# Men's Hair Loss > Men's Hair Loss: Start Your Own Topic >  How much time with Rogaine

## Mike2013

I had a thread awhile back mentioning how I was loosing a lot of hair when I started Rogaine.  I've been on it for a little over four months now and after the first month I noticed I was shedding a lot of hair.  It stopped sometime in January, but I was really upset about this.  Over four months later, I still haven't noticed any difference aside from the whole top of my head being a lot thinner then when I started.  I believe a couple of you from here mentioned it could take 6-12 months to notice a difference.  Yet, I came across a lot of online reviews of Rogaine- places like Amazon, etc, and so many people seemed to have noticed improvement within three months.  Although I feel this is a really fast time to see hair re-growth, I am starting to get nervous this isn't the right solution.  But I thought I would at least check on here to see how long it took people on average to see any improvement.  Is 3 months average?  Or does it really take longer, closer to a year.

I have a full head of hair, it's just that I noticed a little thinning of the years- but no baldness or bald spot.  So I decided to try Rogaine based on a conversation with my DR.  I have also been using Nizorol twice a week, and sulfate free shampoo and conditioner.  Lately I just feel the whole top of my head is so much thinner, and really regret going down this road, because I was not losing or thinning anywhere close to what I have been like after starting Rogaine.
Thanks for any advice or suggestions.

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## mmmcoffee

it honestly takes a lot longer than 3-4 months to see real results for a majority. some people may see some results at 3-4 months but its really not likely. Those who see results at 3-4 months are also the most likely to right a glowing review about the product. There are also probably people paid by rogaine to write good reviews on sites like amazon.com

 You're looking at more like a year + to see real results.

The reason rogaine says 4 months to see results is rogaine pushes your DHT weakened hairs into "sleep mode", part of your normal hair cycle. Your hair generally stays in that phase for around 8 weeks before the follicle starts producing a new strand of hair, which is hopefully thicker. Then it takes a while for your hair to grow and become the same length as the rest of your hair, as the average hair grows 1/2'' a month. but, its going to take many of these cycles to truly thicken up hair

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## Mike2013

Thanks for the response.  I guess I just needed reassurance.  I am also kind of panicky, because I felt I lost so much from a shed after starting it, and I don't know if I am going into a second shed.  I don't know what I would do if I lost as much as I did the first time around.

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## Tracy C

> Thanks for the response.  I guess I just needed reassurance.


 Generally, it takes four to six months of use as directed before a man will know if Rogaine is working for him (8 to 12 months for a woman using 2%).  It takes much longer before you will know how well Rogaine is working for you.  About 12 to 18 months.

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## PatientlyWaiting

I can't say this enough, Rogaine by itself will not single handily stop your hair loss, regrow your hair, and maintain it just like that. It's just not going to happen. Rogaine by itself=2 steps forward, 1 step backward. I forgot which doctor I read that from, but he's 100% correct.

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## PatientlyWaiting

My Rogaine foam and liquid shipment will hopefully arrive this week. I am already on 1.25mg/day of fin [4 years] no side effects, and i'm switching to dutasteride 0.5mg. For the past 3 years I haven't used minoxidil and I have slowed down my hair loss in that span with fin alone. Rogaine can not do that. I hope Rogaine gives me a good boost though, I will use foam in the day and the solution at night.

TBH Rogaine by itself is a waste of money.

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## Mike2013

Thanks for the response.  I guess I will wait and see what happens.  I don't have any bald spots- I only started Rogaine because I noticed some thinness over the course of years.  Family and friends thought I was nuts that I even thought that.  So I decided to use Rogaine to see if it would help out a little- not realizing it would cause all this shedding.  As long as I regrow the hair I shedded from starting Rogaine, I'll be happy.  And if it helps me prevent or slow down any other thinning that may occur- I will be satisfied.  If it doesn't, or it gets worse, then I will take the next step.  But as of now, I still have a full head of hair- just not as thick as  I would like it, so I think taking Fin is a little premature for my situation.

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## PatientlyWaiting

> Thanks for the response.  I guess I will wait and see what happens.  I don't have any bald spots- I only started Rogaine because I noticed some thinness over the course of years.  Family and friends thought I was nuts that I even thought that.  So I decided to use Rogaine to see if it would help out a little- not realizing it would cause all this shedding.  As long as I regrow the hair I shedded from starting Rogaine, I'll be happy.  And if it helps me prevent or slow down any other thinning that may occur- I will be satisfied.  If it doesn't, or it gets worse, then I will take the next step.  But as of now, I still have a full head of hair- just not as thick as  I would like it, so I think taking Fin is a little premature for my situation.


 Don't worry about that, your family telling you you're crazy, if you feel you're losing hair then you're doing the smart thing by treating it early. Don't listen to what people tell you that it's okay and you are not balding, you'll be kicking yourself in the head a few years from now if you stop treatment, when MPB really kicks in. I speak from experience.

That's fine, don't get on fin now if you are not comfortable. Just keep low expectations with Rogaine by itself. I used Rogaine by itself back then when I first started losing hair and was misinformed and only saw commercials of hair loss treatments, monixidil did absolutely nothing to slow down or stop my MPB. However, Rogaine can really help you if you are using it with something that is already slowing down/or halted your hair loss. Rogaine does work, but I try to warn people before they kick it to the curb and say it doesn't work, that it works but just not by itself. I recommend the use of Rogaine, I just try to tell people how it works best.

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## itsmyhairs

I've been using rogaine for about 6 months now.

Hair has filled in at the temples and the hairline is a lot stronger.
I'd save I've gained about 1/3 of a inch of near slick scalp back to have cosmetically noticeable hair there and there's new hairs every week.

My hair at the front and on top feels noticeable thicker and it's easier to style in a way that no one would even guess I'm losing it.
For the first time in years I'm being ID'd buying booze in shops (28 and they card anyone who looks younger than 25).
Not losing as much hair in the shower and I never notice hair on my keyboard, desk or pillow anymore.

12 months is when you should see the 'full' results, though you may notice regrowth after 3-4.

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## Mike2013

> I've been using rogaine for about 6 months now.
> 
> Hair has filled in at the temples and the hairline is a lot stronger.
> I'd save I've gained about 1/3 of a inch of near slick scalp back to have cosmetically noticeable hair there and there's new hairs every week.
> 
> My hair at the front and on top feels noticeable thicker and it's easier to style in a way that no one would even guess I'm losing it.
> For the first time in years I'm being ID'd buying booze in shops (28 and they card anyone who looks younger than 25).
> Not losing as much hair in the shower and I never notice hair on my keyboard, desk or pillow anymore.
> 
> 12 months is when you should see the 'full' results, though you may notice regrowth after 3-4.


 
Thanks for the response.  I am curious though, when you started, did you notice a sudden hair lost?  I can't believe how much i've lost from using it.  Most of it was lost within the second and third month.

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## mpb47

> Thanks for the response.  I am curious though, when you started, did you notice a sudden hair lost?  I can't believe how much i've lost from using it.  Most of it was lost within the second and third month.


 My experience with minox:

95% of the time my mpb has been slow. When that is the case minox will help a great deal

That other 5% when my crown first started thinning: Minox did nothing other than make my hair go through rapid growth/loss cycles but pictures showed it was steadily getting worse. I saw a big change in about 2 years.

What the other posters said is right. Even if your mpb is gradual..on minox alone it will very slowly continue.

If you can use propecia, do it.  That is the only thing that really stopped it for me. I am hoping I can get back on it one day.  Right now I am on minox alone and it is helping but I am still slowly losing ground. Good luck!

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## WarLord

> Generally, it takes four to six months of use as directed before a man will know if Rogaine is working for him (8 to 12 months for a woman using 2%).  It takes much longer before you will know how well Rogaine is working for you.  About 12 to 18 months.


 This is deceptive. By "working" you mean "hair regrowth". But if you mean "stopping hairloss", then the result should be apparent within 2-3 months. There are many guys, who start with the treatment too late and expect miracles. I jumped on minoxidil very early, immediately after I observed the first signs of balding, so at NW 1.5, I didn't need any regrowth. And the stuff has been working with the same efficiacy for 16+ years.

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## WarLord

> What the other posters said is right. Even if your mpb is gradual..on minox alone it will very slowly continue. !


 Do these "other posters" have any clinical data to support this claim? Of course, they don't. They only spread unsubstantied misinformation resulting from their personal frustration and a lack of success with anti-hairloss medications. 

The longest studies on minoxidil are from late 80's, and the longest of them lasted 5 years (Olssen et al. 1990). Although the average haircounts in this study started to decrease after 2 years, it is worthy of note that if we extrapolated the declining curve into the future, the average user in this study would reach the baseline after ca. 15 years. Furthermore, one-third of well-responding patients gained hair even after 5 years. And this was with 3&#37; minoxidil! In fact, there are people, who have been keeping their hair with minoxidil since it entered the market in 1987!

I think that if we actually had any long-term study on minoxidil at disposal, we would be very surprised, how effective this drug is. The very fact that the majority of unsuccessful minoxidil users on internet forums consists of people, in whom it "stopped working after few years" may indeed show that this sample is highly unrepresentative. Furthermore, many of them idly waited, until they were NW4, and now they wonder that they can't keep the process at bay. Their fault. Letting aside the fact that the everyday's topical application places high demands on discipline, which only a minority of people possess.

Personally, I started to use minoxidil in 1997 and it would never occur to me that it should stop working. And it never did, even after 16+ years. It was only after I started to visit internet forums in 2007, when I first heard claims about "the loss of effeciacy". 

I am disgusted by this stupid defeatist propaganda that I encounter on internet forums. But I realize that this situation will always be the same, because people, who use anti-hairloss drugs successfully, don't visit these forums and may not even know that they exist.

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## WarLord

> I can't say this enough, Rogaine by itself will not single handily stop your hair loss, regrow your hair, and maintain it just like that. It's just not going to happen. Rogaine by itself=2 steps forward, 1 step backward. I forgot which doctor I read that from, but he's 100% correct.


 Several years ago, many doctors claimed that fin stops working "after 3-5 years". Now, when we have fresh 10-years' data of its efficiacy, they suddenly changed their opinion. Which means that their opinions are worthless. They extrapolate from few cases that they encounter in their clinical praxis, and sometimes show complete inability to understand written words.

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## itsmyhairs

> Do these "other posters" have any clinical data to support this claim? Of course, they don't. They only spread unsubstantied misinformation resulting from their personal frustration and a lack of success with anti-hairloss medications. 
> 
> The longest studies on minoxidil are from late 80's, and the longest of them lasted 5 years (Olssen et al. 1990). Although the average haircounts in this study started to decrease after 2 years, it is worthy of note that if we extrapolated the declining curve into the future, the average user in this study would reach the baseline after ca. 15 years. Furthermore, one-third of well-responding patients gained hair even after 5 years. And this was with 3% minoxidil! In fact, there are people, who have been keeping their hair with minoxidil since it entered the market in 1987!
> 
> I think that if we actually had any long-term study on minoxidil at disposal, we would be very surprised, how effective this drug is. The very fact that the majority of unsuccessful minoxidil users on internet forums consists of people, in whom it "stopped working after few years" may indeed show that this sample is highly unrepresentative. Furthermore, many of them idly waited, until they were NW4, and now they wonder that they can't keep the process at bay. Their fault. Letting aside the fact that the everyday's topical application places high demands on discipline, which only a minority of people possess.
> 
> Personally, I started to use minoxidil in 1997 and it would never occur to me that it should stop working. And it never did, even after 16+ years. It was only after I started to visit internet forums in 2007, when I first heard claims about "the loss of effeciacy". 
> 
> I am disgusted by this stupid defeatist propaganda that I encounter on internet forums. But I realize that this situation will always be the same, because people, who use anti-hairloss drugs successfully, don't visit these forums and may not even know that they exist.


 
Exactly.

And most of the stories you read about people who say it stopped working for them are normally proceeded with 'oh and I got really lazy applying it, sometimes I'd only put it on once every 2 weeks'.

These are usually guys that are NW4+ and expect minox to give them justin bieber hair again, they're just idiots who have done no research and have no patience.

The reason there's so few studies on it is because it's almost impossible to tell what would of been had someone not used a product, even if the study lasts 5 years.
What would need to happen is someone would need to get 100 identical twins, all of whom are willing to stick religiously to the regimen, then have one twin use the medicine and the other not use anything.
Only then would we get a real idea of the long term efficiency of minox with a proper control group.

Even IF someone were to return to baseline after 10 years in a study, they'd have been much further down the road without using anything.

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## mpb47

> Do these "other posters" have any clinical data to support this claim? Of course, they don't. They only spread unsubstantied misinformation resulting from their personal frustration and a lack of success with anti-hairloss medications. 
> 
> The longest studies on minoxidil are from late 80's, and the longest of them lasted 5 years (Olssen et al. 1990). Although the average haircounts in this study started to decrease after 2 years, it is worthy of note that if we extrapolated the declining curve into the future, the average user in this study would reach the baseline after ca. 15 years. Furthermore, one-third of well-responding patients gained hair even after 5 years. And this was with 3% minoxidil! In fact, there are people, who have been keeping their hair with minoxidil since it entered the market in 1987!
> 
> I think that if we actually had any long-term study on minoxidil at disposal, we would be very surprised, how effective this drug is. The very fact that the majority of unsuccessful minoxidil users on internet forums consists of people, in whom it "stopped working after few years" may indeed show that this sample is highly unrepresentative. Furthermore, many of them idly waited, until they were NW4, and now they wonder that they can't keep the process at bay. Their fault. Letting aside the fact that the everyday's topical application places high demands on discipline, which only a minority of people possess.
> 
> Personally, I started to use minoxidil in 1997 and it would never occur to me that it should stop working. And it never did, even after 16+ years. It was only after I started to visit internet forums in 2007, when I first heard claims about "the loss of effeciacy". 
> 
> I am disgusted by this stupid defeatist propaganda that I encounter on internet forums. But I realize that this situation will always be the same, because people, who use anti-hairloss drugs successfully, don't visit these forums and may not even know that they exist.


 Minox never stops working it's just that it can't completely stop the effects of DHT over time. I have been on it about the same amount of time and it is still working for me. But I would be lying through my teeth if I claimed I was not gradually getting balder over time.

Are you saying you have not lost any hair since '97 on minox alone WITHOUT propecia?

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## mpb47

> Several years ago, many doctors claimed that fin stops working "after 3-5 years". Now, when we have fresh 10-years' data of its efficiacy, they suddenly changed their opinion. Which means that their opinions are worthless. They extrapolate from few cases that they encounter in their clinical praxis, and sometimes show complete inability to understand written words.


 There are no set rules in stone. For some it does stop working as well after X amount of years. Some have got 15+ years and it's still going. Everyone is different.

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## WarLord

> Are you saying you have not lost any hair since '97 on minox alone WITHOUT propecia?


 Yes. What is so surprising on this? And I am certainly not alone in this world. 
http://www.hairlosshelp.com/forums/m...threadid=75704

5-AR blockers eliminate DHT that stands at the root of the process. Minoxidil counterbalances the negative effect of prostaglandins that stand at the end of the chain of reactions triggered by DHT. It doesn't matter, if you use 5-AR blockers or minoxidil. They both work. Well, it is true that 5-AR blockers may work better than 5&#37; minoxidil, but what about 10% or 15% minoxidil? 

It is only due to the myths spread by certain individuals in the internet that people started to believe that "minoxidil doesn't address the underlying cause of MPB" and hence it is not possible that it could work forever. This is a silly fallacy that is at variance with both anecdotal experience and available clinical data.

With finasteride, it is not much different. Internet forums are full of guys whining that it will stop working for all men one day. At the same time, in the Rossi et al.'s study, only 4% men experienced a reversal of the positive trend during those 10 years. Four percent! But on this site, you can estimate that these guys make up 80-90% posters! In other words, we get a very perverse picture about how the drugs work. I wouldn't recommend to anyone to visit these forums regularly, after they get the advice they needed.

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## WarLord

> There are no set rules in stone. For some it does stop working as well after X amount of years. Some have got 15+ years and it's still going. Everyone is different.


 Exactly. The drugs have a very variable degree of efficiacy. This is why some people on 3&#37; minoxidil enjoyed continued growth even after 4-5 years, while others were losing hair despite regular minoxidil use. It is a shame that the companies have no long-term data at disposal and the internet mythmakers can brainwash people by their fallacies. 

The fatal mistake of some people (and often it's doctors) is that they extrapolate from certain individual cases and make general statements like "minoxidil works only for 3-5 years". Yes, for SOME people. And the studies from late 80's indicate that these people aren't even a majority, but rather a small minority.

By the way, I don't buy all those stories about people, who regrew hair on minoxidil and then they started to lose it quickly after several years. There must be some other factors in the game. Most probably sloppy application.

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## WarLord

> Minox never stops working it's just that it can't completely stop the effects of DHT over time. I have been on it about the same amount of time and it is still working for me. But I would be lying through my teeth if I claimed I was not gradually getting balder over time.
> 
> Are you saying you have not lost any hair since '97 on minox alone WITHOUT propecia?


 But remember one thing: I started immediately after I observed first signs of hairloss. And I still benefit from this, because I have been NW 1.5 until today. This may be the key for a long-term success.

Actually, why the hell should minoxidil ultimately stop working in all people? People use various medications for decades and they still work. In some, they work only partly or don't work at all. This is normal. It is only the delusional, old-fashioned idea that "there is nothing that can be done about MPB" that influences your opinion about the long-term efficiacy of anti-hairloss drugs. Why should they be different from other drugs that people use?

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## mpb47

> Yes. What is so surprising on this? And I am certainly not alone in this world. 
> http://www.hairlosshelp.com/forums/m...threadid=75704
> 
> 5-AR blockers eliminate DHT that stands at the root of the process. Minoxidil counterbalances the negative effect of prostaglandins that stand at the end of the chain of reactions triggered by DHT. It doesn't matter, if you use 5-AR blockers or minoxidil. They both work. Well, it is true that 5-AR blockers may work better than 5% minoxidil, but what about 10% or 15% minoxidil? 
> 
> It is only due to the myths spread by certain individuals in the internet that people started to believe that "minoxidil doesn't address the underlying cause of MPB" and hence it is not possible that it could work forever. This is a silly fallacy that is at variance with both anecdotal experience and available clinical data.
> 
> With finasteride, it is not much different. Internet forums are full of guys whining that it will stop working for all men one day. At the same time, in the Rossi et al.'s study, only 4% men experienced a reversal of the positive trend during those 10 years. Four percent! But on this site, you can estimate that these guys make up 80-90% posters! In other words, we get a very perverse picture about how the drugs work. I wouldn't recommend to anyone to visit these forums regularly, after they get the advice they needed.


 If you have not lost ANY hair since '97 on minox alone, are you sure you even have mpb and not some other type of hair loss? My family's mpb history is a very gradual but eventual nw 6 type pattern. I have had very good response to minox (crown) and propecia (crown and hairline). I eventually got sides from Propecia and had to get off, but stayed on minox . On the propecia/minox combo my crown went almost back to normal, but since stopping propecia 6-7 years ago my crown has come back and is gradually expanding and getting bigger. I wish it were not true, but pictures say otherwise.
Minox alone might keep me from eventually getting "horseshoed", but even that is uncertain. If you have not lost any hair since '97, you probably do not have mpb but something else. MPB, even if very very slow on it's own like mine is, does not stop on minox alone.

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## WarLord

> If you have not lost ANY hair since '97 on minox alone, are you sure you even have mpb and not some other type of hair loss? My family's mpb history is a very gradual but eventual nw 6 type pattern. I have had very good response to minox (crown) and propecia (crown and hairline). I eventually got sides from Propecia and had to get off, but stayed on minox . On the propecia/minox combo my crown went almost back to normal, but since stopping propecia 6-7 years ago my crown has come back and is gradually expanding and getting bigger. I wish it were not true, but pictures say otherwise.
> Minox alone might keep me from eventually getting "horseshoed", but even that is uncertain. If you have not lost any hair since '97, you probably do not have mpb but something else. MPB, even if very very slow on it's own like mine is, does not stop on minox alone.


 It does not stop in you... I am sorry. But it does stop in others. If you are interested, here is another post from Amazon.com:

_"I am 66 and began using rogaine when it was still a prescription 25 years ago. At that time, I had mild receding hairline and some thinning in the crown. 2&#37; was all that was available then, then switched to 5%. Kirkland's has the best price on line, but I can get 3 months supply of Equate in Wal-Mart for $18.64. As far as results, the level of thinning has remained the same for 25 years. I also use DHS 2% pythrione zinc(double head and shoulders)shampoo 3 times a week, also shown to curtail baldness. My own opinion is that if you are already skin bald, save your money. I think all of the minoxidil based solutions work best if you are just beginning to bald. You have a good chance of maintaining what you have and the younger the better. Sometimes the genetic factor is so strong like the Hasselback brothers, it's just too strong to overcome."_

Let's stop the mythmaking, please, and face real-life results.

When you say that you were already NW4+ (bald crown), when you started with minoxidil, you fall exactly into the category of guys that I mentioned in my previous posts and your case perfectly confirms my words. You started too late, bro. I am sorry.

Furthermore, your posts indicate that you are not willing to do everything to keep your hair. You quitted finasteride because of "side effects" that may have been imaginary anyway. And now you obviously use this forum as a sort of psychotherapy. 

I wouldn't quit an effective medication because of any side effects. Even the risk of death would be more acceptable for me than a life with a bald head. And I am not joking. I had serious problems with my hair during the last 5 months (partly due to shedding possibly caused by finasteride, partly due to switching between minoxidil brands) and I realized that I couldn't handle getting bald. I would get mad. Hence your decision to quit finasteride, when it was well working, is absolutely mindboggling for me.

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## mpb47

> It does not stop in you... I am sorry. But it does stop in others. If you are interested, here is another post from Amazon.com:
> 
> _"I am 66 and began using rogaine when it was still a prescription 25 years ago. At that time, I had mild receding hairline and some thinning in the crown. 2&#37; was all that was available then, then switched to 5%. Kirkland's has the best price on line, but I can get 3 months supply of Equate in Wal-Mart for $18.64. As far as results, the level of thinning has remained the same for 25 years. I also use DHS 2% pythrione zinc(double head and shoulders)shampoo 3 times a week, also shown to curtail baldness. My own opinion is that if you are already skin bald, save your money. I think all of the minoxidil based solutions work best if you are just beginning to bald. You have a good chance of maintaining what you have and the younger the better. Sometimes the genetic factor is so strong like the Hasselback brothers, it's just too strong to overcome."_
> 
> Let's stop the mythmaking, please, and face real-life results.
> 
> When you say that you were already NW4+ (bald crown), when you started with minoxidil, you fall exactly into the category of guys that I mentioned in my previous posts and your case perfectly confirms my words. You started too late, bro. I am sorry.


 I am sorry but you must have me mistaken with someone else. I was never a NW4, then or now. I started using minox even before I needed it. I used it to try to get back my teen hairline, only then I did not know that was impossible. Years later, when I did actually start to recede and thin, I was already on it! I tried using more and more of it but after almost 2 years of seeing declining results, I went on propecia.  Only after I added propecia did things start to reverse. Got results in the front around 3-4 months but back took about 9 months before I saw results. Check my threads, I recently posted pics about a week ago that were taken when I was first starting to thin. I was on minox then and it certainly did not stop it as my mpb was too aggressive at that point.





> Furthermore, your posts indicate that you are not willing to do everything to keep your hair. You quitted finasteride because of "side effects" that may have been imaginary anyway. And now you obviously use this forum as a sort of psychotherapy.


 The side effects were real. I just wasn't sure that propecia was entirely responsible. Because I have had problems 2 times and the second time was far far worse and I had been off of propecia  for 5+  years at that time. The second time, I did the right thing and went to my DR and she figured out my T was on the low side. Not really that low 250 to low 300's yet I couldn't think straight and in time became physically weak. The one thing I should have asked her is why women have much lower levels of T than I had yet have no problems. Only thing I can guess is having high E figures in it some way.





> I wouldn't quit an effective medication because of any side effects. Even the risk of death would be more acceptable for me than a life with a bald head. And I am not joking. I had serious problems with my hair during the last 5 months (partly due to shedding possibly caused by finasteride, partly due to switching between minoxidil brands) and I realized that I couldn't handle getting bald. I would get mad.


 So you do use propecia- well that changes everything. Try keeping ALL of your hair from '97 on minox alone. If you really have mpb, not just a mature hairline, you can't. And the 4 years I was on propecia saved me from (at that time) aggressive mpb and I would surly be much further along today had I not used it.

When I did have sides when I was using propecia, I had anxiety, depression, dry skin, no sex drive but I never got weak and in fact ran 2-3 miles several times a week.

But if you ever have low T like I had the second time I can assure you you , you would not be able to live a normal life without seeking help from your DR. My muscles started wasting away and I had constant brain fog. I gained about 75lbs on top of that and was about to get diabetes. I could barely walk much less run.





> Hence your decision to quit finasteride, when it was well working, is absolutely mindboggling for me.


 You mentioned you couldn't handle getting bald. Honestly I have trouble with it myself. But the risk is so high since I am too sensitive low hormones that I am scared to risk it. My hormones were not really that low and my dr said some guys would be fine at that level. My Dr's best guess was that my body had high levels of T to begin with and needs it to function. So I am sorta screwed that I need high levels of T to be normal, yet it's slowly taking my hair.

With that said, I'll take slow mpb over feeling like death any day of the week.

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## WarLord

> So you do use propecia- well that changes everything. Try keeping ALL of your hair from '97 on minox alone. If you really have mpb, not just a mature hairline, you can't.


 I have been on finasteride since June last year. I have kept ALL of my hair since 1997. No problem. In fact, the stuff was so reliable that I took steroids during this time. I suppose that it would work forever. 

You are simply a non-responder to minoxidil. Your claims are unsubstantied generalizations. From your posts I see that you actually don't know, if it has ever worked. Furthermore, your story seems a bit confusing to me. You say that minoxidil couldn't keep your hair, yet it regrew hair on your crown? More clarity, please. 

And what about your "side effects" - they are quite apparently imaginary. I don't know then, what is your business here. You refuse to use effective medications and then you are lurking about the internet and tell people that "you can't keep your hair on minoxidil alone". Great. And then one wonders, where all the internet myths come from. Wouldn't it be better, if you again jumped on finasteride, and didn't spread these mystifications on internet forums?

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## WarLord

I saw your pictures.

"went off Minox for about 3 months"

WHAT?! You quitted minoxidil after such a long-term use? And how many times did you do the same during all those years? It seems that it is such a "detail" for you that you don't have to mention it.

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## mpb47

> I have been on finasteride since June last year. I have kept ALL of my hair since 1997. No problem. In fact, the stuff was so reliable that I took steroids during this time. I suppose that it would work forever.


 I have posted my pictures, lets see some of yours.






> You are simply a non-responder to minoxidil. Your claims are unsubstantied generalizations. From your posts I see that you actually don't know, if it has ever worked. Furthermore, your story seems a bit confusing to me. You say that minoxidil couldn't keep your hair, yet it regrew hair on your crown? More clarity, please.


 Clarity- On Minox alone even if you have gradual mpb it will not be enough by itself to completely prevent your mpb progression OVER TIME.  It can make your hair stay around much longer than without it- but your mpb will advance OVER TIME.




> And what about your "side effects" - they are quite apparently imaginary. I don't know then, what is your business here. You refuse to use effective medications and then you are lurking about the internet and tell people that "you can't keep your hair on minoxidil alone". Great. And then one wonders, where all the internet myths come from. Wouldn't it be better, if you again jumped on finasteride, and didn't spread these mystifications on internet forums?


 
If I knew I could safely use propecia again I would be on right away- even have plenty of it in stock if I decide to take the plunge. I got far better results when I went on propecia. Minox never really grew much hair up front, but propecia did.

Again lets see some pictures with some proof that minox alone can completely keep your hair since '97

Minox is a great tool for keeping your hair longer, but alone it is not enough to completely stop mpb  over time. I still stand by that statement. If you can't use propecia it is certainly far better than doing nothing. If you still don't believe me, ask some of the dr's on this board. I will bet you right now that most would agree with me.

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## mpb47

> I saw your pictures.
> 
> "went off Minox for about 3 months"
> 
> WHAT?! You quitted minoxidil after such a long-term use? And how many times did you do the same during all those years? It seems that it is such a "detail" for you that you don't have to mention it.


 If you read my posts you will know I went off of it because I needed to be sure it was not adding to my health problems. It was not, but if anything good came of it, it proved it was still working.

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## MackJames

I didn't experience any regrowth from minoxidil until after six months.  I was about to quit but decided to continue since minoxidil is cheap, and I am glad I did.

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## WarLord

> Clarity- On Minox alone even if you have gradual mpb it will not be enough by itself to completely prevent your mpb progression OVER TIME.  It can make your hair stay around much longer than without it- but your mpb will advance OVER TIME.


 You have nothing to base this statement on. Everything you have is your personal frustrating experience with which you infect this message board. Furthermore, I can imagine how disciplined you have been during the whole time on minoxidil. Going off for 3 months?! Insanity!

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## WarLord

I HAVE NO PROBLEM TO POST PICTURES, BY THE WAY.




And you still haven't replied to my question. It seems to me that your history with m&#237;inoxidil will be more complicated than it seems - as it is almost always the case with whining hypochondriac guys on message boards.

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## WarLord

> If you can't use propecia it is certainly far better than doing nothing. If you still don't believe me, ask some of the dr's on this board. I will bet you right now that most would agree with me.


 If these "dr's" actually know something, I will bet that they will reply that according to the available clinical data, it takes ca. 15 years until regrown haircounts return to baseline. And what will happen then, we don't know. 

Naturally, if they know nothing, they will start to repeat the old good fallacy that "minoxidil doesn't address the underlying cause of MPB".

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## mpb47

> You have nothing to base this statement on. Everything you have is your personal frustrating experience with which you infect this message board. Furthermore, I can imagine how disciplined you have been during the whole time on minoxidil. Going off for 3 months?! Insanity!


 Again ask the Dr's on this board. Also take base line photo's now and then again in 5 years. If you have mpb and are on minox alone ..there is a good chance that it will advance by then.

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## mpb47

> I HAVE NO PROBLEM TO POST PICTURES, BY THE WAY.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And you still haven't replied to my question. It seems to me that your history with míinoxidil will be more complicated than it seems - as it is almost always the case with whining hypochondriac guys on message boards.


 
so post them already-OR be quiet. Lets see the comparison between  '97 and now.

If you can safely tolerate propecia you are foolish not to use it.

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## WarLord

> Again ask the Dr's on this board. Also take base line photo's now and then again in 5 years. If you have mpb and are on minox alone ..there is a good chance that it will advance by then.


 Can you understand the simple thing that minoxidil is a hair growth stimulator and hence it is not only able to regrow hair, but even keep it? Actually, it works much better for maintenance than for regrowth. 5 years? Are you kidding? Who spreads such a bullsh*t? 

Minoxidil will certainly keep your hair for much longer than 5 years. In fact, I quoted the studies, in which one-third of patients was continually GAINING hair after 4-5 years on 3&#37; minoxidil. 

I don't care, what doctors say. Many of them don't have a personal experience with the stuff they are commenting, and only parrot misleading pieces of information.

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## WarLord

> so post them already-OR be quiet. Lets see the comparison between  '97 and now.
> 
> If you can safely tolerate propecia you are foolish not to use it.


 From your confused posts, it seems to me that minoxidil has never worked in you, and that you were pretty sloppy with the application. The fact that you didn't mind quitting it for 3 months (PURE INSANITY!) shows that you have hardly had any problems with stopping the use for several days or weeks.

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## mpb47

> Can you understand the simple thing that minoxidil is a hair growth stimulator and hence it is not only able to regrow hair, but even keep it? Actually, it works much better for maintenance than for regrowth. 5 years? Are you kidding? Who spreads such a bullsh*t? 
> 
> Minoxidil will certainly keep your hair for much longer than 5 years. In fact, I quoted the studies, in which one-third of patients was continually GAINING hair after 4-5 years on 3&#37; minoxidil. 
> 
> I don't care, what doctors say. Many of them don't have a personal experience with the stuff they are commenting, and only parrot misleading pieces of information.


 Minox forces hair to stay in growing cycle , but it doesn't stop your testosterone from converting to DHT. You need to address that or otherwise your hormones will slowly get the best of you.

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## mpb47

> From your confused posts, it seems to me that minoxidil has never worked in you, and that you were pretty sloppy with the application. The fact that you didn't mind quitting it for 3 months (PURE INSANITY!) shows that you have hardly had any problems with stopping the use for several days or weeks.


 Minox is working as good as it can alone.

So where are your pics???

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## WarLord

> Minox forces hair to stay in growing cycle , but it doesn't stop your testosterone from converting to DHT. You need to address that or otherwise your hormones will slowly get the best of you.


 No. Your reasoning is not correct. Minoxidil doesn't address DHT that starts the chain of reactions leading to the follicles' death; yet it addresses reactions at the end of this chain (probably the balance of prostaglandins). Hence it works a different way than 5-AR blockers, but in the end, it doesn't matter, how it works, because the result is similar.

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## WarLord

> Minox is working as good as it can alone.
> 
> So where are your pics???


 I just added them already. 

I don't know, what so interesting you will see on my pics. Just a normal hair with ca. 1 cm recession in temples.

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## mpb47

> No. Your reasoning is not correct. Minoxidil doesn't address DHT that starts the chain of reactions leading to the follicles' death; yet it addresses reactions at the end of this chain (probably the balance of prostaglandins). Hence it works a different way than 5-AR blockers, but in the end, it doesn't matter, how it works, because the result is similar.


 Well, all I can say is when I first noticed I was starting to thin in the crown, I posted pics and asked for help. I told everyone I was on minox. Several guys thought there was nothing wrong and said if they had hair like me, they wouldn't be on any hair boards. Some said yea it was the start of mpb but I might have many years before I needed anything beside minox. But one guy who was older (he runs one of the other hair boards- hlh I believe) and already had mpb for a good while told me that minox is good but on minox alone my crown would continue to develop/expand. I waited about  2 years to see for myself and he was right as during those 2 years my crown was quickly forming despite minox. Yet my mpb stopped cold dead when I added propecia. A good bit of my crown reversed and my hairline even filled in.

There was no mistake that it was making a difference. If you can tolerate propecia, you should use it.

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## mpb47

[QUOTE=WarLord;114236]I just added them already. 

I don't know, what so interesting you will see on my pics. Just a normal hair with ca. 1 cm recession in temples.

You will see...now do this:

You should take pics of your crown as well. Save these pics and then take new ones in 5 years and compare.

Because your hair is so short I can't tell if you have minituration or just a mature hairline. If it's just a mature hairline, you may not even need minox yet.

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## WarLord

> You will see...now do this:
> 
> You should take pics of your crown as well. Save these pics and then take new ones in 5 years and compare.
> 
> Because your hair is so short I can't tell if you have minituration or just a mature hairline. If it's just a mature hairline, you may not even need minox yet.


 First of all, you should think over your discipline, not over my hair. If you are able to quit minoxidil for 3 months, then it shows that you have no idea, how this stuff works. Can I guess, how you were using it all those years? And the worst thing is that undisciplined, ill-informed people like you then come on internet forums to spread their agenda "how minoxidil doesn't maintain hair". 

It maintains hair quite well, for decades, but it needs everyday's compliance, which only a handful of people possess. My experience from other forums is similar. I find guys screaming that minoxidil once worked great, but then it mysteriously stopped working after few years. Then I read their posts and I find jewels like "I seriously think my hair is heavily dependant on the minox now as if I ever have upto 7 days without applying it..."

What the hell do you all think? That the hair will stay on your head even without minoxidil, thanks to some magic? Minoxidil doesn't forgive. If you are not able to use it everyday, then don't start to use it at all!

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## polarbro

> First of all, you should think over your discipline, not over my hair. If you are able to quit minoxidil for 3 months, then it shows that you have no idea, how this stuff works. Can I guess, how you were using it all those years? And the worst thing is that undisciplined, ill-informed people like you then come on internet forums to spread their agenda "how minoxidil doesn't maintain hair". 
> 
> It maintains hair quite well, for decades, but it needs everyday's compliance, which only a handful of people possess. My experience from other forums is similar. I find guys screaming that minoxidil once worked great, but then it mysteriously stopped working after few years. Then I read their posts and I find jewels like "I seriously think my hair is heavily dependant on the minox now as if I ever have upto 7 days without applying it..."
> 
> What the hell do you all think? That the hair will stay on your head even without minoxidil, thanks to some magic? Minoxidil doesn't forgive. If you are not able to use it everyday, then don't start to use it at all!


 
sorry to bump an old thread but I am about to start rogaine and was googling about it. i just have to post and hope that people do not take this posters advice. Why are you attacking this guy for "imaginary side effects." You have no idea if they are made up or not, and even if they are, Im pretty sure he is allowed to do whatever he wants. You say you have kept ALL of your hair since 1997 yet the picture in your profile....im sorry but your hair looks terrible. the entire scalp is visible and the top is so thin and disperse. I think you would do yourself a favor by shaving. Really no need to be so hostile. Some people do get side effects from Propecia, I myself had minor gyno from it, although I dont regret trying.

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## mpb47

> sorry to bump an old thread but I am about to start rogaine and was googling about it. i just have to post and hope that people do not take this posters advice. Why are you attacking this guy for "imaginary side effects." You have no idea if they are made up or not, and even if they are, Im pretty sure he is allowed to do whatever he wants. You say you have kept ALL of your hair since 1997 yet the picture in your profile....im sorry but your hair looks terrible. the entire scalp is visible and the top is so thin and disperse. I think you would do yourself a favor by shaving. Really no need to be so hostile. Some people do get side effects from Propecia, I myself had minor gyno from it, although I dont regret trying.


 I am not sure why he believes that minox alone will stop mpb for many years. It can buy you a lot of time if you mpb is slow by making it even slower.  But my experience is that I still got slowly worse. About two and half months ago I went back on propecia as in the past that did stop and reverse mine. But this time I am on a low dose. Several of us are doing it as an experiment. I am doing .25 2x a week. The only thing I have noticed so far, and it could be a coincidence, is a slight reduction in body hair. It did that the first time I was on it so I am hoping this is a good sign. You may see if you can tolerate a small dose once or twice a week. If you can't I will say minox has bought me a lot of time and works well for me, esp in the back. good luck!

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## Notcoolanymore

> im sorry but your hair looks terrible. the entire scalp is visible and the top is so thin and disperse. I think you would do yourself a favor by shaving.


 Dayum!

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## Buster

> I am not sure why he believes that minox alone will stop mpb for many years.


 I don't know how anyone would be able to determine whether or not something completely halted their hair loss, because for all they know their hair loss may have stopped on its' own. I started to recede when I was seventeen/eighteen and didn't start to notice my hair getting worse again until a few years ago. I'm thirty-eight now.

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## WarLord

> sorry to bump an old thread but I am about to start rogaine and was googling about it. i just have to post and hope that people do not take this posters advice. Why are you attacking this guy for "imaginary side effects." You have no idea if they are made up or not, and even if they are, Im pretty sure he is allowed to do whatever he wants. You say you have kept ALL of your hair since 1997 yet the picture in your profile....im sorry but your hair looks terrible. the entire scalp is visible and the top is so thin and disperse. I think you would do yourself a favor by shaving. Really no need to be so hostile. Some people do get side effects from Propecia, I myself had minor gyno from it, although I dont regret trying.


 Man, are you sane? Have you ever been cut to 6 mm? 

And for those, who still have doubts about the long-term efficiacy of minoxidil, here is a summary of existing research:
http://www.ehrs.org/conferenceabstra...-rundegren.htm

You shouldn't base your opinion on a non-representative sample of frustrated outliers on the Bell curve.

BTW, this guy mpb47 is a deterrent example for all hairloss sufferers. Follow his posts and learn, what you shouldn't do, if you want to keep your hair in the long-term.

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## mpb47

> BTW, this guy mpb47 is a deterrent example for all hairloss sufferers. Follow his posts and learn, what you shouldn't do, if you want to keep your hair in the long-term.


 And he should read your posts, too, to get a general idea of your sanity. I did not wait 15+ years to start propecia and that is why I have kept more hair than you despite you being younger.

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## Notcoolanymore

> Follow his posts and learn, what you shouldn't do, if you want to keep your hair in the long-term.


 That is actually a good idea for a thread.  Especially for many of the guys starting off trying to treat their hair loss.  Many people waste their time with ineffective treatments, etc.  It might really help some people.

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## WarLord

> And he should read your posts, too, to get a general idea of your sanity. I did not wait 15+ years to start propecia and that is why I have kept more hair than you despite you being younger.


 
And why should I start Propecia, when minoxidil worked in me? Btw, I started minoxidil almost 17 years ago, when nothing except minoxidil was available. Propecia was a very expensive drug for a long time, and as I found out recently, I am a terrible responder to it. 

I also don't think that you have kept more hair than me. Really, really. You can be glad that you still have the hair you have. It is almost a miracle. Others wouldn't be so lucky after so many changes of treatments.

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## WarLord

> That is actually a good idea for a thread.  Especially for many of the guys starting off trying to treat their hair loss.  Many people waste their time with ineffective treatments, etc.  It might really help some people.


 
This guy interrupts the treatment by minoxidil for 3 months only to see, if his imaginary "side effects" have anything to do with it. I wonder, why he isn't bald already.

The interruption of minoxidil use is a blunder with fatal consequences. There is already a lot of information in the internet that confirms it very unambigiously.

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