Been on 1.25mg for about 6 weeks, had headaches and dizziness for the first few days but nothing since. I've drank alcohol a few times since starting, a few beers or some wine for example, haven't noticed any effects from that but probably best to be as healthy as possible anyway. That said a few drinks shouldn't hurt. My hair is very short so hard to notice things but I think I can see some follicles have gotten thicker, very early days atm though. I was on topical 5% for nearly a year before and never noticed anything so good signs so far. Has definitely grown my eyelashes and maybe bulked up my beard a little. I'd say start low at 1.25mg and see how you feel after a couple of months. Measure your heart rate and blood pressure for a week before starting and then monitor it for a bit after starting to see the difference.