Minoxidil oral vs topic

[ganciodestro]

Hi guys, my AAS supplier has added oral minoxidil to his stock. I’ve always taken it in topical form, 5%, after a hair transplant, and I never wanted to use finasteride because of the side effects. I recently found out that oral minoxidil exists — I don’t think it’s even available in my country, or at least I’ve never heard about it by chance.
I’m considering adding it to my treatment. Has anyone here already used it? Have you noticed big differences compared to the topical version?
Are there any contraindications to taking it? (I read that it lowers blood pressure, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for us).

 

[bate]

Whatever oral you do decide to take from your supplier dont take anything without getting it tested. I'm sure there's good reasons for why not all topicals also comes as orals.

Instead I would perhaps look into GHK + AHK serum mix or one up it with RU55841

 

[nanika]

I have a cat and can't risk it, so oral. Too much hassle with topical anyway, orals are much more convenient.

 

[ganciodestro]

Anyway, aside from legitimacy, is there any advantage to taking oral minoxidil together with the topical version? Or is there no difference? If you have any personal experience, I’d be happy to hear it

 

[null88]

If you take oral + topical your just increasing the total dosage. I take 5mg oral, I would say it far superior than taking 50mg topical

 

[trenisbest]

oral min will bloat u to shit

 

[ganciodestro]

If you take oral + topical your just increasing the total dosage. I take 5mg oral, I would say it far superior than taking 50mg topical

Any sides experience?

 

[Ghoul]

Anyway, aside from legitimacy, is there any advantage to taking oral minoxidil together with the topical version? Or is there no difference? If you have any personal experience, I’d be happy to hear it

There's the difference of not spending time fucking around applying it, guaranteeing "full coverage", and it's much cheaper.

There's also the fact topical has to be converted by an enzyme in the skin to its active form. Everyone has varying amounts affecting how well minoxidil works. The oral doesn't require this and is always fully effective.

The downsides are increased hair growth everywhere. and potentially some minor water retention that usually disappears within a few weeks to a month.

 

[Scooby69]

I have had much better results with oral minoxidil at a low dose of 2.5 mg/day. Even at that dose, it can lower BP a bit, which may be an added benefit depending on your current BP control.

I just need to trim my ear hair a little more often now

 

[ganciodestro]

There's the difference of not spending time fucking around applying it, guaranteeing "full coverage", and it's much cheaper.

There's also the fact topical has to be converted by an enzyme in the skin to its active form. Everyone has varying amounts affecting how well minoxidil works. The oral doesn't require this and is always fully effective.

The downsides are increased hair growth everywhere. and potentially some minor water retention that usually disappears within a few weeks to a month.

Do you think is worth use both or just use oral ?

Does it have any side effects on mood or libido, like finasteride?”

 

[Ghoul]

Do you think is worth use both or just use oral ?

Does it have any side effects on mood or libido, like finasteride?”

Just use one. No need for topical once you have oral. Oral can be 2.5mg for similar effects to topical, or doubled to 5mg, either once a day; or split 2x / day to minimize side effects, for a more potent effect. There's no benefit above 5mg / day:.

There are no impacts on mood or libido. This drug has nothing to do with hormones. It's a vasodilator, opening microscopic blood vessels for better blood flow to follicles.

 

[professionaldyel]

I stopped using topical because it just makes your hair look like shit. Greasy/gross looking appearance the entire day which defeats the point of you caring about your hair lol. I had noticeable gains with my widows peak using topical, switched to oral and there has been no regression or water retention a month later.

 

[ganciodestro]

Just use one. No need for topical once you have oral. Oral can be 2.5mg for similar effects to topical, or doubled to 5mg, either once a day; or split 2x / day to minimize side effects, for a more potent effect. There's no benefit above 5mg / day:.

There are no impacts on mood or libido. This drug has nothing to do with hormones. It's a vasodilator, opening microscopic blood vessels for better blood flow to follicles.

I was in prison for 5 months and during that time I couldn’t use my topical minoxidil. I had had a hair transplant years earlier. That 5-month break from minoxidil caused a major regression… It’s been a year and a half since I started using it again, but I’ve permanently lost part of the results. So now I’m afraid to stop the topical even if I start taking the oral form… Do you think I can be sure that I won’t experience any worsening when switching from topical to oral?

 

[Ghoul]

I was in prison for 5 months and during that time I couldn’t use my topical minoxidil. I had had a hair transplant years earlier. That 5-month break from minoxidil caused a major regression… It’s been a year and a half since I started using it again, but I’ve permanently lost part of the results. So now I’m afraid to stop the topical even if I start taking the oral form… Do you think I can be sure that I won’t experience any worsening when switching from topical to oral?

Yes however, given the unique high risk of your situation, and to put your mind at ease. I would use them both for a month, just to ensure the oral has time to take effect.

Be aware this will worsen the risk of sides, because topical goes systemic. Water retention will probably be worse than it would otherwise, so don't let that fool you into thinking the oral is a major problem.

Also, expect you might go through another shedding phase the way you did when starting topical. Increased doses can cause a "mini" shedding phase. As you probably know, shedding isn't hair loss, it's just the growth cycle timing changing, so some hairs in the rest phase will drop early, and regrowth of higher quality hair begins earlier than would have otherwise happened.

 

[ganciodestro]

Yes however, given the unique high risk of your situation, and to put your mind at ease. I would use them both for a month, just to ensure the oral has time to take effect.

Be aware this will worsen the risk of sides, because topical goes systemic. Water retention will probably be worse than it would otherwise, so don't let that fool you into thinking the oral is a major problem.

Also, expect you might go through another shedding phase the way you did when starting topical. Increased doses can cause a "mini" shedding phase. As you probably know, shedding isn't hair loss, it's just the growth cycle timing changing, so some hairs in the rest phase will drop early, and regrowth of higher quality hair begins earlier than would have otherwise happened.

Thank you very much for your reply!

I also wanted to let you know that after your advice I started ezetimibe, and already in the second week of use during my TRT at 172 mg, I can see how it has improved my situation. Next Tuesday I’ll check with blood tests (after 2 weeks of use) and evaluate how well it works for me on its own (my LDL was at 92). I also purchased pravastatin to add if ezetimibe alone works poorly, or in any case to include during each of my blasts

 

[Ghoul]

Thank you very much for your reply!

I also wanted to let you know that after your advice I started ezetimibe, and already in the second week of use during my TRT at 172 mg, I can see how it has improved my situation. Next Tuesday I’ll check with blood tests (after 2 weeks of use) and evaluate how well it works for me on its own (my LDL was at 92). I also purchased pravastatin to add if ezetimibe alone works poorly, or in any case to include during each of my blasts

Harm reduction, like so much everything else health related, is never an all or nothing proposition. If someone is only willing to use something as safe as ezetimibe to lower lipids, it's much better than doing nothing.

While the average LDL drop with eze is 22%, for people who are hyper absorbers, that is those who absorb a lot of cholesterol from food (it's a genetic thing), LDL can drop by greater than 40%, even over 50% in some very rare cases.

 

[sorprenda]

There was a highly influential/paradigm-changing NYT article titled "An Old Medicine Grows New Hair for Pennies a Day, Doctors Say," published on August 18, 2022, which dramatically increased awareness among doctors and popularity among consumers, and also led to further studies. I am sure some people here read that piece - it was one of the NYT’s Top 10 most read articles of the year. It also directly led to an International Consensus Statement published late last year in JAMA. Created by experts from countries around the world, it essentially established guidelines and best practices.

I bring this up because it’s all still very recent, but the international medical community is rapidly catching up. FDA approval seems likely to happen soon, and I imagine doctors in OP’s country are also likely to be up to date.

 

[ganciodestro]

Harm reduction, like so much else health related, is never an all or nothing proposition. If someone is only willing to use something as safe as ezetimibe to lower lipids, it's much better than doing nothing.

While the average LDL drop with eze is 22%, for people who are hyper absorbers, that is those who absorb a lot of cholesterol from food (it's a genetic thing), LDL can drop by greater than 40%, even over 50% in some very rare cases.

Do you think two weeks of use is enough to see if the medication has had an effect?

 

[Ghoul]

Do you think two weeks of use is enough to see if the medication has had an effect?

It reaches 50% of full effect after two weeks, 100% around 4-5.

 

[Fiury]

I've been using topical minoxidil for over 15 years, and it worked okay. It's quite annoying to have to apply it to my scalp; it leaves your hair greasy, and depending on the brand, the itching can be quite bothersome.

Six months ago, I switched to the oral version, starting with 2.5mg for the first four months and 5mg thereafter. The main side effect has been increased body hair (nothing bothersome). Since the fourth month, I've noticed increased hair density, and from the fifth month onward, new hairs are growing.

I'll wait a year to draw any conclusions, but for now, I'm very happy.