, since I've been consistent with fin for the first time for about 3 months now and I've heard from others on here that this can happen. OR, the brand is bad. I've gone bit crazy trying to figure out the difference between the different manufacturers- Aurobindo, Camber, Ascend, Dr. Reddy are the only ones that seem to be available around me. They're all made in India, they're all regulated by the FDA, they've all had issues with the FDA. So now what? I asked the same pharmacy and they have Ascend again, so I got it and am thinking of getting on the Ascend brand.

Have other people experienced shedding on fin? and what was your experience like on minoxidil 1.25mg?