stop minoxidil after long use

Hi everyone,

First of all sorry for my english (i'm a french MPB), i'm 35 years old and i use minoxidil since age of 22, i must admit it worked for me for several years but less this last years.
I would really like stop this sh... cause of the side effects and economic reasons by a real (and not supposed) alternative that uses the same action but not by chemical way and without loosing the all benefits i had with minoxidil 5%, do you think it is possible ? is there anyone who tried with succes an alternative to minox ? Thanks

Now this will be VERY interesting to follow, as I have really wondered about this too, as apparently hairs can become minoxidil "dependant" as they probably rely on the unique conditions provided by minoxidil.

One would imagine if you were to shield the hairs from other harmful factors (for example by reducing DHT with Densiti, or whatever is your choice) and slowly, slowly reduce minoxidil dosage once they were protected, they may gradually adapt and be ok.

I will be following this, and I wish you luck with it as well

Hoppi thanks for your advice, sure that my hair became totally dependent with this long period use. We must adopt a strategy for limiting as maximum a great sheding but i don't know how to proceed. I apply minox 5% twice daily, peraphs a use 3 time/day of minox 2% is a way to start a "detoxification" of the scalp and later use minox 2% twice daily and continue this reducing progressively. I think the first step and the more secure is to move from the 5% to 2%, what do you think ?

well, how are you protecting your hair from DHT? Because of course once the hair has been weaned off minox, it will still have androgens to worry about!

kery,

What are the side-effects you experience with minoxidil? Does anyone know how much of it is from the minoxidil and how much is from the propylene glycol? PC is supposed to cause all kinds of problems itself.

Hmm, I wonder if something like l-arginine would make the transition from minoxidil easier, as it would increase nitric oxide and so make life a bit easier for hair follicles trying to adapt to no minox!

I dunno

Hoppi i used saw palmetto and beta sitsoterol years ago for several month, no effect on me, i try fina too for the same results. My regiment il limited coconut oil application, magnesium-b6 (for anxiety and slepless) and supermarket complex vitamins.

Paradox my side effects are hairiness body, chronic fatigue (not sure due to minox) but as a chemical treatment i'm worry about a long term disease. So i prefer replace it for a safer alternative.

kery wrote:Hoppi i used saw palmetto and beta sitsoterol years ago for several month, no effect on me, i try fina too for the same results. My regiment il limited coconut oil application, magnesium-b6 (for anxiety and slepless) and supermarket complex vitamins.

Paradox my side effects are hairiness body, chronic fatigue (not sure due to minox) but as a chemical treatment i'm worry about a long term disease. So i prefer replace it for a safer alternative.

Have you noticed any bloating (water retention), circles under eyes, enlarged pours or aging skin (wrinkles)?

the chronic fatigue may be from finasteride too if you're on that.

Paradox wrote:

kery wrote:Hoppi i used saw palmetto and beta sitsoterol years ago for several month, no effect on me, i try fina too for the same results. My regiment il limited coconut oil application, magnesium-b6 (for anxiety and slepless) and supermarket complex vitamins.

Paradox my side effects are hairiness body, chronic fatigue (not sure due to minox) but as a chemical treatment i'm worry about a long term disease. So i prefer replace it for a safer alternative.

Have you noticed any bloating (water retention), circles under eyes, enlarged pours or aging skin (wrinkles)?

the chronic fatigue may be from finasteride too if you're on that.

retention water ? i don't think, circles under eyes yes but due to fatigue, no wrinkles.

Paradox wrote:

kery wrote:Hoppi i used saw palmetto and beta sitsoterol years ago for several month, no effect on me, i try fina too for the same results. My regiment il limited coconut oil application, magnesium-b6 (for anxiety and slepless) and supermarket complex vitamins.

Paradox my side effects are hairiness body, chronic fatigue (not sure due to minox) but as a chemical treatment i'm worry about a long term disease. So i prefer replace it for a safer alternative.

Have you noticed any bloating (water retention), circles under eyes, enlarged pours or aging skin (wrinkles)?

the chronic fatigue may be from finasteride too if you're on that.

Hey Paradox,

Those were my symptoms on minoxidil and fin. Since I've been off both, I feel great & finally look like myself again. The two symptoms that really sucked were bloating & the dark, puffy circles under my eyes. I looked like a junkie, dude.

Hey guys... This is my first post on IH's forum. I've been posting for 4-5 months on regrowth.com, but have been on the IH full regimen for about 4 months now..
I started minxoidil at age 23 when my hair kept falling - it was not noticable but I was tired of the shedding. I am now 27. I went through several sheds and regrowth with minoxidil over 3-4 years. I finally quit it about 4 months ago cold turkey, due to sides - puffy face, wrinkles, dark circles, etc. It sucked big time...
Well fast forward 4 months to today, and I have lost a ton of hair. I let my hair grow out the whole time and if I comb my hair back the hair loss is very apparent. I understand that the telogen phase when quitting minox lasts for a while - but I'm not sure just how long. I have tried promox, spectral dnc and scalpmed off and on - they all gave me the same sides.
Anyway, needless to say, I'm a bit scared, because I don't know just how dependent my hair really was on it. Does anyone know how long the telogen phase should last?

Overall, my skin has improved big time since dropping minox, which I'm happy about, but I'm wondering if anyone else here has ever quit Minoxidil, gone the IH route and ever recovered? I asked the same question at regrowth, but not one person replied... I am trying to hang in there but it's getting discouraging... Is IH's regimen at least good enough to ward off the effects of dht once the hair is back in the anagen phase?

Anyone have any suggestions or advice?

So no one here has dropped this drug and gone natural with success?

Hey fellas,

I dropped fin/minox when I first joined this group & I'm doing well, so far.

I've religiously stuck to the natural approach & made the commitment to clean up my diet.

It was scary to take the plunge. I did experience a horrible shed after I dropped the poisons but I thankfully managed to regrow what I lost.

Now I'm just trying to thicken my head of hair, especially near the temples.

LA,

Yeah I'm getting the junkie look again too after starting the drugs. It's such a bitch that there has to be a catch for everything. It's like a constant juggling act.

The minoxidil and too much sun exposure has left me with fine wrinkles under the eyes and what they call 'crepey' skin. I have the dark circles too.

I'm really getting enraged lately when I wonder how I came to have so many little conditions that seem to be equally annoying, difficult to remedy, and potentially devastating. Isn't balding enough? Is it really necessary to throw in premature skin aging, especially as a consequence of treating the hair loss? It's adding insult to injury. I wonder if I'm just a hypochondriac sometimes because what are the odds of one person being so afflicted? Sorry...Just venting some steam because I'm pissed and tired of the constant 'maintenance' on every front. Most people don't seem to deal with as much, pop as many pills, or spend so many hours online researching. My free testosterone came back low so there's my excuse for bitching, lol.

LA, how long were you on minox when you finally quit and went natural and how long would u say it took you to recover?

Paradox,

I know exactly what you are saying about the junkie look. The dark circles and puffy face and all due to minox... It sucks big time. I'm still recovering from it after 5 months off the drug.

unfortunate wrote:LA, how long were you on minox when you finally quit and went natural and how long would u say it took you to recover?

unfortunate --

I was on minox for about 3 years before I finally quit & went natural.

It's taken me a good 6 months to recover but I suspect that I'll feel even better at the 1 year mark.

I never thought I'd have a full head of hair by the time I was 25 because hair loss in my family is hyper-aggressive. But so far, so good.

On a personal level, I knew there was truth to the natural approach when I began regrowing the hair I lost in my post-drug shed.

Paradox wrote:LA,

Yeah I'm getting the junkie look again too after starting the drugs. It's such a bitch that there has to be a catch for everything. It's like a constant juggling act.

The minoxidil and too much sun exposure has left me with fine wrinkles under the eyes and what they call 'crepey' skin. I have the dark circles too.

I'm really getting enraged lately when I wonder how I came to have so many little conditions that seem to be equally annoying, difficult to remedy, and potentially devastating. Isn't balding enough? Is it really necessary to throw in premature skin aging, especially as a consequence of treating the hair loss? It's adding insult to injury. I wonder if I'm just a hypochondriac sometimes because what are the odds of one person being so afflicted? Sorry...Just venting some steam because I'm pissed and tired of the constant 'maintenance' on every front. Most people don't seem to deal with as much, pop as many pills, or spend so many hours online researching. My free testosterone came back low so there's my excuse for bitching, lol.

I hear you, man.

You perfectly capture the frustration of the hair loss community. Your post is THE manifesto for the afflicted MPB sufferer.

It really is a vicious catch-22. It's like, Wanna keep your hair? Take drugs. Wanna deal with the drugs? Pop pills. Don't like the side effects? Screw you, go bald then!

When I was on the drugs, I had to work out like a fiend, eat perfectly & get lots of sleep just to maintain. I still looked like a junkie, except now I looked like an ex-athlete struggling with a drug habit.

Now that I'm off the drugs, I feel way better. Yes, I've had to make radical dietary/lifestyle changes but I feel & look like myself again. No more bloated face. No more dark circles under my eyes. No more strange, f'd up junkie look.

When I got off the drugs, as scary as it was, I viewed it as my chance to start from scratch. I even shaved my dome. From a cosmetic standpoint, hyaluronic acid & tremella reversed the negative impact of minox on my face/skin. Then I addressed sugar metabolism & testosterone & estrogen ratio balancing. Cutting out sugar from my diet also reversed premature wrinkling/skin aging.

LA-Night,

I quit minoxidil about 3 months ago, after I thought it wasn't working after 3 years of usage. I was wrong, because I shed like crazy to the point where it was very noticable. I feel like it has stabilized some, but I'm very tempted to get back on it. Like you I'm 25 and my hair loss started around 18-19. I'm encouraged by your success going the natural route.

I have cleaned up my diet, but I'm wondering what supplements and topicals you use? How long did it take to see a change and is your hair better than when you were on minoxidil?

LA,

Yep, you pretty much nailed it! In my case cessation of loss has never been enough, I want regrowth at the temples. Other people seem to be ok with some temple loss, but not me. When I see a receding hairline I think it's just a matter of time before that person goes bald. I never imagine the situation improving. So I assume that girls and other people see me the same way- "he's going to be bald". Even if i never lose another inch, it is the 'going bald' perception I can't stand. I need to confirm this with CS, but I'm assuming that we shouldn't expect regrowth at the temples, and that the natural route should halt progression at best?

I hope that makes sense and explains my current frustration with the temples and my idiotic return to the drugs. Don't get me wrong... I am not shedding hair...In fact I don't ever really see hairs anywhere (partly because they are thin and not that visible)... It's just a very slow creeping back of the hairline.

I've only been using maybe 1/8 ml of minxoxidil too, but I don't think it matters as it absorbs systemically. I've got to stop it before it really messes up the skin again.

That's awesome that you're doing so well. I was/am doing well too, but I just get greedy. It's kind of my all or nothing nature.

Are you using any topicals in place of minoxidil? I can't seem to find/decide on one because many work theoretically, and I'm looking for something 'tried and true'...basically something that probably doesn't exist. I've been using bentonite clay on the hairline recently.

Did you take HA internally, externally or both? I just ordered some copper peptides for under the eyes and I've been using HA topically.

Does anyone know how long the telogen phase should last after quitting minoxidil that was used long term?

LA,

Thanks for your response it is very encouraging... Like Mib, I also quit about 4-5 months ago and went through horrible non-stop shedding. I didn't shave my head because I have to be at a weedding next week overseas and so I will use toppik for the occasion. But I too am wondering what you used orally and topically? I have been on at lease the top 6 for the last 4 months and still shedding - I may still be in the Minox quitting shed phase. I intend not to give back in to the drug this time like I did the last time I quit.

So I'd be interested in knowing your oral/topical regimen. I just added hyalauronic acid to my diet as well as I have heard good things for skin - do you use it topically, or just orally?

Hi Kery,

Since u have used minoxidil for more than 10 years i would like to know whether your present condition is better than what it was when you started. Also it would be gud if u can share your experience, as in if long term usage is beneficial or not?

Johny Depp wrote:Hi Kery,

Since u have used minoxidil for more than 10 years i would like to know whether your present condition is better than what it was when you started. Also it would be gud if u can share your experience, as in if long term usage is beneficial or not?

HI Johny,

Like i said minox worked very well for me for several years but less this last years. The sides effects are chronic fatigue, hairiness. I don't know the consequence in health after a long term use that's why i want to replace it by a safer or natural topical with a similar action whitouth thoses side effects.

Hi Kery,
Thanx fr ur response ...
I am a 24 yr old and have just started to use minoxidil owing to a hair fall problem... I had heard frm guys arnd that after 5-7 years all hair that has come due to the use of minoxidil will fall out.... Is this true?.. Since i started using at 24... what can i expect 10 yrs down the line??

I know the fact that the regrowth would occur in the first 48 weeks and then would tend to plateau.. however how long can i still maintain the hair that has come??

Sry too many questions ... Would be quite helpful if you can reply...

Thanx.