Sorry for the dumb question. I tried finding the answer to the question before asking but I couldn't.

Everywhere I look it says Rogaine and generic brands have the same MAIN ingredient. What about the other ingredients?

I've been using rogaine with generic propecia for 6 months and I really feel like I'm getting great results. I guess I'm just paranoid about switching to the cheaper Walgreens brand and want to make absolutely positive it will work just as well.

Thanks.

YES. Generic Rogaine and Brand name Rogaine are the same. The other ingredients don't matter as much. Minoxidil content is what is important.

quote:

Originally posted by mmhce:
YES. Generic Rogaine and Brand name Rogaine are the same. The other ingredients don't matter as much. Minoxidil content is what is important.

Thanks.

They don't matter as much or at all?

Aren't all the ingredients listed on the product? I would compare them very carefully. Unless you can no longer afford Rogaine I would advise you continue using it.

Many years ago (after I had been using Rogaine for several years) I bought Equate (generic version - not sure they even still make it). I noticed two things - it crystalized on the dropper a lot faster than Rogaine and the other thing is after a month or two of using it I started shedding like crazy. I switched back to Rogaine and was again stable for years.

This is just my experience. However, I have found over 20 years of using hair loss topicals that hair follicles and the hair cycle are very fragile. Follicles get used to the EXACT solution they've been absorbing for months or years. Any change can cause them to cycle and enter the telogen phase and even cause telogen effluvium. Our goal is stable, anagen phase follicles for as long as possible. There's much more to it than just Minoxidil. I personally feel follicles can grow dependent on propylene glycol also and removing that can cause them to have withdrawal symptoms and enter the telogen phase. There's just too many reports of guys switching topicals that both contain minoxidil but having major shedding. And then not recovering all the hair they lost. They aren't all imagining things.

The best advice I can offer anyone is to use pick some minoxidil formulation and use it forever. And, if you hair is relatively stable, never switch to some other formulation thinking it will make things better or because it's cheaper. It's all about years of consistency. There are amazing results out there, but these are guys who have diligently used the same routine for many years. You can't stop for a year here or there and switch from foam to liquid back to foam and then over to some other custom made solution.

No, they are definitely not the same product. But, the active ingredient Minoxidil(what is the most important) is the same and it is presented with 5% percentage.
Just look at the prices and you will see that they are not same. You can never know whether or not Rogaine contains other ingredients for example for cosmetically thickening of the hair.