Has any of you ladies (or men) tried Minoxidil for thinning hair? I used to have very thick hair but when my thyroid started acting up, it started to thin some. I've never tried Minoxidil. I heard it's good for regrowing hair but if you quit taking it, your hair will fall out again. For that reason, I've never tried it. It's bad enough to be thinning out, why would one want to go through the trauma of losing hair again? Also. I heard it has a bad smell. Can anyone confirm that?
Thinning hair and Minoxidil
- Thread starter TeePee
- Start date
I'm not taking Minoxidil. I was just curious if anyone had used it and if it lived up to the side effects I've read about. I took biotin for years and saw no results. I went to the dermatologist two years ago and she suggested Minoxidil, but I wasn't interested because of the side effects. She put me on Spironolactone. It doesn't grow your hair back, but it's supposed to help keep it from falling out. It seems to work pretty good. I've been taking it for two years. The diuretic effect of it helped with my blood pressure so it's killed two birds with one stone. I went off of my blood pressure pill since being on the Spironolactone.
Jules
SF VIP
Teepee, check out this article by a blogger who often discusses her woes of thinning hair.
Thinning Hair After 50: Here's What Really Helps
Thinning Hair After 50: Here's What Really Helps
Thanks for the article. I could check some of the boxes.
George1959
Senior Member
I knew a gay couple. One of the young men used minoxidil to stop his hair loss, to stay attractive for his partner.
It worked quite well, but the most common side effect in men is ED (erectile dysfunction).
I don't know if he stopped taking it, since we haven't met for a long time.
I never took minoxidil myself, but it would be useless for me anyway now, since I don't have much hair.
I have hypertension too. Since most other hypertension drugs have side effects, I don't want, I also take spironolactone for 20 years now. It has two side effects in my case, one is a mild ED, the other is quite severe gynecomastia. Both don't bother me, since I have found ways of dealing with them.
It worked quite well, but the most common side effect in men is ED (erectile dysfunction).
I don't know if he stopped taking it, since we haven't met for a long time.
I never took minoxidil myself, but it would be useless for me anyway now, since I don't have much hair.
I have hypertension too. Since most other hypertension drugs have side effects, I don't want, I also take spironolactone for 20 years now. It has two side effects in my case, one is a mild ED, the other is quite severe gynecomastia. Both don't bother me, since I have found ways of dealing with them.
How did you deal with the gynemastia? I didn't realise until I read up on it that is a side effect. Thst would have been wonderful if I hadn't been well endowed before taking it. Had I known that was a side effect two years ago, I'd never taken it but it was never explained to me and I didn't read up on it. I guess at my age, it doesn't matter. It has helped with my hair loss. What strength are you on? I'm on 150mg/day.
MACKTEXAS
Well-known Member
No, I've never used Minoxidil. I take prescription Finasteride, 5 mg. In my case, it was prescibed for a different reason than hair loss, but stopping hair loss and actually thickening the hair is a notable side effect. It is not FDA approved for female hair loss, but from literature I've looked at, doctors may prescribe it off-label for postmenopausal women. It's an inexpensive, tier 1 or tier 2 drug, depending on your drug plan.
George1959
Senior Member
Well, do you really want to know? What would you do with breasts of a bra size 40C or 40D, depending on the bra? I think the answer is already in my question.
I am on 50mg per day but it is enough to lower my blood pressure to normal. I take it since 20 years. Breast growth came step after step. Meanwhile I am this size and still growing.
George1959
Senior Member
I have tried Finasteride 5 mg daily two years ago because of BPH. After some weeks I got terrible attacks of dizziness. I had to stop taking it, although it seemed to work, since my urine flow improved.
Especially Finasteride is associated with an increased risk for suicide in young men because of it's side effects.
Suicidality Risks Associated with Finasteride, a 5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitor: An Evaluation of Real-World Data from the FDA Adverse Event Reports - PMC
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I would prefer to be smaller but as long as my mammograms keep coming back normal, I will be happy.
MACKTEXAS
Well-known Member
Thanks for this information. I take it for BPH, and I take Doxazosin too. I haven't had any known side effects from Finasteride but I get extreme sleepiness with Doxazosin, so I take it at bedtime.
George, I think that article is pointing to an increased suicide risk in younger men (under 40). That age group must have been taking it for hair loss, since I can't imagine many under 40 with BPH.
I guess we take the lesser of the 2 evils and weigh the benefits of a medication against the dangers as we go along.
I was put on Spironolactone for B P , by a cardiologist…... and my GP advised me of its side effects
Id advise anyone who’s taking or thinking about taking it to read the possible side effects , men can and do grow breasts …… amongst other side effects ….for both male and female
Id advise anyone who’s taking or thinking about taking it to read the possible side effects , men can and do grow breasts …… amongst other side effects ….for both male and female
jujube
SF VIP
I tried Minoxidil several years ago and it made my scalp itch.
I've been taking Biotin for about six months but haven't seen any changes.
My hair is so thin, especially in the front and on the crown.
I've been taking Biotin for about six months but haven't seen any changes.
My hair is so thin, especially in the front and on the crown.
George1959
Senior Member
Thank you Macktexas, as a German sometimes my English isn't as good as it was at school. Yes, you're right, I meant increased risk of suicide. I did edit my comment.
George1959
Senior Member
That's right. I presume nearly all drugs have side effects, some less, some more and different for everyone. My female family doctor mentioned the risks and I decided with her to take it nevertheless. I was 45 years old as I started taking it and now I'll be 66 years in less than half a week.
I can live without problems with the side effects. They are much better than hypertension. And moreover spironolactone has a protective effect on the heart, which I value a lot, since in my mother's family heart diseases were quite common.
When you think of it @George1959 i don’t think there would be a drug in the market that didn’t have side effects
It’s sorta odd how someone can take prescribed pills and they have no effect on the person …them someone elec can get seriously ill taking the same pills…..
Im using a drug called Efudix at the moment for a skin cancer on my arm , I’ve used it before it’s described as chemo in a tube …it’s never made me ill before …but this time I'm a big queasy in the gut
and I’m only treating a fairly small area
Efudix | Product Information and Treatment - The Skin Doctor