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?