October 2007

Spironolactone – Hair Loss Story Question

by Y on October 6, 2007

Spironolactone - Hair Loss Story & QuestionHi! First of all I want to say that this is a GREAT forum/blog and I give you a lot of credit for starting it, sharing your stories, and wanting to help others. THANK YOU, and I really appreciate all you’ve done and gone through. Stay strong, continue helping others and you will get through this!

I want to ask you about your thoughts on Spirinolactone, but should provide you some context first. I am 28 years old and started losing my hair around August of 2006. I was under a lot of stress with my job and not taking very good care of myself nutritionally either. So, I started with a family physician and had blood work done. Everything came back fine. She recommended I take a daily multivitamin. She also recommended me to a dermatologist. I finally saw a derm in January of 2007 (it takes FOREVER to get in) and they did some additional blood work and told me to start taking biotin as well as the daily multivitamin. Again everything was “normal” and that was it. In March of 2007 my excessive shedding stopped and my hair felt better again. So I thought the vitamins and biotin were helping and
thought stress had a lot to do with it, too.

THEN, in August of 2007 I started losing a lot of my hair again and am continuing to shed excessively. This time around the hair loss is more noticeable and my scalp is much more noticeable than the first episode. I did just move to a new state, change jobs, sell our house, etc., etc. I thought maybe it was stress again but knew I needed to see a derm to be sure. I live in Winston-Salem, NC and they have an excellent dermatology practice at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Medical Center. They have doctors that specialize in female hair loss!! So, I finally went early this week (after getting an earlier appointment because of a cancellation). I saw 2 doctors that were fantastic. They spent a lot of time talking through everything and came to the conclusion that it’s likely androgenic alopecia. BUT, they had me take every blood test possible in case it’s related to low iron, thyroid, etc. I’m still awaiting those test results. They also think some stress could be involved, but when they performed the hair pull test on me it was positive in some areas and not in others, likely female pattern hair loss (androgenic alopecia). I am supposed to start using Rogaine for men and they will prescribe Spirinolactone if all of my blood work comes back “normal.”

So, do you know much about this drug? Does anyone else on the site know? [click to continue…]

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Looking For A Hair Loss Support Group

by Y on October 5, 2007

Looking For A Hair Loss Support Group

Question:

I am 40 years old and I am bald. I began losing my hair in March of 2007. It has grown a little then falls out, it falls out all over. Starts out in patches then completely goes bald (which is where I am now). I just would like to know I’m not alone. I am looking for a support group in my area.
Thanks,
Gina

Answer:

Dear Gina,

You are definitely not alone. There are unfortunately an extremely high number of women who suffer with hair loss. According to The American Hair Loss Association that number is around 40 million. That makes you very much NOT alone.

As far as support groups, currently the only ones I am aware of are being done by a non profit organization called “Bald Girls Do Lunch.”

Their next event is being held in New York City on October 7th and is called “Alopecia Areata Day of Beauty.” The fundraiser is being held to raise funds to support their lunch meetings across the country.

After that the next meetings will be held in Scottsdale, AZ on October 13 and then Philadelphia, PA on November 3rd.

More About Bald Girls Do Lunch:

Bald Girls Do Lunch, is the only non-profit dedicated specifically to helping women with the auto-immune hair loss condition Alopecia Areata. Visit the website for more information about the lunches and to read testimonials. [click to continue…]

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Hair Loss At 20 Years Old, Sarah’s Story

by Y on October 4, 2007

At the age of 20 years old, I decided to go on birth control, so my doctor prescribed me to “Symphasic”. About 3 or 4 months later, I realized that my hair was thinning, I left it for about 6 months.. and then I went to my doctor, and she switched me to a different birth control – Yasmin. I thought it would be the answer, and I would be cured… but I was FOR SURE wrong. The hair loss got worse. Every month I lost a little more. It wasn’t until this past June that I decided to give up birth control all together and hope for the best. My hair loss began to stop a little, until around the middle of September, and that is when it started shedding more, and it continues to October, which is now. I keep hearing that it takes up to 6 months or more for birth control to get out of your system, and I HOPE that I will then grow my hair back, but what these women on the this site have to say is no hope.Does this sound exactly what you women have gone through? I am starting to get scared. I have had blood tests- and apparently there is nothing wrong with me. Should I be hoping that going off birth control was the best thing, and I will grow my hair back? I am so stressed about it, and like other women say… it takes up about 98% of my thoughts every day! I am crazy self conscious and i cant stand it any longer. if you could please write any comments or suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated!Thanks so much
Sarah

*******

Hi Sarah,

I read your story and I instantly was taken back to 8 years ago since your hair loss began around the same age mine did. I have to point out that I’m not a doctor, but here is my opinion on your situation. Honestly Sarah, I think you have a really really good chance of recovering from this completely, I’ll tell you why. The duration of time you were on the pill wasn’t very long, and also Yasmin is suppose to be a low androgen index birth control pill so I don’t think the damage it would cause would be as severe as say the pill I took, which was Loestrin FE, the highest (or at least was the highest) androgen index pill. I’m not sure about the Synphasic birth control pill because I’ve never heard of it, I tried to Google it and didn’t find much on it, however, on the upside I didn’t find anything good or bad on Synphasic, which I think is a good sign. When you type in the pill name I took “Loestrin” and “androgen index” or “high androgen” you’ll find TONS of stuff that point to women having hair loss problems, a lot of sites explaining it is a high androgen pill etc etc. I don’t even know why they prescribe it to women and I certainly don’t know why they had prescribed it me at 20 years old. I didn’t find anything like that about Synphasic, that’s not to say that the pill wasn’t bad for you, obviously it was, you had hair loss from it, but at least there isn’t an overwhelming about of negative stuff on it. I think that’s a good sign. [click to continue…]

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Drugs That Can Cause Hair Loss

by Y on October 3, 2007

Drugs That Can Cause Hair LossI was asked if I could provide a list of a drugs that can possibly trigger hair loss. I would like to start the list off with my current nemesis, Synthroid. Synthroid is a common medication that is prescribed to treat hypothroidism. Apparently it is a pretty common side effect to experience hair loss from it for those individuals who are sensitive to the medication. I’m sure there are plenty of women taking the drug with no adverse effects to their hair, but it should not be overlooked as a possible contributing factor to your hair loss. The listed “side effects” section on drugs.com it indicates that the hair loss is “usually temporary,” and the “special warnings” section indicates that “it is temporary,” well is it or isn’t it? Of the several doctors I’ve spoken with they have confirmed that it does cause hair loss in some individuals, and not the temporary kind, at least not until the problem with the medication is resolved. Just as a low thyroid (hyopthyroidism) can cause hair loss so can an overdose of the medication Synthroid. The following are signs of over stimulation:

Abdominal cramps, anxiety, changes in appetite, change in menstrual periods, chest pain, diarrhea, emotional instability, fatigue, fever, flushing, hair loss, headache, heart attack or failure, heat intolerance, hyperactivity, increased heart rate, irregular heartbeat, irritability, muscle weakness, nausea, nervousness, palpitations, shortness of breath, sleeplessness, sweating, tremors, vomiting, weight loss.

You do not necessarily need to be experiencing all of these symptoms to have an overstimulated thyroid caused by your thyroid medication. I put it out there so that you can have this knowledge in case you begin to notice hair loss after starting the medication or having your dosage raised. That is another factor to keep in mind, if you have recently had your dose raised after years of being at a certain dosage level, it is possible that the increase in dosage was too much for you body. You should talk to your doctor or seek another opinion from an experienced and knowledgeable physician, an endocrinologist may be a good choice.

So without further ado here is the list of drugs that can possibly cause hair loss, also note this is not the complete comprehensive list, just the more common ones known. [click to continue…]

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A Shower In The Dark – One Of My Hair Loss Rituals

by Y on October 2, 2007

A Shower In The Dark - One Of My Hair Loss RitualsLike I mentioned in another past post, one of the things I do when I’m struggling a lot with my hair loss (such as now) and the shedding is so extreme, is that I shower in the dark. I waited yesterday for the night to come so I could shower. I can’t bear to see the hair falling out all over the place and stuck between my hands, it is too much torment for myself. Needless to say I also comb my hair in the dark as well. Quickly combing through what is left my hair, scooping up the pile that fell out, and making a beeline straight for the toilet where I put to rest my fallen hairs. It didn’t overly depress me as it sometimes can, I guess my mind was a little stronger yesterday. That is just how it goes. Some days I’m stronger with my hair loss and others I am so wrought with depression and sadness. I am thankful for the stronger days, I pray for more of those days all the time.

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On The Bright Side – Hair Loss Story

by Y on October 1, 2007

On The Bright Side - Hair Loss StoryMost of you will smile when you read this, I hope! We all need to keep smiling, no matter what. My hair loss story began in August 2007 when I rubbed the left side of my head, through the hair (I have very long dark hair that I wear up in an “old-lady” bun. I immediately had the never before experienced sensation of feeling absolutely bald scalp on my own head! I didn’t panic, but I went to the mirror to see what was up. Well, what was out, not up, was the hair that had covered about a 5- inch square area of my scalp! Absolutely bald. I really don’t know when it fell out, for sure. I’m not much of a self-absorbed person vis-à-vis my hair, etc., and with it being so long, I just wash, dry, brush, and pin up.

Anyway, I did ask my doctor about it. She did a thyroid test- all OK- and recommended that I see a dermatologist, which I did NOT do. I read about alopecia online, and decided that there was no effective treatment. I have enough trouble being a woman and now a partially bald woman- without being a guinea pig too. Of course, the fact that my long hair and the style I wore kept others from seeing my problem helped in my decision. Perhaps lazy, perhaps stupid. I don’t know.

Over the past year, I developed an extension of the bald patch to the rear a little, not a lot, and also what seems to be an attempt by my hair to establish a bald patch right at the hairline. That will be a big problem if it continues. We’ll have to see.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, I decided to purchase a wig- just in case I woke up with NO hair at all! I got a dark auburn bob-style inexpensive wig, and it didn’t look too bad- although it didn’t look like “me,” either. Well, I hadn’t warned my husband, and when he came into the kitchen door, I was standing in plain view in the den, facing sideways to him. He opens the door, takes one look, and says, “What the hell is going on here?” He really thought some strange woman had invaded our home! After he got over the shock, he still didn’t like it, so I haven’t worn it- but I have kept it just in case. The good news is that about two weeks ago I noticed that the original patch now has some hair – about 1 inch long- repopulating portions of it. So that gives me some hope.

The best news is that I may be partially bald, but I’m healthy and not bald from the effects of treatment for some deadly disease. So I give thanks. It could be worse.

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