Rogaine: A pro or a con?

HopeNJesus · 12-29-2003, 08:07 PM

Has anyone tried Rogaine for women? Does it work? Is it safe? Does it react with any medications? Does it have any weird side effects? I'm just wondering because I have been losing so much hair recently and I'm desperate for a solution! Any info is welcome!

ah · 01-01-2004, 01:00 AM

Hi,

I have never tried Rogaine for my hair loss for a number of reasons. One, if it does work, it seems to only work in a small # of people. Two, many people experience what is nicknamed a "dread shed"--ie, massive shedding for a few weeks or months when they first beging using it, which makes the hair thinner. And, some people have not recovered the hair lost. Three--and this is a really significant one for me--increased hair growth in unwanted places.

If you have time, check out hairsite.com. There are some forums on Rogaine. There's one in particular, I think it's Forum 7, that is a women's forum and is very active. There is a ton of information there about people's experiences with Rogaine. Many of the women there who never had any excess hair problems now have hair growing on their backs, cheekbones, eyelids, forehead, shoulders, etc. and are having to wax or use a depilatory all over; meanwhile they are still waiting for the hair on their head to grow. Another thing--you have to use the product for life. Most derms will recommend the 5% mens' formula for women's hair loss, but with the increased dosage apparently comes an increase in unwanted hair.

There are some positive outcomes, but they appear to be few and far between. Just my opinion from reading the hairsite forum....I'm sure there are others here who have tried Rogaine and can give you some first-hand knowledge.

HerAlopecia.com · 01-01-2004, 04:57 PM

Hi HNJ,

What Ah said about Rogaine is true, some women can experience increased facial and body hair, although for many it will taper off after 6 months of usage.

To see any results from minoxidil treatments, you need to give it 6 - 12 months.

If you have hair loss from androgenetic alopecia, unfortunately, minoxidil is the only proven treatment.

Yes some people can experience a shed, but after a while, it too will taper off, and you will experience a decrease in shedding.

I am currently on 5% Rogaine.

Good luck!

Laura

Rose0320 · 01-02-2004, 09:54 PM

I started using rogaine a couple months ago---reluctantly and only after aldactone and propecia did not help me for hair loss. now i am on propecia and using rogaine.
i have massive shed still. and i can't tell if that is just my hair loss or rogaine. on the other hand, i have little hairs growing. but i also can't tell if that is from rogaine or not.
it's confusing.