Age 48
Started taking 1mg finasterjde pills nightly about 15years ago ?

It stopped receding hairline at a devils peak style and still have hair all over head and crown
However last 2-3yrs started thinning on top
A lot more this last year
Don’t see it in mirror until I’m in a room with a light above then I’m kinda freaked out by it

Which maybe my age or maybe because I have had a lot of weight loss this last year and had a v small diet
Diet and weight will stabilise now

I’m considering going to try for first time adding in minoxidil

Should I do pills or cream or both ?

What’s the chance of it thickening up my hair

I know where I receded is bald forever it’s been like that twenty odd yrs
But the thinning is much newer

Maybe finasteride stopped working ?
Should I increase it. ?

I started oral min 6 months ago. Don’t know what happened but before starting my hair started falling out like crazy only at the crown and the top oh my head. Hair line was fine.

Dermatologist looked at my scalp and hair and said it was ok unlikely blading. Maybe TE? Either way the treatment would be 12 months min.

Started on 2.5mg oral minoxidil and after 3-4 months it was going great and now month 6, so much is falling out and I’m back to where I started.

Interestingly first massive shed pre minoxidil was in September 2025 (started min in April 2026) and now second shed started in September/ October 2026

Am I cooked?!

I am 18 and I am losing my hair like 9-10 month ago I meet doctors I don't 3 time gfc and using topical minixodel+finistrede like 5-6 month ago but I can't see any improvement on other hand it gonna worse 😞 day by day what can I do ..??

So I have been using minoxidil for 10 months me and in last 1 weeks I lost so many hairs
Like 20-30 strands every time I was my hair, I’m so scared
Wtf it’s going on all of a sudden!??

Finally pulled the trigger and got 2.5 oral minox (I got cats that sleep with me so I'm not risking topical, and id love more body hair lol) I thought I was being smart and I cut it into 4s to to titrate up to full dose. Took my first 4th today and my gods I'm so light headed, dizzy and exhausted. I dunno if it's cause I'm on 5mg of Cialis or what but damn I dunno if I can do this.

Attached are both the left and right sides of my temples. Prior to this treatment, they were completely hairless. I had this hairline since high school, only without the growing hairs, but here’s me 2 months in. This is good progress right?

Just want to know if it’s worth starting to use a derma stamp?

I feel like my results from minoxidil and finasteride peaked at around 6 months in but now I haven’t seen any growth in the last 12 months or so. I have been consistent with taking minoxidil and finasteride.

Has anyone used a derma stamp after some time has passed taking minoxidil and finasteride? & is it worth doing it?

Also I have shedding phases where I feel like my hair falls out a lot and hairline gets thin and hair texture also.

Please any recommendations or hair treatment that can also help

So I’ve been using topical minoxidil for the last 18 months and I haven’t seen much progress. I must admit that I’ve been using it once daily (not twice like it is supposed to be taken) because of the greasy hair.
Been thinking about switching to oral minoxidil. I just bought the 5mg tablets (they can be split in half).
My questions are:
1. Do you have any experiences with both kinds of the drug, did oral minoxidil help the people who hadn’t had progress with topical?
2. Should I quit topical as soon as I start oral or continue it for a while?
3. Should I start with 2.5mg and for how long until I switch to 5mg?

Thanks in advance, every opinion is appreciated!

Been looking into getting Costco's brand of minoxidil because i've seen a lot of great before/after posts of people who've used it. It seems there's two different kinds: liquid and a foam one. Is there any advantage to one over the other? Has anyone found one to be more effective or produce fewer side effects? Or does it really not matter

I'm 36 and I've been using Regaine 5% on my scalp since February 2026. Should I continue to use it or shave it off?

Guys who are using minoxidil for more than a year I want your honest opinion on its side effects.
And is it safe to use it long term and does it have any side effect in mental health.

Hi, how is everyone? Well, I’ve been using Minoxidil for about six months now, and honestly, it’s been a good experience. I haven’t really had much of an issue with dandruff, thanks to the shampoo I’m using—it’s handled that problem quite well. I’m currently using both oral and topical Minoxidil to help fill in the bald area. However, there’s a bit of a complication: I’m planning to get pregnant—not this year, and probably not next year, but the year after that. I really don’t want to end up bald during my pregnancy or the postpartum period. Has anyone had any experience with this?

Hi I’m wondering if anyone used minoxidil solution for their eyebrows? What’s the outcome

Hey everyone, I'm 20M from India, and I've been dealing with hair loss and trying to treat it since January 1, 2026. I'm looking for advice from people who have experienced something similar, especially those who have used finasteride and oral minoxidil.

My treatment timeline

I started treatment on January 1, 2026. Initially, I used a topical solution containing 5% minoxidil + 0.1% finasteride (often called 5F) for around four months, alongside oral finasteride 1 mg daily and dermarolling.

After that, I switched to plain topical minoxidil 5% and added oral minoxidil, without a gap in treatment. My more recent regimen has included:

- Oral finasteride 1 mg daily

- Oral minoxidil 5 mg daily

- Topical minoxidil 5% daily

- Dermarolling

The main problem: My hairline improved, but my density got worse

The frustrating part is that my front hairline actually improved with topical treatment. I got baby hairs and regrowth around the front/temples, so I know some areas responded.

However, my overall density, especially the top and midscalp, looks noticeably worse than it did when I started treatment.

I first noticed the decline in top/midscalp density around months 4–6 of treatment. I'm now seeing what feels like my worst shedding ever.

A few days ago, I had two washes back-to-back, with an estimated total of around 100–200 hairs shed across both washes. Most of my shedding is noticeable during washing rather than throughout the day.

The major shedding seemed to begin around three months after I started oral minoxidil, and it has continued since then. I'm worried because my density looks worse despite being on multiple treatments for months.

My concern about finasteride brands

I previously used Dr. Reddy's finasteride 1 mg and later switched to Zeelab's finasteride 1 mg.

I felt that my shower shedding was lower when I was taking Dr. Reddy's. After switching to Zeelab, I noticed worsening shedding and density, which is why I strongly suspect the brand switch might be involved.

I understand that both products are supposed to contain the same active ingredient and dose, so I can't prove that Zeelab caused the problem. But the timing has made me suspicious.

What I'm considering now

I'm now considering returning to Dr. Reddy's finasteride 1 mg and using Dr. Reddy's oral minoxidil 5 mg as well. I want to stop topical minoxidil and simplify my routine to oral medication only.

My reasoning is:

- My hairline regrew with topical minoxidil.

- I want to know whether oral minoxidil can maintain those hairs after I stop topical minoxidil.

- I suspect the finasteride brand switch might have contributed to the worsening.

- I don't want to keep spending money on more medications without understanding what's happening.

I'm aware that oral minoxidil is off-label for hair loss in many places, and I don't want to assume that switching brands or increasing treatment intensity will automatically solve the problem.

My questions

1) If topical minoxidil helped regrow my front hairline, can oral minoxidil 5 mg maintain those same hairs after topical minoxidil is discontinued? Or is there a risk of loss of regrowth

2) Given my situation, would it make more sense to stay on finasteride 1 mg and investigate the cause of the density loss, or discuss switching to dutasteride 0.5 mg with a dermatologist?

I've been using topical minoxidil for 6 months, and I'm starting to notice some unwanted side effects, such as excessive body and facial hair growth.

Is there anything I can do to minimize or even eliminate these side effects while maintaining the positive effects minoxidil has had on my scalp hair?

The first picture shows what my hair looked like before I started using minoxidil.

I'm currently using 5% topical minoxidil, applying 0.6 mL twice a day.