Zinc Deficiency Associated with Hypothyroidism: An Overlooked Cause of Severe Alopecia
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3746228/

So I googled them together and found one of your old posts! We come full circle! LOL . . .

http://www.womenshairlossproject.com/hair-loss/mineral-deficiency-pcos-and-hair-loss/

http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Factors-Stress-Relax-Chewable-60-Count/dp/B000R8IPR0/ref=sr_1_6?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1391042560&sr=1-6&keywords=gaba

Here’s some backup to my previous comment:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201106/magnesium-and-the-brain-the-original-chill-pill

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reading-between-the-headlines/201307/vitamin-d-deficiency-and-depression

Role of zinc in the development of mood disorders:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20689416

Zinc: The New Antidepressant?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16491668

Anyway one more thing: I was blown away to discover how much diet affects my anxiety levels. If I hadn’t done a dietary trial to feel the results first hand I would not have believed it. Be sure you’re getting enough Vitamin D, magnesium (liquid is best), zinc (liquid again) and Vitamin B (sublingual). If you can bear it, cut down (or eliminate) grains for awhile – replace them with brightly colored veggies – and see if anything changes with your headspace (it did for me). Also, see if you can max the “friendly bacteria” in your diet, and avoid over-using antibiotics.

Also: Docs tell us to avoid alcohol while on brain meds. This is probably really important advice to follow. I know people on brain meds sometimes drink and seem none the worse for wear for doing it, but I wonder.

I hope your daughter is recovering well from her surgery, sending you hugs!

XOXO

Just one word of caution….they put me on Xanex after my panic attacks when my son was born, and suffering from hair loss and terrible postpartum, I got addicted to them very quickly. My point is my advice, for what it’s worth? Get your dosage upped on the Zoloft, and then scale back the Xanex. I’m currently on 100 mg, I won’t go up further because of the side effects you mentioned. I felt like crap too for a few weeks but it was SO worth it. I went with the Lorazepam this time around because it’s less addictive. (FOR ME, anyways.) I can go days without taking it and could never do that on the Xanex.

Anyhow, wishing you the best. Sorry about your boobs! 😉

@sleeplesshouse – Thank you for such an insightful comment! I definitely appreciate you writing that Zoloft and the SSRI’s are viewed equally as an anti-anxiety medication, and there is no question that a bad anxiety episode can throw me down into a depressed stupor faster than you can say “wiglandia.” So the anti-depressant part of the, errr, anti-depressant I take is totally needed as well, it’s just been some bizarre mind-messed-upper for me to get zen with taking it, but I will. I’m sharing my way to acceptance, one Zoloft share at a time 🙂 I get very strong physical reactions from my anxiety (shaking, flushing, accelerated heart rate) so the beta blocker was to address that side of it, so I take it everyday as a prophylactic for my anxiety.

@bayareagirl – The PRP does hurt, but I’ve done it so much I’m sort of used to the pain… I know what to expect from it, so while it’s not pleasant it’s definitely manageable 🙂 It’s not an easy decision (or wasn’t for me) to decide to treat anxiety with medication, I’m not sure why, but it just wasn’t. I was willing to throw anything and everything down my gut to treat my hair loss.. but my anxiety that left me socially blacking out and a fidgety mess, that one… that one I had to think on LOL. makes perfect sense. Not. It’s a very personal choice, to take medications, and one that was worth exploring for myself. It’s made a huge difference in my life and I wish I did it years ago. But, I get not wanting to take anything for fear of further causing more hair loss, I used to refuse to take medications for just general wellness that were needed when I was sick, so I get that fully.

@B – The terms are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference. Here are some links:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/AnxietyOverview/story?id=4659738
http://panicdisorder.about.com/od/understandingpanic/a/anxvspanic.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_attack

@avery – I think often women find that throwing hair on, wasn’t the end all be all — wake up and my life will be awesome instantly solution. It takes time and acceptance even after the point of choosing to and actually wearing hair. I can definitely see how you are experiencing more anxiety now while wearing hair vs. trying to hide the loss without it, because it’s new.. even 7 months is still new, and you have fears about it as you expressed, i.e, someone finding out. There is no shame in wearing hair, not in my world. I have no idea what Busperone is, but you should definitely seek the help of a psychiatrist to help you with your anxiety, and you are most definitely not alone.. not alone in your hair loss, not alone in wearing hair, and not alone in your anxiety.

@Pinky – It would be awesome if getting off the pill reduces my anxiety, it hasn’t yet. It just reduced my breast size. Can’t catch a break! 😉 My body is most definitely super sensitive, without a doubt though, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the pill made my anxiety worse. I’m so glad you found a path working for you, that’s awesome to read!

@YouAreVeryStar – I go to Dr. Greco because he’s the first one that started using PRP in the application of treating hair loss. I felt he was the best to go to, I’ve seen him for years and am very comfortable with him. I believe he does have his own proprietary things he does in his treatments, so there is some difference there from what others may do. I’m just comfortable with his treatment/ and him in general, so I choose to continue to have him do my PRP. I can’t compare to anyone else, because I haven’t been to anyone else for this treatment.

XOXO

I was wondering if there was a specific reason you went to Dr. Greco in Florida? I also live in LA and have googled a few places here that offer this treatment but wasn’t sure if you felt like Dr. Greco’s results/treatment was far superior then what you found close by?

I’ve chronicled my own odyssey with premenstrual dysphoria (PMDD), social anxiety, hair loss, fainting, etc. at my blog if you’re interested – – I’ve been on Zoloft and Wellbutrin FWIW – – fully weaned from them now and doing okay. Whatever I’m doing now seems to be working. I’ve even started growing a little hair! It’s not cosmetically acceptable, more like old Einstein on a bad hair day, but it’s a sign my immune system is finally starting to regulate itself after ten long years.