Had Minoxidil stopped working for me? Suddenly losing a lot of hairs.

Thank you for your question. You state you’ve been on minoxidil for 6 months, and are now losing a lot of hairs. You said it worked well until the 5th month, then hair shedding increased. You also add there was some shedding until the 3rd month, but it worked fine until the 5th month. You are asking if minoxidil has stopped working for you.
I can help guide with you with this, even without a physical exam and more details about your hair loss situation. I’m Dr. Amiya Prasad. I’m a Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeon and Fellowship Trained Oculoplastic Surgeon. I’ve been in practice in Manhattan and Long Island for over 20 years. I’m the founder of TrichoStem Hair Regeneration Centers, which employ a non-surgical pattern hair loss treatment for men and women using PRP and extracellular matrix since 2011, which pioneered a new classification of hair loss treatment.
What you are experiencing with minoxidil is not unusual. Minoxidil does have a limited effect on hair loss, and that effect can fade with time. Minoxidil does not thicken thinning hair, but rather it appears to delay the normal shedding phase of hair, and extends the growth phase, so you appear to have more hair on your head. This is probably why you experienced shedding at 3 months, and again in the 5th month.
The effects of minoxidil can wane over time, even if you use it daily. Minoxidil was originally used as a blood pressure medication, with a side effect of hair growth. Minoxidil doesn’t treat thinning hair, nor does it treat DHT, the primary cause of pattern hair loss in men. Men who have hair follicles sensitive to DHT experience pattern hair thinning.
I recommend that you look into taking a DHT-blocker like finasteride. I find that finasteride is more effective in treating male pattern hair loss as it does control DHT formation. Finasteride can slow thinning hair and help with some hair growth.
You can also consider a treatment like our Hair Regeneration injection treatment. Most pattern hair loss patients thicken their thinning hair, and stimulate growth in hair follicles that are not growing after only one treatment session, which can last 3-5 years, or even more. This treatment that uses platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and extracellular matrix by ACell works on separate mechanism of finasteride and minoxidil, and you can stop minoxidil use after the treatment. Some older patients who are less DHT-sensitive can stop using finasteride, but for men in 20s and 30s who are more DHT-sensitive, I do recommend finasteride with the Hair Regeneration treatment for synergistic effect in hair loss management.
I suggest you look into finasteride and treatments like Hair Regeneration for a better, more predictable, and longer term treatment for pattern hair loss. Minoxidil can help camouflage hair loss, but it doesn’t treat the causes of pattern hair loss, control hair thinning, or make thinning hair thicker. I hope you found this information helpful. Thank you for your question.

In my opinion, Studies have shown that minoxidil does not lose its effectiveness over time. I suggest you visit a hair loss expert to determine the etiology of your new shedding. They will perform a good history, examination with magnification, possibly blood work and biopsy. A treatment plan will then be based upon diagnosis.

this new shedding era may start again just because of your unstoppable androgenetic hair loss, not because of minoxidil noneffectiveness.