The most effective compound for hair loss: Oral Minoxidil ( AKA Oral Rogaine )

[NEMSZ]

@btails

Generally, no, it won't affect how you look. Lots of ripped and jacked men using finasteride for years. You may even see improvement in skin quality; DHT can worsen skin texture and also decreases wound healing rate.

Finasteride only blocks about 70% DHT, so you still have some floating around too.


Winstrol and masteron are the worst AAS for men prone to hair loss. Finasteride will not protect you from hair loss when using these compounds but it may lessen the severity since DHT+WINSTROL/MASTERON is much worse than winstrol or masteron without the DHT.

Love this thread… My hair on top has been thinning a bit over the past year, couple months ago started topical Minoxidil/Finasteride from Happy Head, saw SOME regrowth on the corners but overall, if my hair gets long enough, you can tell the top is much thinner than the sides still.. But can’t tell at all if I do a zero all around buzzcut so that’s what I’m doing for now… Ideally would love to let some top hair grow out and have a nice, thick head of hair like I always had.. I think I caught it early enough, but honestly have heard that topical is much less effective than orals..

I have an appointment with a top hair transplant surgeon/dermatologist.. I thought I’d be doomed to just having to get an FUE procedure but this thread and more research on the oral route has given me hope.. So thank you for posting this…

I have 2 questions though maybe you have some knowledge on…

1: As I’ve been buzz cutting my hair, I’ve noticed on the top of my head, on the outer parts, I have these lines that are on my scalp, that I didn’t have when I was younger when I used to shave my head real short.. I’m 33 by the way… I see some people will have a perfectly smooth bald head, and others will have some indents and lines here and there, and some other people with full blown CVG lines and wrinkles… I got petrified and thought it was the beginning of CVG or something, it’s very minor and seem to be equal sized on the sides of the top of my head.. Any idea if that’s normal? Caused by topical use of these medications? I’ve seen/heard that people who abuse AAS will be prone to CVG like scalps and get lines and wrinkles on their head but I’ve been on TRT doses of Test for the better part of a decade… I know it’s hard to answer without pics.. Maybe I’ll shave my head again tomorrow and send you some..

2: Should be much easier to answer; you say Winstrol and Masteron are super hard on the hair and that Fin/Minox can’t really combat their effects, at least not at decent doses…

I’m only on 200mg Test and 3iu GH.. Was recently prescribed Deca but took it at 70mg for 2 weeks and stopped because it was fucking with me mentally, made me feel super down and off.. Didn’t like it at all..

I’m also prescribed Anavar, haven’t touched it because I’ve been worried about the hair.. Would you say that Fin/Minox would be able to combat any effects from Anavar on DHT and the hair?? Only looking to use around 25mg for a little boost, I don’t abuse AAS or run high doses of anything, only plan on maybe a 6-8 week run of Var..

Thanks for the info brother…

 

[Black Beard]

Love this thread… My hair on top has been thinning a bit over the past year, couple months ago started topical Minoxidil/Finasteride from Happy Head, saw SOME regrowth on the corners but overall, if my hair gets long enough, you can tell the top is much thinner than the sides still.. But can’t tell at all if I do a zero all around buzzcut so that’s what I’m doing for now… Ideally would love to let some top hair grow out and have a nice, thick head of hair like I always had.. I think I caught it early enough, but honestly have heard that topical is much less effective than orals..

I have an appointment with a top hair transplant surgeon/dermatologist.. I thought I’d be doomed to just having to get an FUE procedure but this thread and more research on the oral route has given me hope.. So thank you for posting this…

I have 2 questions though maybe you have some knowledge on…

1: As I’ve been buzz cutting my hair, I’ve noticed on the top of my head, on the outer parts, I have these lines that are on my scalp, that I didn’t have when I was younger when I used to shave my head real short.. I’m 33 by the way… I see some people will have a perfectly smooth bald head, and others will have some indents and lines here and there, and some other people with full blown CVG lines and wrinkles… I got petrified and thought it was the beginning of CVG or something, it’s very minor and seem to be equal sized on the sides of the top of my head.. Any idea if that’s normal? Caused by topical use of these medications? I’ve seen/heard that people who abuse AAS will be prone to CVG like scalps and get lines and wrinkles on their head but I’ve been on TRT doses of Test for the better part of a decade… I know it’s hard to answer without pics.. Maybe I’ll shave my head again tomorrow and send you some..

2: Should be much easier to answer; you say Winstrol and Masteron are super hard on the hair and that Fin/Minox can’t really combat their effects, at least not at decent doses…

I’m only on 200mg Test and 3iu GH.. Was recently prescribed Deca but took it at 70mg for 2 weeks and stopped because it was fucking with me mentally, made me feel super down and off.. Didn’t like it at all..

I’m also prescribed Anavar, haven’t touched it because I’ve been worried about the hair.. Would you say that Fin/Minox would be able to combat any effects from Anavar on DHT and the hair?? Only looking to use around 25mg for a little boost, I don’t abuse AAS or run high doses of anything, only plan on maybe a 6-8 week run of Var..

Thanks for the info brother…

1. CVG (Cutis verticis gyrata ) definitely more common with AAS/HGH users (associated to acromegaly too). It's caused by thickening the scalp skin and some AAS and HGH thickens the skin via collagen/glycomisans/etc. Extremely unlikely and probably impossible it's caused by your topical min/fin especially for only a year.


2. Not exactly what i said, but imagine you took anavar only (NO testosterone). The effect on hair would be neglible, but if you add testosterone to the anavar; now you have DHT floating around with lower SHBG from anavar (not so good for hair) but if you take finasteride to the Test+anavar stack , it's almost as if you are taking anavar on it's own in terms of it's effect on hair (likely safer than anavar only actually, cause now you have estradiol floating around as well).


If i were you, i would first focus on stabilizing hair loss and regrowing hair. For about +85% (give or take) of people who are healthy and don't have aggressive hair loss, low dose finasteride will completely stop hair loss, often forever (Donald Trump is on finasteride). A smaller percentage (maybe around 50%) will see regrowth and a higher percentage than that will see hair thicken and quality improvement (dark, thicker, healthier hair).

The two best options for most MBP sufferers:

1. Finasteride 0.25 mg daily or 0.5 mg MWF only for a year. Hair loss should stop immediately and if regrowth will happen, most will see it by 12 months. Some lucky guys see it within 3 months, other see regrowth closer to 2 years.

2. Finasteride 0.25 mg daily or 0.5 mg MWF + 2.5 mg oral minoxidil. This stack will provide results as soon as 2 months and in many people will completely reverse MPB.


Once you stabilized your hair loss and regrow your hair, then you can start experimenting with mild add-on stuff like anavar, etc. That's at least the safest route to take.


The most important thing is to start as early as possible. If you don't have slick bald spots, then you have an exponentially higher chance of completely reversing your hair loss. Many guys will have thicker better hair than they had before they even noticed their hair loss after using oral fin or oral fin/min combo. Even if you do start late and do have slick bald spots, oral fin+oral min is a miracle stack that can still reverse severe hair loss in many cases.

 

[Prada]

DHT is basically toxic to hair and skin

And women

 

[alfresco]

I used to use the loniten tablets but in my country they're out of stock everywhere and have been for over a year.

Also the shit is expensive and apparently the cotsco minox is the same shit if you just measure it out properly and take it orally.

I think I just paid 2$ for a 90 day supply with insurance.

Expensive?

 

[Black Beard]

I think I just paid 2$ for a 90 day supply with insurance.

Expensive?

Yeah, it's pretty dirt cheap anywhere you get it. The biggest premium will be getting it from Roman or Happy head online services but they are extremely fast and it's US pharma grade.


If you are in certain states, they don't even require a telehealth/video appointment. A doctor will just email or text you the consultation.

 

[NEMSZ]

1. CVG (Cutis verticis gyrata ) definitely more common with AAS/HGH users (associated to acromegaly too). It's caused by thickening the scalp skin and some AAS and HGH thickens the skin via collagen/glycomisans/etc. Extremely unlikely and probably impossible it's caused by your topical min/fin especially for only a year.


2. Not exactly what i said, but imagine you took anavar only (NO testosterone). The effect on hair would be neglible, but if you add testosterone to the anavar; now you have DHT floating around with lower SHBG from anavar (not so good for hair) but if you take finasteride to the Test+anavar stack , it's almost as if you are taking anavar on it's own in terms of it's effect on hair (likely safer than anavar only actually, cause now you have estradiol floating around as well).


If i were you, i would first focus on stabilizing hair loss and regrowing hair. For about +85% (give or take) of people who are healthy and don't have aggressive hair loss, low dose finasteride will completely stop hair loss, often forever (Donald Trump is on finasteride). A smaller percentage (maybe around 50%) will see regrowth and a higher percentage than that will see hair thicken and quality improvement (dark, thicker, healthier hair).

The two best options for most MBP sufferers:

1. Finasteride 0.25 mg daily or 0.5 mg MWF only for a year. Hair loss should stop immediately and if regrowth will happen, most will see it by 12 months. Some lucky guys see it within 3 months, other see regrowth closer to 2 years.

2. Finasteride 0.25 mg daily or 0.5 mg MWF + 2.5 mg oral minoxidil. This stack will provide results as soon as 2 months and in many people will completely reverse MPB.


Once you stabilized your hair loss and regrow your hair, then you can start experimenting with mild add-on stuff like anavar, etc. That's at least the safest route to take.


The most important thing is to start as early as possible. If you don't have slick bald spots, then you have an exponentially higher chance of completely reversing your hair loss. Many guys will have thicker better hair than they had before they even noticed their hair loss after using oral fin or oral fin/min combo. Even if you do start late and do have slick bald spots, oral fin+oral min is a miracle stack that can still reverse severe hair loss in many cases.

Thanks for the reply brother;

1: Yea I’m not certain it’s any form of CVG, as it’s extremely mild, I never had them when I was younger in my early-mid 20’s then from like 29-32 I had long hair down to my shoulders but I would always sleep with my hair tied up and when I’d go out I’d always have it tied up in a tight bun on top of my head etc.. I’ve read that all that tying up and sleeping with it tied up can cause wrinkles etc on the scalp and the hair is moved and pressured in certain ways etc the same way on the forehead you get some lines or the lines in the center of the eyebrows etc can form..

Either way, I’ll have the dermatologist check it out and determine what it is, but it did scare me a bit lol..

2: Yea I was definitely thinking of stabilizing the thinning hair and getting it back to where it was prior before doing anything, I was just worried about if I experiment then would I fuck my hair up again? Lol

I don’t have any smooth bald spots, my entire head is fully covered, it’s just in the top of my head, that whole surface area is thinner, but still have a good amount of hair.. If I shave it down short enough to say a zero on the clippers or a 1/2 guard, you can’t tell it’s even thinning as it’s all even all around, but say I let it grow for like a month, then you can tell I have some thinning spots on top compared to the sides..

I had one other question for you that popped up as I was doing more research last night;

1: How safe is Minolxodil oral on the heart/cardiovascular system??

Of course, some things popped up about some people, even on lower doses suffering from pericardial effusion, tachycardia, edema, pain/tightness in chest etc…

What are your thoughts on that? Overblown??

I do BJJ/Wrestling on top of my regular strength and conditioning, so needless to say my heart gets a lot of work done lol, very intense cardio exercise multiple times per week and there were a couple instances where it was documented that “otherwise young healthy adult male suffers tightness in chest during intense exercise” and it was a pericardial effusion or something along those lines…

Thanks again bro

 

[Black Beard]

Thanks for the reply brother;

1: Yea I’m not certain it’s any form of CVG, as it’s extremely mild, I never had them when I was younger in my early-mid 20’s then from like 29-32 I had long hair down to my shoulders but I would always sleep with my hair tied up and when I’d go out I’d always have it tied up in a tight bun on top of my head etc.. I’ve read that all that tying up and sleeping with it tied up can cause wrinkles etc on the scalp and the hair is moved and pressured in certain ways etc the same way on the forehead you get some lines or the lines in the center of the eyebrows etc can form..

Either way, I’ll have the dermatologist check it out and determine what it is, but it did scare me a bit lol..

2: Yea I was definitely thinking of stabilizing the thinning hair and getting it back to where it was prior before doing anything, I was just worried about if I experiment then would I fuck my hair up again? Lol

I don’t have any smooth bald spots, my entire head is fully covered, it’s just in the top of my head, that whole surface area is thinner, but still have a good amount of hair.. If I shave it down short enough to say a zero on the clippers or a 1/2 guard, you can’t tell it’s even thinning as it’s all even all around, but say I let it grow for like a month, then you can tell I have some thinning spots on top compared to the sides..

I had one other question for you that popped up as I was doing more research last night;

1: How safe is Minolxodil oral on the heart/cardiovascular system??

Of course, some things popped up about some people, even on lower doses suffering from pericardial effusion, tachycardia, edema, pain/tightness in chest etc…

What are your thoughts on that? Overblown??

I do BJJ/Wrestling on top of my regular strength and conditioning, so needless to say my heart gets a lot of work done lol, very intense cardio exercise multiple times per week and there were a couple instances where it was documented that “otherwise young healthy adult male suffers tightness in chest during intense exercise” and it was a pericardial effusion or something along those lines…

Thanks again bro

In your case, you caught it early enough that you have a significant chance of fully reversing the loss/thinning with low dose finasteride only.


Low dose oral minoxidil is extremely safe and incredibly effective for healthy people. This is a medication that is used up to 50 mg daily for decades. People fear monger it online by cherry picking studies using higher dosages and one case study in an African lady who had a bad reaction. There is A LOT of fear mongering online for finasteride/minoxidil. You would think that a few drops of minox on your head will cause a heart attack if you listen to some of these people online (some are legit rare side effects , others are full blown hypochondriacs/very anxious individuals).

Remember, quality of research matters. Individual case studies need to be taken with heavy grains of salt because we are talking one person or handful of people out of millions who have taken these medications. If you do by any chance get any side effects from 2.5 mg, you can still use 1.25 mg and even 0.25 mg with significant benefit. Placebo effect is extremely powerful as well, you can literally make yourself feel things, both physical and mental. For the few that get side effects on low dose fin/min, usually after 2-4 weeks all sides will subside.

As i said, in your case, it's unlikely you will even need any minoxidil in the first place. That's usually for people with visible balding/significant hair loss and even those guys can get luckily and regrow on finasteride only.

 

[btails]

I think I just paid 2$ for a 90 day supply with insurance.

Expensive?

My country it's about 180$ for 90 day supply. Talking about without insurance. And also, my country has been out of stock for over a year..

And you can get 6 bottles x 60ml pet bottle at 50mg/ml (if my math is correct on that).. so 15,000mg for 60$

Even at 5mg per day taken orally that'll last about 8 years

 

[Black Beard]

My country it's about 180$ for 90 day supply. Talking about without insurance.

And you can get 6 bottles x 60ml pet bottle at 50mg/ml (if my math is correct on that).. so 15,000mg for 60$

Even at 5mg per day taken orally that'll last about 8 years

Can't you order from online pharmacies like reliable Rx / All day chemist / In house pharmacy? They got it pretty cheap.

 

[btails]

Can't you order from online pharmacies like reliable Rx / All day chemist / In house pharmacy? They got it pretty cheap.

I'm sure I could but for the cost savings going with the liquid I'm not sure why one would even go that way?

 

[micro2000]

Black do you know if oral minoxidil works better for growing hair at higher dosages ?seems 5mg Ed is the cutoff for most , but for Bp they used minoxidil up to 30 to 40mg Ed , wow lol , so do you think 10mg Ed oral minoxidil would be more effective than 5mg and so on , would 20mg be more effective than 10mg? Just curious really not to say gonna use those dosages, for me black after listening to you ,seems like a great starting point would be finasteride 0.25mg Ed and oral minoxidil at 2.5mg daily, only scary thing is that alfesnso sorry if I missed spelled his name , 5mg oral minoxidil was enough to get rid of all his other bp meds , which is kind of scary but cool also , kill to birds with one stone , hair loss and bp

The risk with higher doses of oral minoxidil is reflex tachycardia. Since the vessels are being forced to dilate, the heart is signalled to beat faster.

 

[bigzzz]

Here is another example of 0.25 mg finasteride daily for 5 months. (No minoxidil)

This guy was getting sides on 0.5 mg MWF so he switched.


View attachment 181952

Which sides did he get?

I’m thinking of going 0.5mg MWF because those pills are shitty to break up in 4 pieces.

 

[alfresco]

Excuse my ignorance.

If people are worried about losing hair as a function of anabolic steroid use, why don’t they just is Finasteride?

Wouldn’t that prevent hair loss?

What am I missing here?

 

[fisther69]

Excuse my ignorance.

If people are worried about losing hair as a function of anabolic steroid use, why don’t they just is Finasteride?

Wouldn’t that prevent hair loss?

What am I missing here?

Because the side effects of finassteride can be overwhelming

 

[Black Beard]

Which sides did he get?

I’m thinking of going 0.5mg MWF because those pills are shitty to break up in 4 pieces.

Here's the thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/tressless/comments/lnt6rp

@alfresco


Many guys won't touch finasteride with a 50 foot pole due to massive fear of sides from online claims of permanent side effects.

You can tell a lot of the guys claiming permanent issues have pre-existing psychiatric disorders if you read between the lines but they scare the shit out of people who think their cock is going to stop working permanently from taking finasteride for only a week (they literally claim this).


Fin sides are real just like adex sides are real. The dose makes the poison.


Most guys have never heard of taking 0.25 mg finasteride daily or even 0.25-0.5 mg MWF. They usually start on 1-1.25 mg daily which will cause side effects like brain fog/lower libido in many guys. Also, topical finasteride+oral/topical minoxidil can be quite effective for many guys


Like i always say, its like TRT doc putting you on 1 mg arimidex daily to prevent gyno. Its overkill and your risk of sides is quite high. You will prevent gyno/high E2 sides but get libido issues/joint aches/etc.

 

[Prada]

Excuse my ignorance.

If people are worried about losing hair as a function of anabolic steroid use, why don’t they just is Finasteride?

Wouldn’t that prevent hair loss?

What am I missing here?

I would t say it prevents hair loss. It significantly reduces it. That too only against testosterone.

 

[Deleted member 61292]

@Black Beard

Any reason you’re suggesting oral over topical minox?

Doesn’t oral minox make all hair grow faster?

 

[Black Beard]

@Prada In most men, it can completely stop hair loss with regular use. Most gains will maximize after 2 years, with results in most people appear starting around 6-12 months. Some guys it just slows it down or doesnt work at all, but this is pretty rare. Some guys will even get hair shedding / worsening in the first year so they stop / give up and assume it doesnt work.

@EricJ123

Because oral minoxidil is significantly more effective than topical. It's a miracle drug for hair growth. All hair can grow faster yes, but the benefits are worth it. 2.5 mg daily is the sweet spot for most men and women with great benefits to sides ratio.

 

[Black Beard]

Note that hair loss treatments can lose effectiveness as you get older secondary to decline in IGF/HGH levels. You generally see best results in younger patients due to this and possibly due to less time spent with hair follicles getting damaged by androgens/DHT

 

[alfresco]

@Prada In most men, it can completely stop hair loss with regular use. Most gains will maximize after 2 years, with results in most people appear starting around 6-12 months. Some guys it just slows it down or doesnt work at all, but this is pretty rare. Some guys will even get hair shedding / worsening in the first year so they stop / give up and assume it doesnt work.

@EricJ123

Because oral minoxidil is significantly more effective than topical. It's a miracle drug for hair growth. All hair can grow faster yes, but the benefits are worth it. 2.5 mg daily is the sweet spot for most men and women with great benefits to sides ratio.

BB, appreciate the time you have spent on this topic. You are a great, trusted resource.

Now.

I prefer to look at it this way . . . finasteride is the long game. Minoxidil you should, I did see, almost immediate results.

I happen to be an unusually good responder to Minoxidil or so my dermatologist says. (There is a foto somewhere here of the top of my head which used to be completely hair free.)

We are ‘micro dosing’ the finasteride as per BB and my doc is all in for that. He is very open minded. Let’s take it out for a drive and see how it does is his approach at least with all things related to MPB.