My hair is falling out

[scruffy_the_cat]

Yes, I have an extraordinarily stressful situation at home. There’s nothing I can do about it. Now my hair is falling out, both all over and also in patches. Doc says to keep an eye on it and if things are worse in 2 months we can try an injectable steroid. I guess Rogaine is not all that effective on the bald patches.

Any thoughts?

[Cindyg]

Go to a dermatologist. There is a steroid shampoo you can get (RX). Meanwhile, you can go to Walmart and get a medicated shampoo. There are several, and it’s a random guess which one will work for you. But just start using one until you can get it at the dermatologist. But call tomorrow!

[rockymouse]

Also, have your doc check your thyroid levels. I had a stressful job and was also stressed about money. My hair was falling out so much that my husband was alarmed.
Turns out I was low thyroid…Now I take a pill once a day and get bloodwork done once a year to check my levels. Very inexpensive medication. Check it out!

[scruffy_the_cat]

I went to the dermatologist but I should go to my primary and check my thyroid. Good suggestion.

[Griffyn]

I also had bald patches (all on one side fall out) I did do the steroid injections which were not painful, and worked. Good luck Scruff. It does nothing for your self esteem to have your hair fall out, but mine all did finally grow back.

[scruffy_the_cat]

Did you ever figure out the cause? I don’t think it’s all that fair for me to have the patches AND the overall thinning. <shakes fist at someone>

[Pipkin]

Are you on any medication?

Do get your blood checked, thyroid issues can be triggered by stress!

[wateryglen]

Here’s some things you can try:

1. A biotin daily supplement of at least 30 mg.
2. A high protein diet or at least 60 grams/day spread out over 3 meals so it’s absorbed better. You can go higher.
3. Some people like Nioxin shampoo.
4. Avoid any tension on your hair follicles like pony tails.
5. A shorter hairdoo.
6. Avoid coloring for awhile.
7. Drink lots of fluids/eat a balanced diet and get plenty of sleep. And lead as healthy a life as you can during this stressful time.
   Read up on hair loss & the growth phases like anagen/telegen etc. You will see that extreme body stresses (like pregnancy/major surgery) can throw your hair follicles in the “shed” phase for awhile before it goes back into the growth phase. Most stress related hair losses are not permanent. It’ll grow back. Take a deep breath; you can do this. Best wishes!
   Sudden severe hair loss is also a frequently seen side effect of rapid/significant weight loss. Our hair reflects our diet SO much!! Starving people usually have thin hair!!

[Appsolute]

I have an Aunt that suffers from this…

When she gets stressed out - her hair falls out - like ALL of it

She has been to Dr’s and specialists - in her case its a weird autoimmune response to stress.

So, she covers up, and or wears a wig - and eventually it grows back again. But every now and then, when things get very stressful (think once a decade) she loses it all again.

[One_Two_Three]

watching my hair go from full and thick to thin and drabby was the final straw that got me into the doc to see what the HECK was going on. For me it too, was thyroid, as well as a few other autoimmune issues (when you are diagnosed with one, chances are you have or will have more than one)…

I feel your pain. I’ve learned that dry shampoo is a good friend to me. It builds some texture and volume into my hair so that I can at least not look like a drown rat when I put my hair up.

Get to the doc and get some simple blood tests done. The hair regrowth and expensive shampoos dont really work (at least in my experience)… getting levels corrected can have some impact, but I’m still unhappy with my hair. Getting it under control will help you to not lose any more, though!

[LauraKY]

Get your thyroid checked, preferably by an endocrinologist.

[cayuse]

Like everyone else has said it could be thyroid or a side effect from medications. I have had both cause hair thinning at different times in my life. And stress too. The hair loss from stress starts about a week after the “trigger” and lasts a only few days. The loss from meds was a consistent “shedding” that took its toll but reversed itself when I stopped the med.
When my thyroid is out of wack my hair just looks icky.

[Jhein12]

Aveda has this shampoo system called Invati. It isn’t cheap but it does work. I saved by buying mine on Ebay.

[scruffy_the_cat]

Thanks for the input. I have a doctor’s appointment scheduled and I will look into the Aveda shampoo. I’ve got sensitive skin so Aveda products often are good for me.

[suz]

Jingling for answers and a break from the stress for you.

[Color_of_Light]

[QUOTE=LauraKY;8210443]
Get your thyroid checked, preferably by an endocrinologist.[/QUOTE]

I was forewarned about Endocrinologists, and I should have known better…As someone who was just diagnosed with Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroid disease in May, please proceed with caution when dealing with an Endocrinologist. I just saw one for the first time ever (and probably last time!) last week, and she said that she would NOT have put me on thyroid meds! WTH? One of my thyroid levels was over 1100, when the top it should have been was 60. Whatever would she have been waiting for to give me meds?? She also did not believe I could be Estrogen Dominant (which can lead to thyroid issues). I asked her for a ferratin/iron panel and her response was: How could anyone in modern times possibly be iron deficient? She said she had absolutely no idea as to why I was fatigued.

Then she said that I sure looked really healthy, fit and certainly didn’t look sick. Did I work out a lot?? What sorts of exercises do I do?? (weird vibe like she was hitting on me). After that, I introduced her to the curb.

Now, I’m sure that all Endo’s are not like this, but again I had been forewarned that they were not the best to deal with thyroid issues. Apparently not hormone or my overall body issues (fatigue), either.

Also, definitely proceed with caution when dealing with MD’s. Not to be Negative Nelly, but I had signs for 10 years that were missed by all sorts of doctors. TSH test alone tell you absolutely nothing, and neither does adding just free T3 and free T4 to the mix. You also need to add Tpo/ab and Tg/ab to know what is going on with your thyroid. If I had not told my new PCP that I wanted those last two tests, I would still not have any idea why I was feeling so awful and so sick for so long.

An ND is who I am dealing with for my thyroid, hormones, and other systems. They want to get to the root of the symptoms and treat the whole person, not just stick a bandaid on it with some meds like MD’s seem to want to do.

Know exactly what test you want to have done before hand, and when a doctor tries to dismiss your request, let them know it’s your body, your money, and your own personal choice to know exactly what your levels of xy and z are.

[Color_of_Light]

[QUOTE=scruffy the cat;8209398]
Yes, I have an extraordinarily stressful situation at home. There’s nothing I can do about it. Now my hair is falling out, both all over and also in patches. Doc says to keep an eye on it and if things are worse in 2 months we can try an injectable steroid. I guess Rogaine is not all that effective on the bald patches.

Any thoughts?[/QUOTE]

One of my friends used generic rogaine from walgreens (minoxidil) when she got sepsis and lost patches of hair. It made her hair grown so well that now 5 years later, once or twice a year she cycles through minoxidil just to get more hair growth.

I bought some but have only used it for 3-4 days at a time (forget about it) and I’ve definitely seen growth each of the 6 times I’ve used it 3-4 days over an 8 month period.

Same goes for Latisse. I’ve been using it for 6 years, but I don’t follow the directions. I only apply few times a week (every other day, 2-3 times per week). Never every day and I have super long lashes.

[keysfins]

Please do yourself a favor, Scruffy, and find a practitioner who will treat YOU, not the numbers on a lab report!

[suz]

What Keys says, times a million.