Will hairloss ever stop?

cysta-j · 10-07-2003, 07:07 AM

Once I've been taking the glucophage for a while & get on a regular low carb diet should the hair loss eventually stop or get better? Should I try any of the hair growth shampoos in the meantime? Thanks for any help.

jana1323 · 10-07-2003, 12:30 PM

Hi Cysta-J,

Personally I didn't experience a loss of hair until after I started taking Glucophage. But from what I have read women with PCOS that have hair loss before taking met/gluc do seem to improve after starting the medicine. There are also several over the counter and prescription remedies to treat hair loss. Saw Palmetto and Biotin or two good herb/vitamins that you can take to help with hair loss and regrowth. Several people have had success with Saw Palmetto but with some people it tends to make their skin more oily and their acne worse. This was the case with me so I stoped taking it. I now take Biotin, 1000mg a day. And it has slowed the hair loss, I just shed about 6 to 7 strands in th shower. Which is a normal amount. My hair has also started to grow out and become thicker again.

You didn't say how long and what dose of met you were taking but I would give it a few more months. Sometimes it takes awhile for the drug to work.
Hope this has helped you.

Dotsia · 11-10-2003, 11:55 AM

Jana,
When you say that you lose 6-7 strands in the shower, does it mean that you just notice them falling off or you brush in the shower?

jana1323 · 11-10-2003, 01:45 PM

When I shampoo and condition my hair I always notice a few strands of hair on my hands. Occasionally I still get a handfull of hair that comes out, but for the most part I'm just losing a few a day.

Dotsia · 11-10-2003, 04:28 PM

How many hairs do you lose when you brush? And do you brush before or after the shower? Sorry for asking all these questions. You can tell that I am new and trying to assess my situation by comparison. I am wondering whether I have normal shedding or not. I try to brush before I shower. When I do that I lose 5-6 hairs. In the shower I sometimes lose 2-3 hairs, sometimes 8. I try not to brush when my hair is whet, so when I brush it again, I might lose another 5 hairs, and doring the day another 5 or so will come off. Do you think that is normal?

jana1323 · 11-10-2003, 05:00 PM

I don't really brush my hair, I use a large tooth comb or pick. Normally I might lose two or three hairs when drying and combing my hair but not much. I don't notice losing any during the day but I'm sure I lose one or two.
Ask all the questions you like that's why were here!

Dotsia · 11-10-2003, 05:53 PM

That's not a lot at all. Hopefully one day I can say the same. Right now I am just parranoid about every hair I lose. that's why I notice every hair and count every hair on my brush. I guess these things take time. thank you for your help with my questions and for making me feel welcome on this message board.
dotsia

bald · 11-11-2003, 10:01 AM

Im also getting extremely paranoid about the amount of the hair I lost after every shower (50 - 70)!! Looking at the amount of hair I lost per day per wash, i think "paranoid" is an understatement.

Basically, I dont comb/brush them at all after wash cos im just too scared to look at the strands that come out. I know i am seriously going bald.. the supps that I take arent working.. yet.

im taking Dong Guai, Vitex, Milk Thistle Extract, Biotin and Evening primrose oil. Taken them for 2 weeks now.. so far no AF yet since 20 Sept.

think BCP did the worst damage to my hair.. i was taking diane-35 from April to Aug and the hairloss during these four months is totally crazy.. wondering if I will be able to gain what Ive lost at all..

Dotsia · 11-11-2003, 10:19 AM

Of course I am not a specialist, but I'd suggest cutting your hair shorter. I have curly hair, so when it was long I would normally loose more hair because it was so difficult to detangle. I used to loose the same amount of hair as you when brushing after the shower. After I cut it, that amount was reduced about 5 times. I have showlder length hair now. This way I can still wear it up or in a pony tail if I want. It's better to have it short until you figure out a treatment that works for you. My doctor put me on the Yasmin bcp which I think helped too. I will also see my dermatologist again. I saw him right before the gyno diagnosed me, so he didn't prescribe anything for the hair then. He wanted to see if I have PCOS first and then go from there. Hopefully he will prescribe something that works for the hair regrowth. I don't think I lose a lot now but I need the hair that I lost to come back, don't we all. sigh. I will keep you posted on what my doctor says.
Dotsia

SarahJ · 11-11-2003, 11:02 AM

I had great results with Met, then I took a vacation at the beginning of October, stopped exercising and low-carbing and literally lost all the hair regrowth I'd achieved over the past 6 months.

I am working to get back to where I was. My big observation is that on the days I can bring myself to exercise, I notice substantially less hairloss. When I say exercise, I mean at least 40 minutes of heavy-breathing, sweating, cardio type exercise.

Sarah

Dotsia · 11-11-2003, 12:26 PM

thanks. that's a great motivation to have. if i ever hesitated to exercise daily, i never will again. exercise never hurts even if it will not help with the hair!
dotsia