Minoxidil experiences please

[HierarchyOfMugs]

I've just started minoxidil from Hair & Me. If you've been taking it for a while how have you found it? How traumatic was the initial shedding? 🙈

Hi, I've been taking it for about 5 years now along with Spironolactone which both helps hair loss as well as reducing the water retention from the minoxodil. I don't recall initial shedding to be honest however it's definitely reduced the loss and I'm now seeing regrowth. I don't think I'll ever regain all of the loss however I'm really pleased with the progress. I built up the dose slowly to reduce side effects and am hoping to increase my dose again in the new year. Good luck !!

Is it oral you are taking? Do you mind saying how much it cost? I had some initial success with the men’s 5% foam but it’s not progressed as I’d like really. I only had minimal shedding from that, nothing too scary. I’m thinking of trying the oral form as I saw a dermatologist who ok’d it if the foam didn’t work.

What are the side effects of the oral one ?

I've been taking Oral minoxidil since May initially 1.25mg daily x 4 months and now 2.5mg daily. Obviously the initial dose was so low I didn't notice much growth, but for the past 3 months I seem to have good growth. The dermatologist also advised perfectil supplement. I attend my dermatologist 4 monthly and its frustrating as she doesn't engage in much dialogue, I have many questions I'd like to ask etc but she cuts me short etc. Not such choice of consultants here in ireland and many are not taking new patients. Regarding side effects from the oral medication the main thing is to observe for cardiovascular signs such as palpitations, as it was originally an antihypertensive medication.

I’ve just tried to sign up to hair & me & it says it’s £14.99 a month for 3 months then £34.99 after, but it doesn’t tell me what I’m getting. I don’t want to sign up then get the foam. Especially when I can pose as a man to buy men’s tablets.

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If you ask for the tablets you will get them. The starting dose is low though. I went up to 1.25 after 6 months. No side effects or shedding and I am seeing some improvement.

I know nothing at all about this, other than by chance I read an article about it today randomly 😁 The article said its made for men and their causes of hair loss and very often doesn't work for women. HRT is more often successful for women. That's all I know from my one and only article read, but maybe a rabbit hole worth going down :)

I used it for 6 months. Oral form. Initially thought it was working and no noticeable side effects. But not convinced the hair actually grew past baby hair stage. So I stopped. They never offered me an increased dosage.

I'm using that offer @Goldylion - you can choose between oral or topical. The offer didn't automatically apply to my account though, so there was a bit of to-ing & fro-ing to get that sorted out.
I read somewhere you have to be very careful with the topical one if you have cats, so I've got oral capsules. I'm only on 0.5mg, which seems very low compared to @Mindfullisa .
Do online pharmacies deliver to Ireland @Mindfullisa ?

@HierarchyOfMugs I'm not sure if the online pharmacies do deliver to Ireland, I've never pursued it as I wanted the assessment of my bloods and scalp, and oversight from dermatologist.Another point to bear is it's to be taken long term (I'm sure in time my GP will renew my prescriptions rather than dermatology) & Once you stop using the oral medication the hair loss will kick in again.

I think I'm experiencing some shedding!
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Will be interested to see how much. I bit the bullet and ordered it & have been taking it for about 6 days. I didn’t get too much shedding with the topical. But only saw minimal improvement, so am wondering if it didn’t work well for me.

I use the oral minoxidil 2.5. Not noticed any side effects and no real shedding. Been on it around 18 months and only really seen a slight improvement but scared to stop it as that can reverse everything it’s done and go back to square one

How is your hair now?

Sorry, the image won't upload. It was more than I usually lose when I wash my hair. I'll try to upload it later.

I'm still taking the daily Hair & Me as I had a spare tube from before cancelling the subscription. DH actually told me I was nuts for cancelling it last week as he could see there was somebody hair growth in the "widows peak" bits. And even though it's still wispy baby hair, it's hair and it might grow if I continue vs falling out if I stop. So now I'm thinking of restarting (and they have been emailing me with offers).
I was on 1.25mg. Is that low? What doses have people had success with? Is it worth me asking them to add some spiro? I was on Dianette pill for donkeys years and think that may be ringing a bell for something?

I've noticed my fingernails are weaker than previously. They were really strong for a while, when I was taking ancient & brave collagen and biotin. I thought my nails got weaker when I changed my collagen brand, but perhaps it's an initial reaction to minoxidil. Hair and nails are basically made from the same thing, aren't they?

A previous post on here on this subject highlighted that we can buy minoxidil from any of the online pharmacies if we pretend to be a man. I think 60 2.5mg pills is £45. But you need to cut them down to your required dose (06.25mg initially). So they will last way longer. Obviously, health & other individual factors need to be considered. There’s lots of information on Dr Donovan’s Dermatology website. I’m considering this if hair & me becomes too £££.

I buy the minoxidil 5% spray as I started with alopecia in 2024. It's definitely helped with regrowth but you have to keep taking it or else you can experience hair loss again.

I've been on oral minoxidil for 3 years now and it's given me my hair back.

No side effects at all. I started on 1.25mg for three months then went up to 2.5mg which is what I am on now. I have AGA and will take it forever.

No, it's not true that it's made only for men. The way it works is exactly the same for both genders. It is a vasodilator, meaning it widens blood vessels. This improves blood flow to the hair follicles, delivering more oxygen and nutrients. This works for both men and women.

The reason it's not targeted more towards women is due to the potential side effects of increased body hair growth, that's the only reason. It has worked like a charm for me and I am female

It's not made for men - it was originally developed as a heart medication. Hair growth is a side effect.

morning, was wondering how you are getting on with the minoxidil @HierarchyOfMugs
Im thinking of giving hair & me a try.

Still shedding and I think my nails have stopped growing. But I'm only 2 months in so I'm hopeful things will change soon. Can I DM you a code?