A good friend of mine on here is concerned that she is losing hair, a worry for most I would imagine. Some say that it is yet another unwanted side effect of the meds we take, what say you??
I say yes it is...when i started taking carbotrol i gained weight and started to lose hair..it finally tapered off and no more hair loss but still could not lose weight. after the surgery , i lost 5 lbs in a few weeks and still losing...so i have to yes to hair loss.
Possibly...
I've never heard of anyone having this problem, but it wouldn't surprise me at all. The stress alone could cause it. Since I've been in too much pain to make it to the salon to get my hair colored, my roots are fairly long and for the first time ever I'm getting grey hairs! Stress...
IT has not happened to me but I have a LOT of hair so you would not notice, this is on behalf of another member so thanks for your replies. I looked it up on Google and many report hair loss is a side effect they have from the meds. I also think the stress is enough to cause it........
Most of my hair loss is caused from stress.
Hi, Jackie —
Years ago, in cosmetology school, I learned it was NORMAL to loose 80-100 hairs p/day. Seems like a LOT, yes? A few years after entering the field, I when going through a divorce. I was so stressed and lost so much hair p/brushing it scared me! Like you, I have a ton of hair, so it was not like it thinned and went bald in some places. I noticed that when I began try the various anti-seizure, anti-convulstants meds this same extreme hair loss happened again. It is not the case now that I am on Neurontin.
I remember from school, that gentle massage to the scalp either by the hands or with a boars' hair brush, would bring the blood to the surface and help with circulation thus provoking new hair growth. Also, when hair is lost by stress or meds, the pours have the ability to regrow. (It is documented that people can go gray or bald overnight due to stress! We must be careful with our managing stress, it's a thief.) On the other hand, when hair is lost, as in male-patterned baldness, the pour has lost the ability to regrow w/o surgical intervention or chemical application.
Check closely to see if the hairs being lost in the hair brush have a little white ball at the (end) root of the hair. If so, the loss is coming directly from the scalp. If there is not a ball on the end of the lost hair, then it shows the hair is breaking off somewhere along the hair shaft. If this is the case, treat with a very good weekly condition/repair cream and moisturize after each shampoo. Do NOT use shampoo with laural sulfate in it. This is the ingredient that causes the shampoo to bubble up quickly. This strips the hair of it's natural oil and causes damage…especially to color treated or permed hair. It's a good idea to let nature do the condition/repair by washing 1-3x p/ week, as opposed to daily. Give the scalp time to build up the oil (if you can). Nature provides the best conditioning around!
One of the products I loved to use during color/permanents and for a full month 1x p/week after a chemical treatment was, 'Fermodyl.' It comes in a glass vile and is sprinkled on the hair after shampoo, and prior to the leave-on moisturizer. It used to cost about $5.00 p/vile (2o years ago!). Not sure of the cost now, but it's still around in beauty supply stores. Not sure of the current cost where you live, or on the net. The company makes a full line of specific hair re-constructors from very fine to dry and brittle. Reconstructors are specifically for damages to hair from sun, heat from blow drying or irons, and chemicals (ie: perms/colors/bleaches).
Hope this is helpful for your friend :-)
Sincerely,
LyndaS
hair loss and change in texture are possibilities from using both anti seizures and tricyclic anti depressants. topamax is one such drug, speaking from personal experience.
vesper
Thank you so much everyone, Vesper your opinion is one shared by many from my research, Linda, your lengthy reply and advice will be appreciated by my friend . I lost all my hair during chemo so know how distressing all of this must be for her. She will be reading this and as thankful as I am for every contribution.
Vesper, what kind of change in texture did you notice from topamax??
Well, isn't this just a bundle of joy!!! :( !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Some people's nerve pain can be caused by hypothyroidism, which also causes hair loss. I think tegretol, neurontin, etc. can worsen the hypothyroidism, making hair loss worse. You can check hypothyroid symptoms at www.stopthethyroidmadness.com. Even body-wide nerve pain is often diagnosed as fibromyalgia rather than low thyroid.
Regards, Sheila
Hair loss – definitely due to medications taken for TN. I realised this losing of hair gradually at the age of 17 when TN struck me.
mostly thinning and a drier texture. lots of hair in the shower drain.
vesper
hair loss, no sex drive ,tiredness, feeling toatally run down , and i surpose there is a lot more side affects that we dont no about xx
I have all the same symptons as lorraine. I had thin and fine hair to begin with but now my hair brush has more hair than I do. I did not realize it was the meds.
Lorraine, yours are symptoms of hypothyroid. Should get it checked.
lorraine said:
hair loss, no sex drive ,tiredness, feeling toatally run down , and i surpose there is a lot more side affects that we dont no about xx
I was 17 when TN struck me, I did not start meds till I was 23 as surgery had cleared pain until than. I started anti consultants & within 10 years lost 90% bald. Not to mention other dreadful side effects like ED, dizziness, nausea. Only remission cleared all these symptoms except baldness
I have so much hair, and have been on the meds for about a year. No hair loss from me.
My first career was hair dressing. And I have had TN 1 for 5 years and I have had NO hair loss.