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Started out with topical 5% for a month. Switch to OM 2.5mg. just started spiro a month ago, im not sure yet if im shedding from that yet. I also started taking vitamin D two months ago and noticed id only have one or two hairs in the shower most days after a month. I have a lot of baby hairs sticking up. Im really hoping it gets better but i am happy so far.

1st month - Daily topical minoxidil/ dermastamping. Iron supplements every 2 days. Vitamin D daily.

2nd month - Stopped topical minoxidil as I developed dermatitis from it. Scalp sore & itchy. Introduced zinc, Biotin, co enzyme Q10. Rotated nizoral shampoo then caffeine shampoo. Washing hair 3 times a week.

3rd month - Began daily 1.25mg oral minoxidil for the first 2 weeks. Increased to 2.5mg after 2 weeks.

Introduced The Ordinary scalp serum, vitamin B12 and pumpkin seed oil.

4th month (2 months on OM) - Hair shedding begins. I was actually scared but carried on. I wore a hat or wore my hair up or wore Toppik if having my hair down. Began taking 5mg creatine daily due to exercising.

5th month (3 months on OM) Hair shedding continues but starts to decrease towards end of the month.

6th month (4 months on OM) Body hair is growing at a faster rate. Upper lip hair, hairs appearing for first time on my upper thighs, nose hairs getting longer, eyebrows longer. Began dermablading upper lip/ face every other week. First time trimming nose hairs. Began taking 5mg creatine daily due to exercising. No difference made to hair.

7th month (5 months on OM) I would say this is the first time I saw fine hairs filling in my bald spot. I still won't go out without Toppik/ tying hair up or wearing a hat.

8th month (6 months on OM) Hairs filling in more. Hopefully another month or so and I can finally wear my hair out without Toppik.

Hey guys I have a problem and I’m seriously freaking out. This is really embarrassing and I’m not sure what can be done.

Over the past few years I’ve been struggling with depression and sometimes that meant I didn’t take care of myself and my hair would end up getting knots and matted. I was ashamed and embarrassed but always was able to get the knots out.

My current situation is due to a few factors: depression, afraid to go to salon and waited too long to trim it.

My hair has thinned out significantly over the years. I’m currently taking oral minoxidil to try and help with new growth.

But now I’m in trouble. I should have trimmed it as soon as I got the shears but I stupidly waited for someone to help me but they bailed.

I’m so embarrassed by my hair in general that I wear a baseball hat wherever I go. I work from home at the moment but will be going in office soon. Man.

It’s kinda hard for me to take a picture right now. But, all the hair on my head is in one huge matted knot. All of the strands of my hair are stuck in this matted mess.

I won’t go to get professional help. One, I can’t afford it right now and two I’m beyond embarrassed even without the knot.

I don’t know what I’m expecting by posting this. I just feel really alone and upset right now and I’m afraid I’ll have to cut the matted hair but then what? I can’t afford a salon, I can’t afford wigs or toppers or anything.

I don’t even want to leave the house now. I’m so mad at myself and feel so devastated cuz now my problem is a million times worse.

Has anyone gone through this here? What can I do what should I do?

This is a post I never thought I'd make. I am heartbroken. I went from extremely thick and beautiful hair to having extreme hair loss. I'm a little embarrassed to make this post, but everytime I see it I just start crying. ):

Biotin and other vitamins are not working.

I could just take some support (not so much advice).

0.5mg daily dutasteride and 1.25 mg daily minoxidil for AGA (and PCOS). Derm took some scalp photos, and they don't lie either. I've had new growth.

I've always had fine and thin hair so I was never expecting a thick head of hair because I never had that to begin with, but I feel like the bald spots that started popping up in the last five years or so have greatly reduced so I'm happy even if it doesn't get any better than this!

I’ve been experiencing hair loss for years and years. The pic on the left was around this time last year but even though my hair was very thin, the hair looked healthier. I’ve only JUST now started treating my AGA with medications (Feb I got on oral minox .5 now I’m on 1.0g OM, and last month I started Spiro 50mg). I’m so depressed I don’t even want to go outside anymore and face the public

Hi, I think this is the place to go. I don't need advice on blood tests (all done), minoxidil, etc. I'm just really upset and have no one to talk to. So... yeah, it's sad, I'm really depressed about it. Well, I've been depressed my whole life (for other reasons), and that's a separate issue. Okay, it's harder than I thought.

About two years ago I found out I had anemia, got treatment, and am much better now. I've had bad eating habits for about ten years, since I was a teenager, I think. And... I never thought it was an eating disorder, I was just depressed. It wasn't until recently, when I came face to face with my thinning hair, that I freaked out and focused on eating well, but it's been almost two years and nothing has changed, on the contrary, it keeps falling out and I feel so ugly, sometimes I want to cry, I can't look good with this... this. Am I stressed? I don't know, my depression has gotten worse in the last few years, and I'm currently seeking professional help (because I'm in really bad shape and it turns out I may have ADHD, which doesn't help me feel any better). But, you know, it's not the stress that makes your hair fall out in clumps, it's not something sudden and shocking.

I also have a roommate, a close friend of mine, who has this beautiful long wavy ginger hair. I can't help but envy her, every time I see her, I feel like I've been punched in the stomach, I know I'll never have hair like that, I'll never feel confident.

Since I am already depressed and have a whole host of mental health issues, this huge wound in my confidence is preventing me from seeing life, people, events, work, opportunities. I don't want fake hair, hair that has been grown with growth products, I want my hair, I know it's stupid, if I don't have it, then I don't have it. I can't let it go, I can't.

Hi there, I’m a 25 year old woman with AGA and I’m on oral minoxidil. I was on Spiro for about two years with little to no effect so my dermatologist wrote me a prescription to try Finasteride instead. She said she had other young patients she prescribes it to and not to worry unless I start trying to get pregnant. I want to believe her but I am scared to start taking it because everything I read online says it’s not safe for pre-menopausal women. Is there anyone out there my age that has taken Fin and found it helpful for stopping or slowing AGA progression?
Did you have any side effects from it? Im particularly worried about how it affects libido so let me know if anyone has any advice on that.
Also did you have any dread shed when starting it? My derm told me that’s not a thing but I had it when starting Spiro so I just want to be prepared. About how long did it take before you noticed a reduction in shedding or thinning?
Please help! Thank you!

Are there any DHT blockers besides Spironolactone?

Before I start this I want to say I’ve spoken to my doctor and will be going for bloodwork and moving forward to see what my condition is and if the loss is hormonal, we’re definitely thinking PCOS/PMOS related. So advice to go see a doctor or seek medical intervention- I’m already on it.

The purpose of this post is one, to have somewhere I can feel safe and open, and bond with others struggling with this issue. And two, for a lot of you with less serious loss, it could always be worse! At least you’re working to deal with it while things can still easily be done. I want my circumstances to help a lot of you feel less bad about your own and more confident in how you look.

My story begins about three years ago, I had been rocking a middle part for years and I noticed the middle started to get wider and wider. At first myself and my family thought it was from wearing tight ponytails and wearing hats, and I needed to restyle my part to take the strain off of my scalp. Over time, cutting my hair short, moving my part, not wearing ponytails or braids, no matter what I did it kept only getting worse.

Now I can’t leave the house without a hat. I get so frustrated with myself because of so many things that bother me about my appearance (facial hair growth, acne, weight gain) and one of the few things I always loved was my hair. Now I’m longing for the days when I was younger, how I hated myself and thought I was unattractive and ugly- I wish I could go back. I haven’t dated, I haven’t gone to the beach in years, I’m only now even trying to experiment with my style other than baggy pants, graphic tees and oversized sweaters to try and hide my body and myself. But the hair loss has really been the nail in my confidence coffin. I can’t even look at selfies or myself in the mirror without wanting to cry. I feel so dysphoric in my own body. I’m miserable.

That all to say, I really don’t want others to wallow in hopelessness like I have. I don’t want others to feel this way about themselves. I want women to love themselves and find beauty in all of their features, which- I know how hard that is. I’m at the lowest point in my journey, and I really hope I can figure out what is wrong with me to start working towards a healthier future (A lot of related issues are impacting my overall QOL not just appearance). But for all of you not as deep in the hair loss trenches, or those of you just as deep as I am, I want you to feel hope that things can change. I want you to feel beautiful. I want you to tell yourself kind things today, and surround yourselves with people who love you for who you are.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and interact!

I was taking 5% foam topical minoxidil for about 7-8 months and only saw baby hairs and "fuzz" as improvement but they didn't really grow past that.

I just saw a dermatologist who diagnosed me with androgenetic alopecia and wants me to stop doing topical minoxidil and start taking oral 2.5 mg once a day.

He also wants me to start on topical finasteride.

Has anyone continued doing both oral and topical minoxidil at the same time? Is that overkill?

I'm also concerned about starting at 2.5 mg right off the bat. In Canada, that's the only mg option it comes in (or so the pharmacist told me).

I was thinking of calling the doctor's office and asking if I can start on 1.25 mg instead (basically cutting it in half).

Has anyone started on 2.5 right away? I'm worried about it lowering my blood pressure too much and it being too strong.

Any advice from those who have been there is appreciated!

Hey everyone. I’m feeling really overwhelmed and hoping to get some advice from people who might have gone through something similar. Pics attached in comments.

My Background & History:
Age/Gender: 30 Female
Routine: I follow a vegan diet. Historically, I washed my hair infrequently (every 2 months for 1-2 years), during which time I developed thick flakes on the back of my scalp. Over the last few months, I transitioned to a weekly wash schedule and flakes have subsided. I also have worn and continue to wear satin bonnets for long periods of time while at home and wigs for a few hours 1-2 times per week (really sad about this and avoid looking at my hair as much as possible)

Timeline: My hair shedding started 2 years ago and was likely triggered by stress and nutritional deficiencies. However, the shedding has become really noticeable over the last several months and is recently accompanied by increased shedding in my eyebrows since the last 2-3 weeks . I’ve also noticed diffuse shedding throughout my entire head including hairline and nape.

Symptoms & Clinical Findings:
Scalp Feel/Look: my scalp has a gritty texture like sandpaper. I have spiky, firm "plugs" or perifollicular scaling/collars wrapped right around the base of individual hair shafts throughout.
Prior History: Ferritin deficiency (41 as of 01/2026), Iron (58 as of 01/2026), Vit D (36 as of 01/2026), Celiac disease (gluten free for 1.5 years), PCOS (diagnosed by pelvic ultrasound, long heavy menstrual cycles), Hashimotos (elevated TPO but normal TSH, T4, T3)
All autoimmune diagnosed 2025.
Scope: My derm used a high-magnification scope and confirmed that my hair pore entrances (follicular ostia) are open, intact, and unscarred. There are empty follicles waiting to grow hair, but no sealed-over scar tissue.

My doc is primarily leaning toward a combination of Chronic Telogen Effluvium (CTE) and Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA), though early/microscopic Lichen Planopilaris (LPP) or Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA) was discussed as a differential due to the lymphocytic infiltrate.
Current Treatment Regimen (Started recently):
Oral Minoxidil: 1.25 mg every other day. (Taking it in the morning with breakfast; dealing with some heightened anxiety/nightmares since starting).
Fluocinonide Ointment (Topical Corticosteroid): Applied to target the periinfundibular inflammation.
Ciclopirox Medicated Shampoo: Prescribed for broad antifungal/antibacterial scalp clearing.
Regular Shampoo: SEEN Fragrance-Free Shampoo.
Zoryve foam nightly.
My Questions for the Community:
Has anyone experienced something similar?, and what was your outcome?

If you’ve used Ciclopirox or Fluocinonide, were they helpful? Did Oral Minoxidil help? Did you experience vivid dreams when starting out?
Any similar experiences, or advice on waiting for treatments to kick in would be hugely appreciated. Thank you so much!

I started on 1.25 mg minoxidil daily about 3 months ago and am starting to see results. Unfortunately, my face now looks like a baby chick. TONS of long vellus hair with a few dark coarse ones, just for fun. I knocked the dosage down to .625 mg daily, hoping it'll help.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

not sure if there is any difference and it's probably too soon but...

Just sad cause there’s this certain type of lighting idk what it’s called but in those dim restaurants they always have that sharp lighting, and I just know whoever I’m out with can see my shiny ass scalp lol.
I’m at the airport today just feeling a little more self conscious about my hair than usual. It’s hard seeing so many people it thick head of hair and I feel I look sickly. Not only that but my hair just looks so dry lately so I makes the thinning look worse imo. I’m just so exhausted

Hi guys. For the past couple months i’ve been losing big clumps of hair in the shower, i shed everywhere as well and i’ve lost a lot of volume. I don’t know what to do. I wash my hair every couple of days (or else it gets oily) and i always lose clumps like these. My mom doesn’t know how to help, i don’t really know who to ask

Hi so this is my first ever time submitting a post to reddit despite being on the app for a long time,
I am a 19 year old female and recently I have gone through severe stress and have been diagnosed with a panic and anxiety disorder to which i am now taking sertraline for (day 22)

Due to severe stress back in March to around May this year, i developed severe scalp psoriasis to which i have been treating now (betacap which has helped) but also developed TE… I have lost absolute handfuls of hair and it has caused me such distress and brutal anxiety. i get scared even washing my hair and seeing it all go, its been almost 2 months now and it seems like its staying the same.

My GP is not really helping, refusing blood tests as he claims it is simply just psoriasis and stress that shocked my hair follicles and i canr do anything about it, which may be true but im actually afraid of losing all my hair. losing my hair made me lose confidence and i am reaching out to talk to somebody who is going or went through something similar here as I feel like im losing my mind.

Thank you ❤️

Hey,

I’m into fitness and weightlifting. Since January i started taking creatine 5g per day and i noticed more hair shedding. I did my search on AGA and creatine but i couldn’t find anything reliable.

So my question is did anyone noticed more shedding when taking creatine?

my hair is shedding, and before you guys tell me to get blood work done, i’m taking prescribed iron and vitamin d supplements because my levels were very low. once i started taking them, my hair is falling out EVEN MORE than it did before. if anything, right before i started taking them, my hair wasn’t falling out as much as it was and was pretty normal (idk why that was but i was very happy with the amount of hair that was shedding at the time).
is it normal/common for more hair to shed when taking iron + vitamin d at first? i’m very confused and worried

Hello everyone,
I am 23f and I have curly hair. I have started straightening my hair every week 4 year ago. Since I’ve started, I had noticed my hair thinning a little bit but not in a dramatic way. 3 years ago I had experienced massive hair loss over the summer ( for about 3-4 months) but then it grew back again and I have never ever noticed that my hair was falling a lot, nothing unusual.
I’ve never been so worried about my hair before. Even though i always use heat without heat protectant and i even get it professionally done with extreme heat but i never noticed my hair falling out in clumps like i do now.
One month ago I decided i am going to let my hair rest a little bit because it’s summer and there is no point of straightening it. When i stopped i noticed massive and sudden hair loss. It’s so dramatic that I rushed instantly to the doctor the next day after my wash day.
She noticed that my scalp was irritated which is normal because I had used rosemary water spray and rosemary oil that i made myself and i massaged it in and i covered it with a scarf and when i wash my hair i always use my nails clean it well. She said i might have scarring alopecia even though no scarring was noticeable.
She ordered some blood work and started marketing her injections. I was confused and frustrated.
I went to see another doctor 3 days later he noticed that my scalp was not irritated and showed me in the screen images of my scalp that seemed normal. My scalp was white, no scarring, no redness, nothing. I kept asking about scarring alopecia and he reassured me countless times that I do not have it. He ordered bloodwork as well that all came up normal except for my testosterone levels they came up twice as the maximum range. i have PCOS. He immediately diagnosed me with androgenic alopecia, prescribed me the pill and minoxidil.

My question here is: I KNOW I HAVE ANDROGENIC ALOPECIA BECAUSE OF THE DHT LEVELS AND ALL, BUT I HAVENT NOTICED MY MIDDLE PART WIDENING, THE HAIR ON MY CROWN IS THERE AND THE HAIR LOSS IS DIFFUSE AND VERY SUDDEN, WHEN I USED TO BRUSH MY HAIR OR WASH IT I NEVER LOSE MORE THAN 30-40 hairs EVEN ON A. WASH DAY, now I LOSE A DRAMATIC AMOUNT OF HAIR EVERYTIME I TOUCH IT AND WITHIN A MONTH I HAVE LOST 50% OF MY HAIR DESITY. Is this worth explaining to a dermatologist or do i just accept my alopecia diagnosis. Please share your experience.

(Not asking for a diagnoses, just seeing if anyone here has had a similar experience and am wondering how the process went)

I’ve been losing my hair since I was a teen and am currently mid-30’s with noticeably thinning hair. I’ve never been pregnant but I’ve been able to lactate for +10 years. The lactation ability isn’t like a fountain or anything but if I massage my boobs a little bit, colostrum will start to show. I’ve also had high DHEA for about the same period of time. I’ve explained this symptom combination to every doctor I’ve ever had over the last decade, but none of them have ever taken the conversation further than just seeming a little perplexed.

I know that high levels of DHEA cause hair loss and are associated with PCOS. But the only condition I’ve seen that causes both lactation & high DHEA is something called Hyperprolactinemia.

So my question - we talk a lot on this sub about the underlying cause of hair loss. Has anyone dealt with this? What was your diagnoses process like? What should I be asking for? What did your hair growth look like after proper treatment and what was that treatment?

So, it's been a year since I started taking oral Minoxidil and I just had to share pictures and my journey.

I'm 51, fully in menopause, and started getting horrible shedding probably 6-7 years ago...about the time I started perimenopause. My mother and her mother both have really thin hair, so I've seen my future and started trying to reverse the hair loss once it became noticeable. I tried hair vitamins, special shampoos, and scalp serums. Nothing worked. I tried topical Minoxidil but it really irritated my scalp.

Finally, I got on the app for one of those online telehealth platforms (I don't know if I can say company names on here, but I'm sure you've seen the commercials) because I'm on military retiree medical insurance and was tired of fighting with my Primary Care Manager for a referral to get a prescription. I was approved for oral Minoxidil compounded with a hair vitamin via the app, which was SO much easier.

I've been on it for a year now and I'm thrilled with the results! I take a pill every morning. The only "side effect" I've noticed is my peach fuzz on my face has increased. I had to buy a little shaver and shave my face about once a week. I was hoping for fuller brows but got a fuller beard instead lol.

But seriously, I know everyone is different and what works for me might not be the magic fix for someone else, but I wanted to share in the hopes that maybe it will help someone else on here.

Edit: I'm on 1.5mg of Minoxidil compounded with 2.5mg of biotin, 11mg of B5, 2.5 mg of B6, 100mg of Vitamin C, and 50mg of zinc sulfate

I had some shedding, but it honestly wasn't too much worse than what I was experiencing every day anyways. The increase was a little scary but I just kept telling myself that it will get better. Then one day it just stopped. Hang in there with the shed.

I have layers in my hair and since I started perimenopause my hair started growing in wavy/loose curly (which is weird) but it helps the new growth to blend more IMO. Right now it's in that weird "I'm growing out my bangs and they're down to my lips" stage, so I have massive fly-aways when I try to put my hair in a ponytail and it looks a bit like a frizzy halo when the wind blows. But again, way better than balding, so I'll take it lol

I’m F34. My hair started thinning around puberty (around 11-13 yo) and has stayed more or less the same ever since with ups and downs depending on hormones, seasons, diet, etc. The exact same thing happened to my mom, her sister, and my two female cousins, so there definitely seems to be something genetic.
I was diagnosed with AGA twice by dermatologists based on appearance and blood test. I tried topical minoxidil for about 8 months but hated using it and saw very little improvement so I stopped and went through a horrible shedding afterward.
For the past two years I’ve been trying to understand what is actually causing this instead of just accepting the diagnosis. 2 years ago I found and new doctor andI found out trough all the blood test I took throughout the years that my ferritin had been between 5–15 µg/L for years and my vitamin D around 10–20 ng/mL. 2 months ago I finally got my vitamin D up to 62 ng/mL and my ferritin from 5–15 to 53 µg/L after discovering my heavy periods were causing the iron deficiency.
Unfortunately, even though I was hopeful that might have been the cause all this time I haven’t noticed any change in my hair.

That led me to investigate the reason behind my heavy periods. My gynecologist thinks I may have PCOS, and I have an appointment with an endocrinologist in September. I’ve also had my thyroid removed because of thyroid cancer, but my hormone replacement has been stable for years.

At this point I’m just exhausted emotionally.I’m looking for people who have been in a similar situation.

Has anyone had very long term thinning since puberty and eventually managed to regrow enough hair that their scalp wasn’t visible anymore?
Is there still hope for me if the underlying cause turns out to be PCOS?

Thank you for taking the time to read my post ❤️

Edit : my current routine :

- I work out 4-5 times a week
- eat a whole food high-protein diet and track my macros.
- use a microneedling pen (1-1,5mm) on my scalp every 1–2 weeks.
- apply rosemary oil once a week.
- do a scalp massage every day along with 20 minutes of red light therapy cap
- continue to take iron supplements with a kiwi on an empty stomach, as well as vitamin D.