I am 26 years old and I have no family history of balding - at least before the age of 50. My father and all of my uncles have as well as my brothers have full heads of hair. Cousins do as well. In June of 2015 (3 months ago) I cut my hair which at the time was 14 inches long. I instantly regretted it, but figured I'd just grow it out again. I complained a lot about how much I missed my hair, and a friend stated that I should use rogaine to make it grow faster. (In hind sight stupid I know) with out much knowledge of rogaine or how it worked I proceed to follow through with this "speed growth" experiment. Afraid that it would do something to the entirety of my my hair I opted to try it on my front and tempals first (aug 4) - rubbing it all over my hairline as far as an inch behind my hairline. I used rogaine 5% foam for 10 days twice daily. After ten days I noticed a small thin spot (appeared almost bald) in the front of my hairline. I freaked out and suddenly stopped using rogaine instantly. At this point I started to notice mass amounts of hair falling on my hands while showering. Come to find out this is the "initial dead shed" commonly associated with hair loss products. I thought that stopping the product would end my shedding, but this has not been the case. Today is six weeks since stopping the use of rogaine, and I still seem to be shedding 50 plus hairs in the shower. This is something I've never noticed before, and prior to this I didn't think I had a hair problem. I figured if I shed this much previously in the shower then I would have noticed 50 plus 14 inch hairs falling out in the shower. Also, if I rub my hands through my hair over the sink repeatedly I can accumulate another 30-40 hairs. did I start some balding process that won't end now?!? I saw a dermatologist and he was familiar with the initial affects of minoxidil. He took a family history of hair loss, examined my scalp, did a scrape of my scalp, and then stated that he highly highly doubted I was experiencing some sudden onset and aggressive onset of MPB. He told me that once the process of "shedding" begins it can't be stopped and one must go through it, and t could last up to 3 months! Is this true?? Please help ease my misery and anxiety. Any input would help!!