So, I went to the derm today and he confirmed that I had "significant hair loss." I'm so upset. He said that I should get IM B vitamins and go on aldactone, but that stuff scares me. So I agreed to try shampoos and stuff to get my scalp psoriasis under control, but it seems like this hair loss is just hopeless.
I have very few symptoms: just this and somewhat irregular periods. I get my period almost every month, just poor progesterone. No weight problems (well, I actually am too thin right now) and no hirsutism. And I got pregnant about 5 minutes after taking my first metformin! But this hair thing is really upsetting. Any advice?
Why are you scared of aldactone? It can have serious side effects, but if your kidneys are functioning normally and you're following your potassium you should be fine. Lots of people take aldactone and have done very well on it for years. If you're seriously upset by the hairloss (trust me, been there), you have nothing to lose by following your dermatologist's advice. My suggestion would be to treat the hell out of it. Don't resign yourself to hopelessness. Not everybody finds success, but many people do. I can completely sympathize with the way you're feeling--I thought I was going to throw up when a derm confirmed that mine was thinning (and she didn't have the best bedside manner either, which made it awful). But I've been taking Rogaine, Spiro, and a BC together since June, and I have enough new hair growing in along the hairline that I don't feel nearly as self conscious about it as I did last year this time. I would definitely encourage you to research the issue and talk about it with your doctor so you can develop a treatment plan. Better to try and fail than to never try at all. Good luck. I know how much this sucks, but hopefully you'll find something that can turn this all around.
Well, I'm complicated. First, I have severe psoriasis on my scalp. So that has to clear because that can impinge hair growth. I have meds for that. Second, after much trial and error I found Yaz, which has worked great for me BUT can cause high potassium. Since aldactone and Yaz both can cause this, I would need to be seriously watched. And third, I'm concerned about possibly getting preggers again, and y ou cannot do that while on aldactone.
I haven't gotten my labs back yet; I'll wait for that and then make a treatment decision.
I think you're totally justified in feeling some concern about the aldactone, as potassium and pregnancy are issues with it. There is, however, only a small amount of the aldactone-like component in Yaz. I'm taking Yasmin and 150 mg of Spiro together and have had my potassium level checked about a month after each dose increase on the Spiro. Now that I'm at the max dose I'm going to take and have continued to have normal potassium levels, my doctor will be checking every 3-4 months. I'm sure that the psoriasis is a complicating factor. Hopefully, the meds they've already given you will help clear that up and allow you to better treat the hair loss issue. One other thing I thought I'd mention, I don't know if you're taking metformin currently, but when I took it to get pregnant with my last child, I developed serious problems with weak and brittle hair. My derm chalked that up to a B vitamin absorption issue related to the metformin (and a malnutrition issue, as it made me terribly ill). You had mentioned taking B vitamins in your first post, and that may be a very good idea, especially if you're still taking the met. Good luck. I really hope that you are able to find something that works for you. Keep us posted.
Well, I'm getting my hair cut to see if that helps,a nd I'm taking vitamins again. I really noticed this in the past 2 weeks, as I've had a bad stomach flu and then a cold. I wasn't eating and I think that might have accelerated hair loss, and it's just not growing back. I'm petrified of losing more.
This is really my only symptom. I have no hirsutism, nothing at all other than the occasional odd period. I used Met to conceive my son and was fine at 500mgs. But one weird thing, well, maybe not weird, but when I was on met I bombarded myself with vitamins for a month before and then during. And my hair had a million little regrowths! It was sort of crazy. I felt kind of bad on met for the first month; after that it got better. We'll see. Thanks for validating me-I'll keep you posted!
Well here's something interesting. Seems that my testosterone levels that affect my hair are really low. As in, my derm is not suggesting aldactone. Instead, he wants me to boost my iron intake. We'll see. I'll keep you posted.
But this hair thing is really upsetting. Any advice?
The hair loss issue has been the most upsetting thing for me. It's not going to go away though. It's important to try and find out what is causing it. Before starting a B vitamin I would ask to have my b12 level tested. This will tell you if you are even in need of a supplement. A daily multi vitamin is a good idea and usually contains some b6 and b12. When I first started taking Met, I started taking a b12 supplement and two months into it I started feeling strange so I quit taking it and a few weeks later those symptoms were gone. At my next visit with my endo a month later, I requested to have my level checked and the results showed that I was far from being deficient. Now, I am aware that may change later but I also am aware that my increased shedding is not due to B12 deficiency. I understand being afraid of taking medications. I rarely had to take any medications as a child so having to take them on an ongoing basis now caused some anxiety for me. I just started taking Aldactone today. It may not work but it gives me hope and that is something I desperately need.
So Upset about hair loss 
