Month: January 2023

hey doc,

im 22 yrs old, experiencing receding hair line, and thinning of hair. i have been using propecia for the past few wks, and will continue using it for a while. should i also use rogaine? i wanted to know if it would benefit to use both or not. also, if i use rogaine, can i use a monoxydil subsititute, found at local grocery stores instead? will the cheaper generic product give the same intended effect as rogaine? please let me know.

thanks for your help.

Minoxidil is the generic form of Rogaine. Both are over the counter medications, sold at many places, you do not need a doctor’s prescription, like you do for Propecia.

I generally tell my patients to just take Propecia alone for at least 8 months to a year to be able to gauge its effectiveness. When you combine both Propecia and Rogaine from the beginning, you will not be able to tell if any effect is due to just one of the drugs or the combination, and you will be incurring the cost of both drugs for as long as you want the hair loss stopped or slowed down. If you find that Propecia by itself is effective and you are happy with the results, you have saved the cost of Rogaine for that period. If you are one of the few patients who do not get the desired results with Propecia, then you can stop taking the drug.

The two medications work differently. Minoxidil must be applied twice a day and it is messy. Propecia is a pill that should be taken every morning. Propecia attacks the hormone DHT that causes hair loss. Minoxidil was developed as an oral medication to treat high blood pressure and was found to have a side effect, which is the ability to grow hair in a small percentage of the population who took the drug. Minoxidil was then approved as a hair loss treatment in a topical solution called Rogaine. The topical Minoxidil can cause blood pressure drops and skin reactions, so you need to be careful taking it, and it does not work very well in the front of your head. Although Propecia does not impact regrowth in the frontal area most of the time, it will slow down or stop the loss in the front, particularly in young men.

Hello Dr.,
I’m 22, experiecing thinning of the hair and a receding hair line. I’ve been using Propecia since the beginning of the summer. While I haven’t noticed any changes yet, I wanted to know the effect of taking Propecia along with Rogaine or Minoxydil. Does it help if you take both at the same time? I’ve been using Minoxydil since the summer also, and I’m not satisfied with it. I’ve experienced itchy hair and excessive dandruff. So does it help if I take both of them as treatments together? I was hoping to get your suggestion on this matter…Thanks so much for your time.

I generally advise young men to start with Propecia first, wait out a full 8 month course and make a reassessment at the end of that time. I always measure the degree of miniaturization to quantify the amount of thinning and loss, as well as the progression or reversal of the hair loss. I would suggest that you get that assessment before you make further decisions. The side effects of minoxidil is as you described in your question, making its use probably unacceptable in your case.

I’m currently looking to get on something to halt and regrow any hair ive lost. I have a prolactinoma and being treated for it. I came across this and many other articles that mentioned minoxidil can cause a prolactinoma and im worried about starting it as mine is currently being treated and could worsen it.

But what im wondering is if the article is meaning oral or topical ? and if would it be safe to use topical minox with my condition thanks

For those that aren’t familiar, a prolactinoma is a benign tumor of the pituitary gland, usually resulting in an increased level of prolactin produced.

I’m not sure which specific article you’re referring to, but anything topical can be absorbed into your system. In fact, many people taking minoxidil had systemic side effects. Your own doctor should know more about this, particularly when it comes to your medical care.