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Major Shedding During and After Rogaine Use

Aug 22, 2006/by William Rassman, M.D./27 /Drugs

Hi. I recently tried using Rogaine 5% as a hair loss prevention regiment as I noticed a mild thinning of the crown area. Let me stress that my hair thinning was just mild and that as 28 yrs old, it seemed like it was a good time to start early before it got too late years after.

However I stopped using Rogaine 5% after just 20 days! I was shedding far too many hair and did not like the texture effect it made on my hair. Most of all, I was shedding too much hair! May I add that I have never noticed any shedding of hair prior to Rogaine! However, its been over 15 days since last using Rogaine and I am still shedding like crazy!!! By just running my fingers thru my hair, I see mature hair and younger looking hair fall out.

I am extremely upset by this response. I am a healthy 28 yr old male. I talked with my doc and am now on Propecia. He was not able to decifer why I was still shedding considering everything is normal. My question is whether if you have any information why shedding of hair is still continuing after stopping use of rogaine 15 days ago?? (Also considering I have only used it for just 20 days). Also, if propecia will stop the shedding due to Rogaine. May i add again, there was no blatant shedding or any problem of hair shedding prior to Rogaine.

Thank you so much

Assuming that you have genetic hair loss, perhaps Propecia would be the better drug for you. I don’t believe Rogaine (minoxidil) was the right choice for treatment and it is known to produce hair shedding for a short while after starting it. The shedding should stop in a month or two.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, rogaine, minoxidil
https://baldingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo-small-300x62.png 0 0 William Rassman, M.D. https://baldingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/logo-small-300x62.png William Rassman, M.D.2006-08-22 12:30:542006-08-22 12:39:18Major Shedding During and After Rogaine Use

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Reader Comments27

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  1. Aaron
    Aaron says:
    Nov 7, 2006 at 1:06 am

    Hy my name is Aaron. I started rogain about 4 months ago.
    I am 25 years old and have been slowly loseing my hair since i was in highschool…

    while i have no major bald spots i have a receading hair line and thining up top, but i am not close to bald…

    about two weeks befor i started rogain i noticed i was shedding even more hair then ever befor and i decided to try and put an end to it with rogain…

    I did a lot of research and went for it. It does clearly state that there IS A SHEDDING PERIOD. and this is just the hairs that will regrow thicker, plus maybe some extra regrowth…

    in the first month i went into super shedding mode. When i rubbed my hand on my head i would lose in the range of 200+ plus hairs which is more than most people lose in a day… Needless to say i stopped rubbing my head lol but i kept with the rogain my thought was the hair is going to fall out, its been falling out and its not going to stop i might as well keep using the rogain and have some hope..

    1 and a half months in the shedding slowed and i actualy stopped thinking about it where befor it was always on my mind

    2 months in and i relized i hadn’t been thinking about it cause it stopped falling out… i rubbed my hand on my head and maybe three hairs fell out… so i took a shower and it was the same just a few hairs… since highschool i alsways lost tones of hair each shower hahaha…

    3 months in still not loseing hair and seeing some amazingly thin new hair on my frontal hair line where it doesnt claim to actualy work..

    4 months in those reall fine hairs are very noticable though still very thin they are new and i am happy with that… on top of the new thin hairs i have not lost any more hair and my hair itself while not getting thicker is looking more full… i think some of the old hair that i shedded in the first month is growing back in maeking my thiner spots look darker with short new hair… just a guess though eiher way i am happy.

    the shedding was scary and i am not going to stay stick with it cause i had my doubts as well, but sticking with it did in the end work out for me at least thus far…

    i cant wait to see how things are in another two months…

    ps. rogain claims that most hair regrowth will be noticable at 4 months in… but i have missed a lot of dosses. never more than three days at a time but i know i have missed at least 15 days in the last 4 months maybe more… again never more than three days in a row.

    Reply
  2. Sean
    Sean says:
    Jun 28, 2007 at 4:29 am

    dont have alot of time to type, but i am 20 and thought it was be a good time to start rogaine when i noticed a slight bald spot. Almost 2 months later my hair has shed so much that i can no longer keep my hair grown out and there is a clearly visible bald spot twice the size before i started. I will stick it out with rogaine but im already at the 2 month mark and still shedding like crazy. This has been the WORST decision ive ever made. I dont like the fact doctors blow this off as if it is genetics and not the rogaine. It really is sad how I probably now have the hair of the average 40 year old man, when I am only 20.

    Ill keep everyone updated as to how my hair loss is continuing, or hopefully, stoppingin the near future.

    My advice, dont use rogaine, it makes it MUCH worse. Just stick it out until you have no choice to use it!

    Reply
  3. jay gray
    jay gray says:
    Jul 28, 2007 at 7:19 pm

    dont use rogaine it is HAIR POSIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

    Reply
  4. rene garza
    rene garza says:
    Aug 4, 2007 at 1:50 pm

    dear Doctor, I have just quit using topamax,my hair is coming out in chunks.My last dosage was 25 mg.I was using 200 mg.I weaned myself off .How long till my hair stops falling out? Also does prozac cause hairloss?I have been taking it off and on for years.Now I go through months were my hair stays in fine,then just starts coming out. I thank you for any advice you have.

    Reply
  5. Tracy
    Tracy says:
    Aug 7, 2007 at 2:42 pm

    I am a 43 year old woman who started using Rogaine and my hair fell out like crazy! 200+ per day! I finally stopped after 3 weeks – it’s been 4 days since I stopped using it and I am still losing close to 150+ hairs per day! When will it ever stop!

    Reply
  6. dr mark wiles
    dr mark wiles says:
    Feb 9, 2008 at 2:58 pm

    dr rassman you are a complete fake own by rogaine … rogaine is the most dangerous otc ever ….

    Reply
  7. William Rassman, MD
    William Rassman, MD says:
    Feb 11, 2008 at 11:02 am

    I’m owned by nobody. You’re entitled to your opinions, regardless of how wrong they are.

    Reply
  8. angel
    angel says:
    Mar 12, 2008 at 12:51 am

    Im 26 years old, ive noticed i was thinning on the top espicially anywhere where there was a lot of light, i started using rogaine foam for two months my hair looks much worse than it did before. My scalp looks way more visible than before. Ive stopped using it for three weeks and i’m still shedding. I’m seriously considering hair transplant. Please try to avoid Rogaine unless you see no other options.

    Reply
    • ANita
      ANita says:
      Dec 31, 2016 at 2:16 pm

      I used Rogaine for 2 weeks and hair started shedding a lot. After the second day of noticing this large amount of hair loss, I stopped using it. It has now been two weeks and I am still shedding.

      Reply
  9. j
    j says:
    May 31, 2008 at 11:02 am

    I’m 35 years old. I was using rogaine for about 5 months and my hair was getting thicker and I could see more new hair, however my sex drive was dead, had a couple of bad experiences with two girls so I stopped using it. my sex drive is almost back to normal but now is that my hair is falling of really fast.

    Reply
  10. Jake
    Jake says:
    Nov 21, 2008 at 1:07 pm

    I experienced something similar… i bought rogaine foam becasue i thought it will help me with my receding hair line. After i received the pack i read it’s not for frontal hair loss.

    However, eventhoug i didn’t have to, i used it for the top of my head anyway (didn’t use it in the front at all)

    After 3 days only (maybe 4 days)… i suddenly realized that my hair receded a lot in the front. it also lost thickness which makes me look even balder.

    i stopped using it right away but have no idea if the thickness of my hair will come back. i really hope i will look the same as i did the day before i started using it (1 week ago).

    do you think it’s only temporary?

    Thanks

    Reply
  11. Jim
    Jim says:
    Jul 11, 2010 at 7:47 pm

    The truth about Rogaine is that for some people, the shedding will stop after a few months and hairs will regrow. However, for most, hairs will fall much faster months after months and after a year, people will have lost 50-80% of their hairs. The company will try to explain this by saying that you would have lost those hairs anyway in the next 10 years. What’s the point of losing them in 1 year instead of 10 years then?

    Reply
  12. X
    X says:
    Oct 18, 2010 at 9:46 pm

    Beware! Rogaine will cause major frontal Hairloss. dont believe me? then try it.

    Reply
  13. Trev
    Trev says:
    May 3, 2011 at 6:12 am

    I’m a 45yr old male with mild, hereditary, hair loss. 1 month in to use of Rogaine Foam the increase in hair loss is worrying. Not sure whether to continue – do I have enough faith in the product to carry on until it starts to work, or until I go bald…?

    Reply
  14. Janet
    Janet says:
    May 28, 2011 at 12:08 pm

    my doctor told me to use rogaine in order to keep the hair I have so I used it for 4 months. My haie got a lil thicker. I did not shed cause i used it only once a day maybe? Don’t know why I didn’t shed really. Then she told me to stop using it after 4 months because my cycle to regrow hair would have taken back over. Well guess what it didn’t. it didn’t now my hair is twice as thin. Doctor should I start back on the rogaine? I have already used it twice. After reading all of this I am a lil scared but it did work for me and I see now it is a life long thing u really can’t stop using it if u want to keep your hair.

    Reply
  15. Janet
    Janet says:
    Jul 25, 2011 at 11:21 pm

    Its Janet again. I started back on the rogaine. I am starting my third month and I am shedding like crazy. Very noticable hair loss. I did not shed the first time I used it for 4 months. I am of course like everyone else very worried. I am afraid to go off it since it almost sounds like it gets worse if you do. I will stick with it another month and if I am still shedding after 3 months I am going off of it and buy a wig lol. You have to laugh about it or you will cry.

    Reply
  16. Noz Johnson
    Noz Johnson says:
    Oct 31, 2011 at 7:17 pm

    I am 41 and started using rogaine 3 days ago. Prior to rogain use I had thin hair and a bald patch at the top of my hair. Of course that was from many years of wearing fake hair. I researched rogain before trying it and read the side effects. I decided to give it a try and after only one day and a half use, I had extreme heart palpatations, dizziness, and very heavy shedding after only less than 48 hours use. I immediately stopped and saw even more shedding and now my hair looks horrific, with many bald pathes. I will be wearing a wig for a while. I will say that if anyone has any negative side effects from rogain IT IS NOT WORTH THE HASSLE AND HEALTH RISK. STOP USING ROGAIN IF YOU HAVE SIDE EFFECTS.

    Reply
  17. Ryan
    Ryan says:
    Dec 12, 2011 at 8:55 am

    Rogaine has been a godsend for me. I never had any shedding and have used it in the front and have had thickening there. In the back there has been complete regrowth. Maybe I have been one of the lucky ones but have never had any side effects. Four months and everything has exceded my expectations. I would suggest that you don’t give up on it so soon and hopefully it will come around.

    Reply
  18. Mark
    Mark says:
    Jan 22, 2012 at 12:15 am

    I have used Rogain for 11 months, wish I had not, kept waiting for new hair, the only new hair is on the floor in the shower. Hair is far worse than when I started, 0 regroth in the crown. 49 yrs old

    Reply
  19. Dumb bunny
    Dumb bunny says:
    Mar 12, 2012 at 10:38 pm

    I’m a thirty nine year old woman who started using rogaine because at one point I had used hair extensions and had some bald spots. I stopped after one week after noticing massive shedding which I’ve continued to do for six months. I don’t leave the house anymore. I wish people who stopped using rogaine would have come back to report if they had regrown any of the hair. I just stopped shedding. I’ll come back next month to let people know if it’s even started to grow back. I MIGHT have some very fine baby hairs coming back, but that is at the front where that kind of hair usually is. I’m not seeing that anywhere else.

    Reply
  20. rafael
    rafael says:
    May 31, 2012 at 6:32 pm

    I have been using Rogaine Foam for 2 months and my hair is looking terrible. I am very upset. My hair went from being a little bit thin to know looking like I am going bald. I am seriously thinking about shaving my hair off. I wish I would had found this blog sooner.

    Reply
  21. Aud
    Aud says:
    Aug 18, 2012 at 8:17 pm

    I’m a 32 yr old woman diagnosed with FBP, from my mother’s side I presume. I’ve slowly been losing hair since mid-20s. My dermatologist recently performed a scalp biopsy to confirm my diagnosis. I started Rogaine 5% foam 2 months ago, using once per day in the morning on towel dried hair – in my experience, it’s easier for the medicine to reach the scalp with damp hair than dry hair, easier to part the hair. During the first 2 weeks, I shed a noticeable amount, especially in the front hairline through the middle-part of my head; however, I was prepared for the “dread shed,” as this seems to be a somewhat normal experience with Rogaine users, per my research. However, it’s still troubling and disheartening. After 1 month of shedding, the shed slowly began to calm down. As of now, I’m shedding a small amount, but no new growth. I’m fully prepared to stick with it continually, for at least a year. The only side effects I suffer are infrequent bad headaches, but I almost sure it is due to me using waaaay too much on my scalp (this was especially so in the beginning). I’ve toned it down a bit, applying the foam applicator tip directly on my scalp, using small dollops around my crown and front hairline. I’m getting the hang of it, but if I use too much, my head will let me know. The day I started Rogaine, I also started shampooing with Nizoral 1% every 4 days, so I haven’t experienced any scalp itching or redness at all (not sure if it’s the Nizorial that’s helping to prevent this side effect but Nizoral is supposed to help block DHT, so I use it gladly). I’m also aware Rogaine may lower blood pressure so I watch my diet and water intake carefully. In my opinion, anything you put in or on your body is serious. Rogaine is not “poison,” but it can be if the directions are not followed or if you haven’t cleared it with your primary care provider. I’m glad this is OTC, I look forward to the results if any. Good luck to everyone.

    Reply
  22. jay gray
    jay gray says:
    Sep 1, 2012 at 3:02 pm

    iam seven years from using rogaine just one time and iam sorry to tell every body that the doesn’t grow back. it is pure hair posin

    Reply
  23. BB
    BB says:
    Nov 8, 2012 at 1:43 am

    Hi..i noticed a sudden female pattern hairloss… in matter of few weeks i noticed my hair to be thinner and saw visible skin… did blood test and saw dermatologist… ( being 28.5 at the time), he concluded theres nothing wrong with me based on bloods… but he just put a bottle of rogain foam infront of me and said this is my best option if i am worried… so me being vulnerable and stressed out, i took it… i did tell him that i ve been stressed but his reply was: arent we all stressed these days !!
    i didnt use it for 2 weeks – was bit scared !! but he told me to use it… theres nothing to be scared off..
    used it for 8 months.. saw lots of new tiny hair… but then after 4 months ( 12 months into it) all the little tiny hair fell….. none of the long ones fell – only the small ones…
    now it has been 16 months and i tell you, my hair does not look any better, it looks even worse and i never stopped using it!! i dont lose any small hair ( none left) , now im losing the long ones , and the worse is right at the front !!! basically its so bad that u can see all the skin!!!!!
    i REALLY want to come off it.. i dont mind if it gets worse for few months, but as long as the affects go away and i can have my own hair back !!! because im pretty sure it was stress related, other wise why did i regrow small hairs after 6 months…. ( now none)

    Reply
  24. Lily
    Lily says:
    Feb 16, 2013 at 12:35 pm

    I’ve always thought the hair shedding was due to the fact that rogaine irritates your scalp. I too, see the tiny little hairs that can’t seem to hang on for dear life! It’s sad. I’ve been on it for over 20 years and feel like going off it could be disaster. I was diagnosed with fpb but who knows if that was right. My whole family on my Father’s side has stupidly thin hair. I know the rogaine makes my head itch and when I scratch lots of hairs fall out. ive used clobetasol scalp treatment at times to calm it down

    Reply
  25. Jason
    Jason says:
    Apr 17, 2013 at 5:11 pm

    I’m 24 and have been using rogaine since I was 18. I use it obsessively but it has worked. I went though the shedding phase but rogaine is an all or nothing type deal. I also eat as healthy as I possibly can, eating salmon raw fish, corn, beans, eggs every morning and dark greens. On top of that I take e and all b vitamins. My hair Is exponentially thicker than it was in high school and actually thicker than most anyones hair. My advice if you have the money stick it out and apply extra. I use it on all sides: front, side, down the middle part., edge of frontal hair line, really just all over but I’m careful to apply the foam to the scalp so it’s moistened by the foam. Overall I take extremely good care of my hair but I’m
    different than most and am very obsessive but it has worked to the point where I can virtually wear any and all hairstyles.

    Reply
  26. donna
    donna says:
    Sep 21, 2013 at 2:40 pm

    I am female, 59 years. I started shedding hair about 6 months ago. In June it started to get worse. By mid August I started Rogaine. My hair is shedding even more now! Is this the “dread shed”? My scalp is showing more too. When will the shedding slow down? I am afraid I will have a bald scalp soon. I have two quarter size spots at my crown that are almost bald. I am desperate!

    Reply

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