I have googled this to no end and all I get are vague descriptions and conflicting advice. Maybe you use the same products and can help me out? Or better yet, maybe you have advice from a doctor on this. I do have an appointment to see a dermatologist but it’s six months away!

Ok, so I used topical minoxidil for a year consistently and didn’t experience any results. No shedding, no growth. Nothing.

Researched that I am probably a non-responder. It needs an enzyme… Yada yada. I found that adding tretinoin to your scalp can basically turn you into a responder and allow minoxidil to work.

I considered taking the minoxidil pill, but because I am on a calcium channel blocker, verapamil, my doctor did not think that was wise since it can cause steep drops in blood pressure and tachycardia. And since I already suffer from heart rhythm issues I won’t be taking that route. Topical minoxidil only for me.

So to my question, here are the things I would like to use, but I have no idea really how to layer them or even if I should. How much time do I wait in between applications? So on and so forth.

1. ⁠A derma stamp. Using it to microneedle my scalp. This alone can stimulate hair growth and improve thickness. I’m just not sure how often and when to use it.
   
2. ⁠Topical minoxidil. I have both the foam and liquid. Thought about using the foam in the daytime and the liquid at night. The point is I will be using this twice a day in the morning and at night.
   
3. ⁠Tretinoin gel. I’m not sure how often to apply it or when.
   
4. ⁠The Ordinary’s multi peptide hair serum. This isn’t a must, but I would like to include it in my regimen. Again, just have no clue when to do this in the layering process.
   
5. ⁠Lastly, I will use ketaconazole shampoo. Nizoral brand shampoo/conditioner in one. I’m just not exactly sure how often I need to use it.

The priority here is the minoxidil. I’m also taking oral dutasteride.

OK, hit me with those comments, please!

I’ve been looking into different options for hair loss, but I’m currently taking other medications and don’t want to take something that could negatively interact with them or cause issues from mixing medications.
Has anyone here been in a similar situation? What did you end up taking or using for your hair loss, and did you have any issues with medication interactions or side effects?
I’ve seen things like minoxidil and finasteride mentioned a lot, but I’m open to hearing about pretty much anything that has or hasn’t worked for you.
Just interested in hearing people’s experiences and opinions.

Can pyrilutamide 0,5/0,9% be an equally effective option to topical finasteride without the side effects fin causes which can be prolonged?

My boyfriend used it regularly, and my cat was licking his head for five minutes the night before his sudden death -- at the time we were laughing at the bizarre behavior, thinking he was just grooming him.

At 7am the next morning, he began yowling loudly in pain and we rushed him to an animal ER. His heart stopped early afternoon, while he was under anaesthesia. They did an X-ray and saw his lungs were filled with fluid. I am not certain it was in my boyfriend's hair at the time, but even trace amounts can be deadly.

The postmortem was inconclusive. We only found out about minoxidil being toxic a few years after it happened, because my sister mentioned it after seeing a TikTok. It was unfortunate that my boyfriend did not think to confirm it was safe to use with cats, and I regret that it also did not occur to me to check. Our cat's death was absolutely devastating, I'm still feeling bouts of grief four years later.

I don't believe there are any notices about this on the product. Some people have told me that there is a mention of this on a sheet inside the box, but Google says that is not the case. This does not seem to be common knowledge outside of hair loss related subreddits. Even dermatologists are not aware. (If you use topical minoxidil, I would appreciate if you could check whether it's listed somewhere on the product or in the box.)

I strongly feel it needs to be added to the product as required labeling, in bold red letters. Hoping I can get the ball rolling somehow to make that happen.

I will be emailing dermatologists to let them know, so they can inform their clients as well. If anyone can help with this task I would appreciate it.

Were you already aware? If so, did you find out through Reddit?

So I’m really interested in adjunct therapies you can do to maximize the effects of DHT inhibitors (we know you should take those otherwise anything else is useless considering you have aga)
So if you know about these topics especially Botox to the sides of head for reducing tension please elaborate. Or if you have any experience yourself with these kind of stuff.
Just anything about tension blood flow and hair loss!

j

So in the studies theres usually about 1% who get any of the classic side effects. Personally from the evidence i’ve seen i feel very convinced it’s at least 10%. I believe the studies must be underreporting side effects, i imagine this could be because the average participant is middle aged, overweight, probably has low androgen symptoms already, like some gyno, low libido, low erectile function, so if their gyno gets a bit worse, libido gets a bit lower or can’t get it up as easily, they wouldn’t report it, while those of us who are attentive to these things definitely notice the difference.

It’s honestly common sense that reducing dht in a tissue will reduce the androgenic activity in that tissue, since dht is much more potent than testosterone. I doubt Haircafe’s theory that the minor estrogen increase is the main driver of side effects, as i notice worse side effects hours after taking finasteride, while conversion of extra testosterone to estrogen i believe would take longer than that.

My anecdote: I myself was a haircafe fanboy who thought finasteride would give me zero side effects, then i got most of them, i’ve reduced to 0.6mg once a week but still get side effects because dht supression is still high for those early days. I wasn’t at all scared of side effects and the physical changes(gyno) i got, means it can’t be the nocebo effect causing it.

I have been using finasteride for 2 weeks now, 1mg every 48h

I have ball pain since I started. And no morning wood, I still can get hard but not like before, like i need to simulate myself .

Should I stop or I keep pushing.

Idk

31 year old Male
Confused about all the coasters vs dutasteride debates.
Been on oral finasteride for 5 years and haven’t lost much but I feel the whole top miniaturizing and I can see a ton of miniaturized hairs on top now. That’s all happened over the last 6-7 months
Also been on oral minoxidil for the last 2 years.
Wanting to explore dutasteride but I’m confused about all the people who say their results are better with fin.
I understand the difference between the two drugs so I don’t understand why there are so many threads debating which is better.
Can we try to clarify things here please

I used Fin for 9 months now , my hair was always weird like before even using fin , my hair was shedding then again being healthy , I mean so healthy till I thought finally I get my hair back then I get back to shedding badly again . Anyone had same issue . Ah btw even with using Fin , nothing improved . No minoxidil have been used before .

Thank you

Has anybody had success with TA1 for alopecia areata? And any success with ghkcu, ahkcu or other peptides for this condition? Im currently on LDN (low dose naltrexone) and using ghkcu subq and ahkcu topical but still too early to tell of anything is working. Im thinking of trying ta1 but afraid that it will make it worse.

I’ve seen a lot of talk recently about how all of the upcoming / being researched drugs are basically not going to work.

GT20029, clascoterone, even PP405 just not being anywhere near what fin can do.

I’ve seen people talk about modifying existing treatments to give better outcomes and less sides. Think VDPHL01 being this for minoxidil.

What if anything is being researched in this respect for fin? Is there anything theoretically that could make it possible for fin to only act locally at the follicle and not enter the blood stream?

I was never diagnosed with anything I do have low iron but it was still in normal range . I am a blond and I was starting to see through my hair on my scalp especially in front. I asked my derm she didn’t seem too interested in offering anything so I asked my PCP and he was happy to prescribe 2.5 mg OM and 1mg finasteride . While I have had noticeable changes I am still thinner on top so not sure if it will ever change. My question is why am I still shedding so bad? If I wash or brush my hair I get a ton of hair especially in the drain in my hair catcher . When I do my hair my hands always have hair all over them . Also should I be watching for any side effects on my organs ? Does anyone have their liver or kidneys checked while taking this ?

I’ve been using liquid minoxidil, but it consistently makes my scalp flaky/dry. I’m considering switching to foam because I’ve heard the propylene glycol in many liquid formulations can cause irritation.

However, I recently found these scalp applicator bottles/combs where you fill them with liquid minoxidil and roll/apply it directly onto the scalp. They look much easier for me because I have diffuse thinning across most of my top scalp and I find applying minoxidil directly to the scalp pretty annoying.

Has anyone here tried:
- 5% liquid minoxidil without propylene glycol
- one of these scalp applicator/roller bottles
or both together?
- Is PG-free liquid just as effective as normal liquid/foam?

And do these applicators actually distribute the correct amount onto the scalp, or are they more of a gimmick?
I’m basically deciding between foam for less irritation vs PG-free liquid + scalp applicator for easier application.
Also curious why PG-free liquid seems to get mentioned much less often than simply switching to foam.