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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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% 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.

[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.

[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.