# Women's Hair Loss > Introduce Yourself & Share Your Story >  PLEASE ANSWER: Did your hair ever come back after stopping minoxidil?

## Person

Did your hair come back after the post minox shed?

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## Person

i know everyones experience is different but itd be nice if i could hear of some peoples experiences.  i stopped 3 months ago and now its shedding like crazy.

1. will it go back to near baseline in a few months?
2. how long does this shed last?

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## Tracy C

Stopping this medication because of the shed is usually the worst thing you can possibly do.

No one can honestly answer your question.

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## Person

They cant answer the question for a fact. But people can share their experiences. 


People can honestly answer the question, but their responses will be different.

I quit because of side effects not the initial shed.

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## Tracy C

You are reaching and that isn't going to do you any good at all.  The best thing you can do for yourself is to work as hard as you can to not worry about it.  Worrying about it can and most likely will make it a lot worse than it really is.

I do not mean to sound insensitive, but I cannot buy into the side effect excuse.  This medicine has been on the market for a very long time.  Many men and women have been using this medication all these years without experiencing any side effects at all.  The side effects of this medication are very rare and that fact is very well known and very well established.  I have no choice but to accept that internet fear mongering is the primary cause for this illusion of an increase in the number of people "experiencing" side effects.

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## Davey Jones

> I have no choice but to accept that internet fear mongering is the primary cause for this illusion of an increase in the number of people "experiencing" side effects.


 But to be fair, the people experiencing side effects are the only ones you _would_ hear from about side effects.  There are a very small number of people who experience side effects and a very small number of people who complain about them online; could they not reasonably be the same group of people?

But as for my experience with minox: I didn't have an initial shed.  I didn't lose any hair from minox (that I know of) until I stopped taking it.  Seemingly lost everything that minox had let me keep.  I didn't quit because of sides, though.  I was just tired of the hassle.  This was the point at which I had decided to say **** it and just buzz my head real' short anyway.  Not long after that, I started shaving.  When it grows in a little bit though, it doesn't appear that any has come back, but I don't think anyone expects it to when they _quit_ minox and shed.

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## Person

:Mad: 

Surely there is one person on this forum of over a 1000 that has quit minoxidil before?

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## Person

/Users/admin/Desktop/minox graph.png

vertical line represents the quitting of minoxidil

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## JJacobs152

> /Users/admin/Desktop/minox graph.png
> 
> vertical line represents the quitting of minoxidil


 Crazy graph. Unfortunate to see that the efficacy of 5% minoxidil decreases extremely fast towards the right side of the graft.

Btw, I stopped minox for about a month because I had to study for an exam. I just forgot to take it in the evenings before going to bed. Noticed a good bit of shed. I'd say the shed picked up quick. Starting back on minox, has definitely slowed down the progression, but not to where I was before I stopped. Hope it helps.

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## Tracy C

> Crazy graph. Unfortunate to see that the efficacy of 5% minoxidil decreases extremely fast towards the right side of the graft.


 The efficacy isn't decreasing, DHT is overpowering the medication.

This graph needs more information to go with it.  It looks like that line is indicating the point where treatment is stopped.  If treatment is stopped abruptly, there would be a dramatic drop shortly there after.  With that said, this graph can serve to highlight the importance of tapering on and off of medications.

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## torontoguy88

When I initially started using minoxdil, I had no idea what minoxidil shedding was.  I followed the directions and after 6 months  noticed how areas were filling up.  But since I didn't know what shedding was (the term never existed in my brain), I didn't really think how bad my hair looked while using it.  I just stuck with it.  During that time I was using the 15&#37; so after finding out it was no longer available  I  completely stopped using it and stuck to Saw Palmetto.  A little while after ending Minoxidil, the improvements in my hair I gained eventually were going away.  So what I'm saying is that -  if you think about the shedding and count how many hairs you lose, it'll be obvious and bug you.  And if you stop using minoxidil after the new hairs grow, you'll lose what you will or have gained.  Yes your hair will go back but wont stop there and will get worse with time without the topical treatment.

(unless for reasons other than the initial shedding, you should stick to using minoxidil)

You could always wear a cap or use hairloss concealers such as toppik in the mean time  :Wink:

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