Stopping Minoxidil

[txwnl]

Hi everyone I've been on HRT and minoxidil for a year now, and i've been quite lucky with hair regrowth. But... minoxidil makes my hair quite greasy so I pretty much need to wash it everyday. Has anyone had any experience stopping minoxidil?

[Steph34]

I use minoxidil for my hairline (it causes too much scalp irritation and resultant hair loss for me elsewhere), and I do think it has helped a little as the front hairline is the one place I have seen modest regrowth. However, if I skip a few days, all of the fine thin hairs that formed from weeks of continued use disappear right away, before getting the chance to become mature hair. The strands that are better developed fare somewhat better, but I do lose some of them too if I skip a few days. That is true for me even with dutasteride and a normal female T level. It seems that continued stimulation from minoxidil is necessary for me to retain any hair growth that it causes, and I will say that my results have been rather disappointing so far.

[katiej]

I did minoxidil, finasteride, and biotin for about 6 months before starting HRT (also about 6 months ago), and I saw a small amount of regrowth. Then after starting the HRT my insurance changed and the finasteride was more expensive so I stopped taking it. And I just sort of got out of the habit of the minoxodil.

Honestly the hair regrowth I've seen the last six months has been pretty dramatic. I'll need implants to fill in the temples and maybe femme up my hairline a bit, but the rest of it is much thicker than it was just 6 months ago...And that's after stopping the finasteride and minoxidil.

They say that stopping minoxidil or finasteride will erase any gains made, but I don't think that's true for us. Guys still produce the DHT that causes hair loss. As I understand it, the Spiro takes care of that for us.

[mmmmm]

...the DHT that causes hair loss. As I understand it, the Spiro takes care of that for us.

No. Sadly spironolactone doesn't do much if anything for DHT conversion. T and freeT should be lowered with spironolactone, but conversion to DHT should be unchanged or lowered in a case of really low T, which is not something that most people can achieve with spironolactone. A stronger antiandrogens can be more helpful with that... but even then, most people who had experienced any MPB/receiding, usually should take DHT-blockers, or progesterone.

[Kova V]

I tried the drops but it's way too greasy.  I use the foam now, it's not greasy at all.

[Steph34]

A stronger antiandrogens can be more helpful with that... but even then, most people who had experienced any MPB/receiding, usually should take DHT-blockers, or progesterone.

Progesterone will not do much either. I tried it for a short time and my hair thinned rapidly. High doses of estrogen may help, though, by suppressing T production (a precursor to DHT) and lengthening the growth phase of hair follicles. And estrogen is much cheaper than dutasteride and leuprolide, which I never could have afforded before my recent cash windfall. Plus, estrogen does so much else, too.

Still, minoxidil can be a useful complement to HRT and anti-androgens because it has a different mechanism of action: stimulating dormant hair follicles.

[mmmmm]

I have not taken progesterone myself, but a lot of endocrinologists prescribe it also for its ability to reduce DHT conversion. While it won't work on its own... But if you take full dose Androcur, and you have LOW T levels, its ability to reduce conversion has been proven. Still, I prefer to not play any games, and I take dutasteride daily for that reason...

[z38]

I have not taken progesterone myself, but a lot of endocrinologists prescribe it also for its ability to reduce DHT conversion. While it won't work on its own... But if you take full dose Androcur, and you have LOW T levels, its ability to reduce conversion has been proven. Still, I prefer to not play any games, and I take dutasteride daily for that reason...

There is only so much that I can do to fortify my body against stress attacks-which have mangled me thanks to many people and situations these last two years. I am certain so much intense and chronic stress has restarted the hair loss to be nearly as bad as  before i ever began estrogen. But might the hair loss also now may be reoccurring because my body has been desensitized to dutasteride after almost as long as it's been available generically? And that even 20 years after orchiectomy + >20 years of continued estradiol valerate injections + > 5 years of 5% Rogaine twice daily + years of self-administered Shiseido massage that all of the above can't protect my hair follicles from adrenal androgens? Might Androcur and/or 5 to 10% minoxidil + ?% topical progesterone help? Please suggest something. My look won't wait for this stem cell-based cure, if it's actually for real. http://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/replicel-says-hair-loss-therapy-safe-glimmers-efficacy and https://www.forbes.com/sites/robinseatonjefferson/2017/09/29/company-uses-patients-own-cells-to-put-an-end-to-baldness-aging-skin-and-tendon-degeneration/#145001a793f2