Taking Multiple Medications — How Can I Pinpoint the Cause for My Female Hair Loss?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

(female) I was put on Lorazepam, Topamax, and Wellbutrin. After over a year on Wellbutin, about3 months on Lorazepam, and about 2 months on Topamax my hair has begun to get very thin and frizzy. I thought it was falling out, I am not sure if it is that or breakage. I got a haircut, bought rogaine and am using Nioxin hair products. Which of these meds could have caused this and is there any way to pinpoint which one?

Pinpointing the one or two medications that are participating in your hair loss is very difficult. You need to go over this with your prescribing doctor. Have you been worked up for the various medical conditions that can cause female hair loss?

Tags: female, women, woman, hairloss, hair loss, medication

In the News – Love Cured Complete Alopecia in Young Woman

/by William Rassman, M.D./1 /,

Perhaps I’m just an old romantic, but I really enjoyed this story. Maybe balding people should look for love to cure their hair loss? Likely not, but the story is entertaining for sure.

Hayley BurtonSnippet from the article —

Love has been a hairraising experience for Hayley Burton – in the nicest possible way.

The pretty 20-year-old student had been TOTALLY BALD for seven years before meeting and falling in love with boyfriend Don Timson.

But now her locks are growing back despite her extreme form of hair-loss disease alopecia.

Full text — People.co.uk – The Lock of Love!

In Hayley’s own words — Pick Me Up Magazine – Love made me hairy!

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, alopecia, love, female, women, woman

PCOS and Hair Loss

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

I am a 27y/o female I have been dealing with hair loss for about 3yrs now. I have been diagnosed with pcos. I am being treated for that with birthconrol pills. the last time i checked my hormone levels were close to normal as well as my thyroid levels. so why is my hair still falling out? my family have no signs of baldness mother and father,grandparents, both have full hair. everybody but me. please help have you ever heard of thymu skin does it work? I also seem to have a lot of grity white stuff on my scalp my hair if very thin on top. please help

To answer your questions about the management of your PCOS and hair loss, I would need to examine you as I would anyone I was treating. PCOS tends to act like male patterned hair loss and I would want to know if that was you situation. I’d first map out your hair for miniaturization and then get a diagnosis.

See previous posts for more:

ThymuSkin is a shampoo. The science is weak and I have no working experience with it.

Tags: female, women, woman, hair loss, hairloss, pcos, polycistic ovarian syndrome, thymuskin

In the News – Stress from Being Bullied Causes Teen Girl to Go Bald

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

From the article:

A teenage girl who was the victim of disgraceful bullying for three years has been left so traumatised that her hair has fallen out.

Faith Hawley, 14, said she was verbally abused, punched and even had her hair set on fire after starting at secondary school.

After three years Faith was diagnosed with alopecia, which doctors say was down to stress.

Bullied girl - before and after

 

Wow. This is a horrible case of stress, and for a 14 year old girl to lose all of her hair, it must’ve been quite extreme. Read the full article at the UK’s Daily Mail — ‘I was so badly bullied my hair fell out’: Girl, 14, reveals ordeal at hands of school yobs

Tags: stress, hairloss, hair loss, alopecia, teen, girl, female, women, woman

Hair Spray and Female Hair Loss

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /, , ,

(female) I am getting bald on top. Does cheap hair spray cause this cause I do use a lot of it? I am only on medicine liptor and zetia . Can this medicine cause hair loss. It is getting worse. What can I do? I am 67 years old

Although not a known side effect, the medication you are on may cause hair loss — or you may be experiencing genetic female hair loss, which is present in half of post menopausal women. You need to be examined by a good doctor and tested for a variety of medical conditions which can cause hair loss.

I highly doubt that it is caused by your hair spray.

Tags: hair spray, hairloss, hair loss, female, women, woman, zetia, lipitor

Increasing Iron Levels Quickly?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

I’m currently 7 months pregnant and have had hair loss since August, right through my pregnancy. I’ve recently had some blood tests and my ferratin levels are at 8 and Heamaglobin’s at 11.5. I’ve been prescribed a 100 mg Iron supplements called Pregaday. How can I get my iron levels up quickly?

You can’t. You need to take the medications as prescribed by your doctor. As in life, there are no shortcuts and considering that you are pregnant, you must follow the prescribed directions to the detail that will provide you with the best and safest response.

Tags: pregaday, iron, hairloss, hair loss, ferratin, pregnant, pregnancy, female, women, woman

Cheerleader Got Hair Ripped Out!

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

hi Im a cheerleader and recently while I was stunting my partner and I were doing a trick where I start laying on the floor. Well while I was down there he stepped on my hair and then proceeded to throw me up in the air. The results were a huge chunck of hair coming out, at least 50-100 strands. I have long dark hair,about to my lower back, and I was wondering if that hair will grow back and if so how long will it take?

It will grow out, but it will take some time to grow to the length you have now. It might take a few months to get started, or it may start in as little as a few weeks, but it will come back.

Tags: cheerleader, teen, hairloss, hair loss, accident

Dilantin, Phenobarbital, and Female Hair Loss

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

I am a 50 year old female,who’s hair is thinning rapidly in the last year. I have been taking Dilantin and Phenobarbital since the age of two years old. I know hair thins out as we age, but lately i find my brushes full of my hair. What do you suggest i take for this. I have tried several things and nothing is working. Please respond !!

The first step in evaluating hair loss in women, after a detailed history and physical exam, is to rule out any underlying medical causes of hair loss which can be treated. If clinically appropriate, the following disease processes should be considered: anemia, thyroid disease, connective tissue disease, gynecological conditions and emotional stress. Furthermore, over 50% of women going through change of life hormone fluctuations (menopause) experience significant hair loss.

You need to follow-up with your doctor and find out if there are other medical or hormonal issues that may be causing your hair loss. I doubt Dilantin (phenytoin) and phenobarbital are causing your hair loss at this stage in your life — especially since you have been taking the medication for the last 48 years.

Tags: dilantin, phenytoin, phenobarbital, hairloss, hair loss, female, women, woman

Female Hair Loss After Taking HGH

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

I was going out of town to work on a strenous work project. I decided to take hgh when I started the job. While I was away, my hairline began receding and itching. I didn’t realize it was the HGH until too late, ten weeks of use. I am female and now must hide the front of my head with scarves and wraps. I’m using rogaine. Is there anything that can reverse hgh hair loss?

You may have done permanent damage, but you will not know for a full 8 months from the time you stopped the HGH (which can cause hair loss in some people). A hair transplant may have some value if you do not recover. Unfortunately, you’ll just have to wait and see.

Tags: female, women, woman, hairloss, hair loss, hgh

Sarcoidosis and Female Hair Loss

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

I am an African American female who has been diagnosed with Sarcoid of the skin. I have since lost 85% of my hair and it is NOT growing back. When I was first diagnosed, I would see these scaly flaky spots which would peel away (along with my hair). By the way, I am also taking Prednisone to treat my Rhumatoid Arthritis. I would however like very much to have my natural hair as the wigs are hot, unnatural and unattractive.

There is no cure for sarcoidosis. Treatments sometimes exploit the use of systemic and topical steroids. Local steroid injections into specific lesions sometimes help; the use of methotrexate (an immunosupressive agent) also helps in some people. I have little experience in this awful disease. You need an expert in this arena for treatment, but don’t blame your doctor if the treatments do not work.

Tags: sarcoidosis, sarcoid, hairloss, hair loss, prednisone, steroid, female, women, woman

Hypersensitive to Minoxidil? — I Experienced Heart Palpitations

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

Hello-

I started using Minoxidil 5% twice a day in January or February of 2006. I didn’t experience any side effects, so a year later, I substituted the 5% Minoxidil with 12.5% at night. I still didn’t feel any side effects. I switched to Xandrox 5% (minoxidil with azaelic acid) last December since I have PCOS and it was recommended to help stop the miniaturization of my hair. Within a couple of weeks (maybe even a week), I experienced heart palpitations. Is it possible that people can become hypersensitive to Minoxidil after a period of time (for me, 2 years)? Or could it be coincidental and related to something else?

Thanks

I would never recommend 12.5% topical minoxidil, as it can have serious systemic side effects (just as you described). More importantly, heart palpitations can be a harbinger to a serious and life threatening condition. I strongly recommend that you follow up with a physician for an examination. Minoxidil can cause a drop in blood pressure in a limited number of people.

Tags: minoxidil, rogaine, hairloss, hair loss, female, women, woman, heart, cardiac

Paxil CR and Female Hair Loss

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

I am a twenty-three year old woman taking 37.5 mg of Paxil CR and have experienced substantial hair loss. Could this have something to do with this medication which I’ve been taking for the past 5 year? Also, my hair doesn’t seem to be growing. I eat well- get plenty of protein and take calcium supplements with magnesium and vitamin d. What might I do to trigger hair growth?

I do not know the mechanisms for this side effect, but Paxil (paroxetine) is on WebMD’s list of medications that can potentially cause hair loss. You should discuss this with your prescribing doctor.

Tags: paxil, paroxetine, depression, hairloss, hair loss, female, women, woman

Chemical Relaxer Causing Itching and Scaling of Scalp

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /,

I am an African American female, and I used a chemical relaxer on my hair. Within a few days I had excessive itching and excessive scaling. The results are all over my head. Can you tell me what this could be? Chemical burn? Dandruff? Not sure. I applied Sulphur 8 to mu scalp to control some of the itching. It has helped a little, but if I tough my scalp the itching starts up again. The itching seems to get bad about 3-4 days after I wash my hair.

So, my questions are: What could this be, and how should I remedy the situation? Also, does this seem sever and should I get a doctor involved?

Thank You.

A chemical relaxer is, well, a chemical. Any chemicals can cause local skin irritation or an allergic reaction. I would suggest that you see a primary doctor or a dermatologist if this problem persists. Burns from chemical relaxers are quite common.

Tags: chemical, relaxer, chemicals, itch, scaling, scalp, hair

I Have a Small Bump On The Side of My Head — Infection from Hair Accidentally Being Pulled Out?

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

(female) I have been looking through your webpage and have a question for you, that I can not seem to get a good answer to. I do have a doc’s appt for later this week though.

On the right hand side of my head, kind of directly above the ear, i have noticed a bead like bump. Its firm…is a little sore, is form..and I have had it for a while. I keep thinking it may have been caused by a hair being pulled while I was styling my hair…but think that if it was an infection, would it not be majorly sore and all? I am completely freaked out…is there anything you could suggest until I see the doctor?

Based on what you’re telling me, it doesn’t sound serious. Cysts can be caused by hair getting pulled, and it sounds unlikely that if someone pulled your hair out that you would not know when it happened. Hair pulled out once will not cause a problem and it would regrow. See your family doctor and I am sure he/she will address it.

Tags: hairloss, hair loss, bump, infection, cyst

I’m 7 Months Pregnant and Experiencing Hair Loss

/by William Rassman, M.D./0 /

Please help me – I’ve been suffering from hair shedding since Aug 2007. I was on the pill for 12 years and came off in august just after my wedding to conceive. I concieved straight away and am now 7 months pregnant. In Dec 2006, I was in hospital for a day with an infection which caused a hemorrhage. The shedding does seem to have slowed down now so losing about 25 after washes and I feel spiky bits all over my head. This has lasted about 7 months now and just wanted to know how long it usually last for and if it will stop? Will I ever get the thickness back in my hair?

I’m so depressed about this and would be grateful if you could help me. Thanks

You have many potential causes for hair loss, including:

  • Pregnancy, which can cause hair loss that should reverse after about a year
  • Changes in your hormones from the withdrawal of birth control pills
  • Illness from the infection that put you into the hospital

It is likely that this process will reverse. You are not alone and the experience of others with this problem have been far from hopeless.

Tags: pregnancy, pregnant, hormones, illness, hairloss, hair loss, female, women, woman