Touch of Grey ([info]touchofgrey) wrote in [info]naturalliving,
@ 2008-07-22 08:54:00
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Current mood: determined
Entry tags:hair: care, nutritional supplements/vitamins

Medication and hair loss
So you know how certain medications list a side effect of hair loss? (Apologies on this one, I'd rather not get more specific about which one (except to say it's not chemo) due to the fact it's a friend taking it, not me.) Well, if you're on one of these, and the hair loss starts to occur, is there any way to find out what exactly it's doing to your body to cause the hair loss and counteract it? So far the web searches I've done just say "may cause hair loss," but no clue as to why. Severe vitamin deficiency? Killing the hair cells? I'm sure it's different with every one, but I know your body doesn't just start flinging hair out in random directions for no reason.

I've made the standard suggestions for thinning hair (multi-vitamins, MSM, etc., after checking for possible interactions with the med) and plan on scouring the tags for more, but this is pretty traumatic for the person it's happening to, and I'm hoping to come up with something more specific. Asking the doc just got a shrug and "known side effect," and switching medications (or stopping taking it) isn't a good option. He's to the point of planning to ask for a prescription for Propecia, but aside from the nastiness of adding drugs on top of drugs, I don't know if it would help for hair loss due to medication anyway. (Bringing me back to that "what is it doing exactly?" question.)

Edit: I should add that he did have a blood test recently and everything they tested came back normal, but aside from liver and kidney function, I'm not sure what was tested.

P.S. Would a "medication side effects" tag or something like that be useful? I didn't find a tag where this seemed to fit well.


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[info]caliza
2008-07-22 01:31 pm UTC (link)
Just a hunch, but if you look up the specific pharmacodynamics (how the medication exerts it's effects on the body) for the med in question, it may give you a clue...

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[info]touchofgrey
2008-07-22 01:36 pm UTC (link)
Wikipedia to the rescue. :-) The paragraph there almost made my brain explode, but it's a decent starting point. Although they had five different articles linked on why it can cause weight gain and not a single one on the hair loss. *sigh* Thank you for the suggestion. Once I figure out what all these words mean, it might be a good help! :-)

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[info]caliza
2008-07-22 01:41 pm UTC (link)
If you want some help interpriting things, you can find me on AIM - CalizaMatilda.

I'm no doctor, but pharmacology was my best class last semester and I enjoy learning about meds (me = geek).

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[info]touchofgrey
2008-07-22 01:43 pm UTC (link)
Thank you. :-)

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[info]caliza
2008-07-22 01:45 pm UTC (link)
no prob.

work is slow this morning :P

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[info]touchofgrey
2008-07-22 01:51 pm UTC (link)
Just contacted you privately. (I hope people actually get these LJ PMs. I remember notification of mine being turned off by default when they first implemented it.)

I feel like I'm being obnoxiously secretive about the whole thing, but I don't feel comfortable blasting someone else's private medical details to the entire internet any more than I already have. :-)

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[info]caliza
2008-07-22 01:53 pm UTC (link)
Got it.

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[info]norokrex
2008-07-22 04:09 pm UTC (link)
actually i really respect (desptite my curious streek) you for not blathering about somone else's stuff. Its a mark of a good freind.

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[info]touchofgrey
2008-07-22 04:24 pm UTC (link)
Thank you. :-)

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[info]chiyo_no_saru
2008-07-22 01:32 pm UTC (link)
I can dig around at work--I work at a health clinic--what medication do you think is the cause, if you don't mind my asking?

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[info]touchofgrey
2008-07-22 01:42 pm UTC (link)
I appreciate the offer. Just contacted you privately. (I feel weird going into more details in public since I'm posting about someone else.)

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[info]cindmouse
2008-07-22 01:47 pm UTC (link)
You could try RxList.com

They give a lot of very detailed info on there about all kinds of med's and contradictions, side-effects and the like ... both the and the bad. I use it a good bit.

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[info]touchofgrey
2008-07-22 01:55 pm UTC (link)
That's a good link. Thank you!

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[info]cindmouse
2008-07-22 03:02 pm UTC (link)
Sure thing ...

And "oops" ... that was supposed to read "...the good and the bad ..."

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[info]blueyz72
2008-07-22 02:00 pm UTC (link)
Looks like you have others to help, and I totally get the not going into someone else's problems in detail on here -not a problem.

I know for me a few things that trigger it are thryoid/adrenal function and I know for others it has been vitamin or iron deficiency(usually iron).

Personally, my gut reaction is for person to go to another Dr that cares more!!

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[info]touchofgrey
2008-07-22 02:07 pm UTC (link)
I myself have been trying to find a doctor who cares more since I moved to this town over a decade ago. *sigh* Most of the time, I find I'm more educated about a specific problem I might have than my doctor is.

I'll suggest he ask his doctor what exactly was tested and maybe see if he can get a broader blood test done. That's probably the best starting point.

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[info]blueyz72
2008-07-22 04:30 pm UTC (link)
Is it a small town? Might be harder with limited Dr's then. Otherwise the person that has been the most help to me has been my naturopath, she's great!

Definitely good idea he asks for a copy of his lab results, it is way too easy for a Dr to say 'it's normal' when it really might not be.

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[info]manycolored
2008-07-22 02:09 pm UTC (link)
Maybe check with these people: http://www.americanhairloss.org/

Propecia is an FDA approved drug (it's also used for prostate problems) so it will be very easy to find out about interactions with the other drugs he is taking, using the Physician's Desk Reference. (Or ask a pharmacist or doctor.) Propecia can affect libido and potence in a small percentage of men, so that's also something to consider. (Personally, I feel sad that my boyfriend's upset about his hairloss (early onset male pattern baldness) but I'd rather have him bald as Mr. Clean as long as he's still ready for action. ;) )

"Natural cures" for baldness don't work. Hell, the medical cures don't work well either. BUT using only natural, non-irritating hair products and avoiding things like blow dryers will put a lot less stress on the scalp and follicles, resulting less hair breakage and fall-out as well as healthier-looking hair that remains.

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[info]touchofgrey
2008-07-22 02:48 pm UTC (link)
Prostate problems and hair loss. There's a combination...

I'm obsessive about my own butt-length hair, as I mentioned below, so I can definitely feel sympathy for people that are upset about losing theirs. I'm married to a long-haired guy also, and love his hair as much as I do mine, although yeah, I wouldn't want him to keep it at the expense of his health or libido. (Although that would have to be one strong drug to affect his... eh, never mind. ;-) I'm a long-time member of [info]longhair where we get quite obsessive about the gentle treatment of our precious hair. ;-)

I did a VERY quick look-up of Propecia and it seems fairly safe, but that whole "don't keep it in the same house with a woman" (exaggeration) thing always freaked me out. (I know it has something to do with birth defects, but the original commercials I saw didn't mention that part. They just always gave me the impression that women explode on contact or something.)

I do know people who have reversed hair loss through diet and other methods you mention, although the mechanism by which "baldness" occurs probably works differently. (It's something I've never looked into.) The site you link does talk about drug-induced hair loss, but again, doesn't really get into any suggestions of the why.

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[info]hoorayparade
2008-07-22 02:28 pm UTC (link)
So I can't remember if in previous posts/comments, you have talked about how good your eating habits are. I heard(on Oprah)that hair loss in women can be the result of eating refined sugars and processed foods.

I don't know if it'll help or not but i thought i might throw it out there.

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[info]hoorayparade
2008-07-22 02:30 pm UTC (link)
Dang it. i just realized it was your friend you were talking about. Oh well. Same stuff applies!

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[info]touchofgrey
2008-07-22 02:35 pm UTC (link)
:-) That's ok. I'd be just as traumatized if not more if my hair started falling out. (Mine's down to my butt.) As for him, I don't think his diet is that bad. I did ask him about that, but I'll have a more in-depth conversation next time I talk to him.

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[info]heavymetalgypsy
2008-07-22 02:54 pm UTC (link)
I used to be on a lot of stress/anxiety meds and they made my hair fall out almost in clumps. The only time it stopped was when I stopped taking them.

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[info]touchofgrey
2008-07-22 03:00 pm UTC (link)
Because hair falling out in clumps is sure going to help with the stress/anxiety. *eyeroll*

Sorry. That's me and my disgust for western medicine coming out again. Half the time it seems the cure is worse than the problem. (Not that you can't say the same about some herbs. St. John's Wort causing your birth control to fail isn't going to help much with depression either.)

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[info]heavymetalgypsy
2008-07-22 04:05 pm UTC (link)
Yeah, that's pretty much why I stopped taking them. And the moron doctor prescribed me for something I didn't even end up having! So basically, a whole bunch of pills for nothing that F---ed up my health.

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[info]indigodye
2008-07-22 04:11 pm UTC (link)
I've been dealing with hair loss for over a month now. Goes past my bra strap, and it's coming out in clumps. Not much advice, even though I've been researching it to death - I don't know the details, so I'm not gonna take wild guesses. But good luck to your friend.

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[info]touchofgrey
2008-07-22 04:25 pm UTC (link)
Yikes! Good luck to you, too!

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[info]romijordanna
2008-07-22 04:53 pm UTC (link)
I would ask the pharmacist. They tend to know more about how medications work and side effects than doctors do, at least IME. You can go into any pharmacy and chat one up (or even just call), or ask your friend's pharmacist.

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[info]touchofgrey
2008-07-22 09:21 pm UTC (link)
Thanks for that. I'll pass it on! Now that I think about it, I have often gotten much better info from my pharmacist on things than I have from my doctor.

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