Yeah, rogaine works. That's what I used to use before I grew tired of fighting my hair loss. Everyone responds differently to any available treatment. While using rogaine, I was never quite sure how well it was working. The directions say you should get results in 2-4 months. In that time frame I really didn't notice much progress. I really didn't notice a big difference until many months later. I probably used it for a year before my family started commenting that they saw it was working. My thinning definitely stopped and I had some regrowth at the crown of my head. The regrowth wasn't thick coverage like I had before I started losing my hair but it was enough that I was satisfied to keep using it. It made me shed hair like crazy. I've recently found out that the shedding is part of the process of it working. After years of using rogaine, when I stopped using it, my hair stopped shedding. I lost a lot of hair over the course of a few months. I didn't care because I gave it a fight and I was tired of it. So give it a fight and you'll know you've done all you could for as long as you want to.
A side effect of rogaine is going to be dry scalp. I used to just deal with it but I have recently read that it's recommended to use Nizoral A-D (anti-dandruff) shampoo in 1% strength. That shampoo is also thought to block dht from killing off your hair follicles. I've bought Nizoral A-D recently and it WILL clear up any dandruff/itchy/oily scalp you may have, almost immediately.
I never used propecia before because I didn't want to spend the money. I've only recently found out that you could have your dermatologist prescribe Proscar which is a 5mg dose of the ingredient in propecia. Cut the pill in quarters and you've saved a whole bunch of money. Propecia is about $1.75-$2 a day were Proscar will cost you about $.66 a day. I've also read that using rogaine and propecia/proscar together gets even greater results than either one on their own. Like most medications, side effects tend to dissipate with continued use. If you've given it a try for a few months and the side effects haven't dissipated, ignore the side effects or quit the pill.
The key to all of this is to do something about it as soon as possible. Dealing with hair loss is hard. I myself went from being very self-conscious for the first 2-3 years when I wasn't treating it, to feeling better about it for 6 years while treating it, to not giving a sh*t for the last 5 years when I was tired of treating it. Only recently as a result of my relapse into depression have I become self-conscious again. It's an unpleasant surprise to me because I thought I had accepted it a long time ago. Maybe it's going to be a life long roller coaster. I don't know. I'm only thirty one. I hope not. I look forward to accepting it again because letting it get me down is stupid.
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