Minoxidil & regrowth questions

[Jill E]

I started Estrogen about 5 months ago and Finasteride (proscar) & Spiro about 2 months before that. I'm currently on all three. My hair has gotten much thicker since starting (especially in the past month or two). I'm to a point where i can no longer see scalp when i get out of the shower and am brushing my hair. However, the crown of my head is still thin.. :/ I can see my scalp in this area regardless of whether my hair is dry or wet.

I'm interested in starting Minoxidil/Rogaine. I've looked through previous threads and see that it's made a difference for several people. I'm really hoping for regrowth.

As MTF on HRT should I be using Minoxidil 5% or 2%? I believe i read something previously about shedding when starting it, but that may have been for the finasteride.. Is shedding to be expected initially?

Lastly, has anyone had negative experiences or adverse reactions to Minoxidil?

[Evelyn K]

Get on 5%. You are still early on your fin regimen so give it a full year.

My hair is actually pretty OK, but I want more so why not and throw in the minox.

BTW - pro Evelyn tip - get a Visine eye dropper bottle. Put the minoxidil in that. Then use it to draw vertical lines of liquid on your scalp. Then use all your finger tips to briefly massage it all in.

As for sides I get a little tinnitus after application and some scalp exfoliation from the mild propylene glycol irritation. Be sure to wash your finger tips afterwards if you don't want pronounced knuckle and hand hair.

Also get ready to see an increase in eyelash length. You might also get fuller eyebrows.

For reference

[Jill E]

Thank you. (: I'm looking on Amazon to order and there are a few brands: Rogaine and Kirkland seem to be popping up more than the others. Does brand really matter? Have any of you had better success with one versus the other?

[Evelyn K]

Nah. It's all the same. Get Kirkland. Much cheaper and been reliable for me.

[Jill E]

Purchased. Thank you so much again!! 

[Joan]

I see you've already made your decision and are waiting the arrival of the package, but just to throw in my experience...Kirkland minoxidil gave me some regrowth pre HRT and definitely thickened up what I already had.  Post HRT I've seen quite a lot of regrowth - I still need a lot more but it gives me hope.  It should give you another boost.

As an aside, and if I might derail a bit here, anyone can help? I ordered my minoxidil from amazon.jp as amazon.com don't allow it to be shipped overseas and it's not available at the local Costco.  (I can buy Rogaine locally but at twice the price.) Now amazon.jp have blocked those sellers too.

Does anyone know of any site that ships Kirkland minoxidil internationally? Thanks

[Alainaluvsu]

PLEASE be careful if you have a cat. Minoxidil is poisonous to them. If you have one, make ABSOLUTELY SURE you rinse it ALL out, and shut the bathroom door so your cat doesn't poison itself. I would HATE to see somebody lose a loved pet because they were uninformed of the product.

[Miyuki]

What, really?! I have been using minoxidil for years and I had no idea about this. I have even on a few occasions petted one of my cats after applying minoxidil without washing my hands. Nothing bad happened to them, but I wasn't carefully watching them for symptoms of poisoning either. I can't believe they wouldn't put something like this on the label. If one of my cats had died of minoxidil poisoning I would have been devastated...

[Alainaluvsu]

"New or unique information provided: Topical administration of minoxidil solution may cause life-threatening pulmonary edema, pleural effusion, and cardiac dysfunction in the cat."

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1476-4431.2004.04014.x/abstract;jsessionid=859D760B9A313DC0FCF857CF9DEEA2C0.f03t04

"Minoxidil is also poisonous to cats and can result in their death if it is applied directly to their skin"

http://www.hda-online.org.uk/hair-loss/minoxidil.html

Lots of vets post this warning on their web page, and there are anecdotal stories on forums all over the internet. It's not to say if your cat has minimal exposure that she will die, but it can be very poisonous to cats, so PLEASE take precaution. And yes, I know it's not a well known fact. I came across it pre-HRT and I'm glad I did, because I was considering going on it and I'd never live it down if I had accidentally killed my baby kitty.

[FilaFord]

Evelyn, I love the idea of using a Visine bottle.  The dropper that they give you with it is horrible!

I'm currently using the Kirklands 5% but am thinking of switching it to prescription strength 15% to see if it works any better.  It's only been a couple of months but my hair seems to be getting worse or at least staying as crappy as it was 6 months ago. 

Also using Nizoral 1% and taking Avodart.

Has anyone ever heard or tried of Latisse/Lumigan?  Apparently it works pretty well, so I am thinking about adding that to my regimen.

[Jill E]

I see you've already made your decision and are waiting the arrival of the package, but just to throw in my experience...Kirkland minoxidil gave me some regrowth pre HRT and definitely thickened up what I already had.  Post HRT I've seen quite a lot of regrowth - I still need a lot more but it gives me hope.  It should give you another boost.

I'm happy to hear others have had positive experiences with it too. (:

PLEASE be careful if you have a cat. Minoxidil is poisonous to them. If you have one, make ABSOLUTELY SURE you rinse it ALL out, and shut the bathroom door so your cat doesn't poison itself. I would HATE to see somebody lose a loved pet because they were uninformed of the product.

Thank you for this information as well!! I dont have a cat at the moment, but we've been considering getting a Scottish Fold.

[Ms Grace]

Been on HRT for 11 months and using Minoxidil for about 8. (I wear wig.) My endo discouraged me from using Finasteride saying that if my T was low then the risk from DHT would be so too, and my T is pretty much non existent now. So far I've had some encouraging regrowth, but it's fine and light like baby hair - my endo says that once the follicle gets a bit more of a work out after having been dormant the hair should thicken/coarsen. We'll see - it might be a few years yet before I feel comfortable about going out in public sans wig.

[Debussy]

After you begin treatment, do you have to use it forever? Or can you stop after a while if your DHT is gone...

Also, I just have minor MPB, and I already have some rogaine, but haven't used it. If it's just minor, should I just not use it then? Its to the point where I don't want my hair in a pony tail, but its not really horrible.  I was just going to apply it to those specific areas, which probably wouldn't use the whole daily rec. amount. BTW I'm also taking dutasteride.

[Ms Grace]

Probably wouldn't hurt to try it, but keep in mind it takes up to four months before anything starts to happen.

[HughE]

I'm using minoxidil and progesterone cream (rubbed into my scalp) on alternate days. I'm not on MTF HRT and so I'm still producing testosterone, but my theory was that the progesterone would help block DHT conversion from taking place and help prevent me from going bald that way. So far it seems to be working, my hair feels thicker and my scalp is no longer showing through.

[E-Brennan]

I've had reasonable results from the 5% generic minoxidil that I pick up at the local pharmacy, about $40 for a three-month supply of either the liquid or the foam (hate the foam though.)  Regrowth has been fine baby hairs so far, but lots and lots of them.  I'm only 4 months in, so it's still very early days.  No need to start with the lower concentrations; the 5% is just fine for starting out.

I take it in conjunction with finasteride and will be adding spironolactone to the mix soon.  And if that doesn't stop hair loss, I don't know what will.  I'm applying the minox to the front of my hairline too, not just the crown, and it seems to be having some effect.  I've seen no shedding at all.

Hair regrowth is a long game - a year minimum, many years to see proper results.  Just get into the habit of putting the minox on twice a day.

[JulieBlair]

I've been using 5% minoxidil for about two years, and 2 mg finisteride for fifteen months.  I was pretty bald when I started, and am pretty happy with the results.  The picture on my avitar is from last fall, and I have about 30% more hair now.  The finisteride took a full year to make much of a difference, but the growth since then has been pretty dramatic.

Even with T counts near zero, attacking DHT has made a substantial difference for me.  I am told this is a long term thing, and that stopping either may result in substantial hair loss over time.  Frankly I don't want to find out.

Everyone reacts differently, some girls don't get much regrowth at all, some a lot.  I feel pretty lucky.

Thanks for the tip about my cat.  I'm pretty good about washing up, but now I'll be even more careful.

Cheers,
Julie

[Evelyn K]

After you begin treatment, do you have to use it forever? Or can you stop after a while if your DHT is gone...

Also, I just have minor MPB, and I already have some rogaine, but haven't used it. If it's just minor, should I just not use it then? Its to the point where I don't want my hair in a pony tail, but its not really horrible.  I was just going to apply it to those specific areas, which probably wouldn't use the whole daily rec. amount. BTW I'm also taking dutasteride.

Minox doesn't work as an anti-androgen. It's only a hair growth stimulant.

If you stop minoxidil after being on it for some time (say a year), you'll temporary go into telogen effluvium (diffuse shedding). Minox dependent hairs will shed, you'll dip below baseline before recovering to where you would normally be without treatment. See the animated chart above where Stop Minoxidil occurs.

Minox is for life.

[Alaia]

Welp, I picked up some minoxidil foam from Walmart yesterday. Gonna try this out for 6 months and see how it goes. My hair is too thin for my liking on my crown and I have a mildly receded hairline. Really hoping this works out as the only other options for me are a hairline advancement and transplants... or just wiggin it.