2.5mg oral min + 5% topical min together for a long time: am I overdoing it, and is the topical worth keeping?
Hi all, looking for experiences and opinions from people who've run both forms of minoxidil.
My background:
- 30 M
- Stage: Norwood 3 (receded hairline, bald patch in the crown, overall diffuse thinning across the scalp
- Topical minoxidil 5% for about 2 years [liquid, once daily]
- Added oral minoxidil 2.5 mg daily after 6 months of topical, so about 1.5 years on oral now
- Other treatments: 0.5 dutasteride, microneedling occasionally
- Side effects so far: [none / mild shedding (50 hairs/day) / body hair
My questions:
Is combining 2.5 mg oral with 5% topical for this long reasonable, or is it overkill? I know topical absorption is small but not zero.
Did anyone drop the topical after stabilizing on oral? Did you lose density, or did oral hold things steady?
Does anyone think the combo actually beats oral alone, or is it mostly placebo or habit?
I got good gains from topical after 6 months. My hesitation is that I started with topical first and I'm nervous about losing those gains if I stop it, which is the only reason I've kept it going. I plan to talk to my doctor about this too, but I'd love to hear from people who've been through it.
Thanks in advance!