OT: HAIR LOSS/THIN HAIR

[carolann1968]

Hey I was wondering if anyone else has this problem tht I have. I have always had thin, fine hair but Ive noticed that its getting thinner and its so dry!!! I have to add gobbs of condition to my hair everyday and it gets so oily I have to wash it everyday which i know doesnt help. Wondering if anyone had any luck fixing this problem or if its just gonna be like that ?

[imabijou]

It's me again caroleann..lol...I have been losing my hair by the bucket loads for the last couple of months...You are suppose to lose around 100 hairs a day but I'm losing probably 1000...I thought it
was getting off Depo Provera birth control that was doing it, but now that you've posted this question, I'm
wondering if the phen could be what's doing it to me too...I think I'll go google and see if I can find it as
being a side effect...

[imabijou]

Look what I found...right here on the phen board...

Massive hair loss

[PixxiDusted]

Funny you should mention this. I was freakin out today in the shower, my hair is just falling out everywhere! I need to go get a haircut too, if I go too long without one I tend to start shedding...lol I'm sure the phen is not helping either.

[carolann1968]

HI IMAB
Seems we have a lot in common LOL. Yes I worry about losing my hair, it is so fine. I noticed the top where i part is getting bigger and bigger and by my forhead its thinning out. I used to part it different ways so it wouldnt show but now its worse. cant hide it....

[bamachicky]

Hi y'all, I just wanted to say that I read the former posts on Massive Hair Loss. In my opinion, most thought that phen was the cause for the hair loss. In my case, I can say that phen was NOT the cause of my hair loss. I lost 80 pounds before taking phen, and even though I was eating VERY healthy, making sure to eat at least 5 fruits/veggies a day, 2 servings of dairy (calcium) and healthy oils such as Olive Oil, my hair still fell out. (I was on the weight watchers flex plan) In addition to this, I also took a daily multi-vitamin. (And still do). In spite of all of this, my hair still fell out. It was due from the weight loss in general (and the shock to my system). It is still falling out, but not nearly as bad as before. I'm not saying that hair loss is not a side effect of taking phen, I'm just saying that it had nothing to do with mine.

Y'all, PLEASE dont take this wrong, because its hard to hear tones of voice when reading posts. But if you could hear my tone, it would be soft and gentle, and non-accusatory. (Is that a word??) And I certainly dont want to offend anyone. But I think that sometimes its easy to blame phen for anything out of the ordinary that happens. There was a thread a while back about people who stayed cold all the time. That was blamed on phen as well. And again, from my own experience, I was cold BEFORE taking phen, due to the weight loss, and loss of "insulation". I do realize that phen has plenty of side effects, but it also has so many benefits. I would hate to scare our newbies away by blaming everything on phen. Its ok to ask the question, because we have these new symptoms that we have never had before and the only thing that we can think of that we are doing differently is taking phen. But, sometimes we get so caught up in the battle to lose weight that we fail to see the progress we have made. And sometimes, our bodies make a lot of changes in reaction to the weight loss. And it can be the loss that causes some (not all) of our symptoms.

This is a great site and even though I dont post a lot, I do get on and read when I can. Everyone is so supportive and encouraging. I sure hope I have not offended anyone because that was not my intention at all. I just wanted to share my thoughts, opinion and experiences.

Blessings to all and keep up the good work!

[imabijou]

Hi bamachicky...I'm not offended but, this forum is for people (old and new) to ask questions about things that concern them...And no one knows the exact cause for the hair loss...or the chills that folks talk about...I have been and still am experiencing both of those things..whether they be Phen related or not, I didn't have this problem before taking the phen and losing weight...so, I really don't know if it's related or not but seems strange that many other folks have and are experiencing the same things...

For the last hour I've been googling for answers to the problem and trying to find out if it is phen related or not...seems some think it is, and some think it's not...since it hasn't been officially logged anywhere that the phen causes the hairloss then it's only ones assumption that it is related, since it didn't start until after being on the phen..

I do agree that phen has many benefits and the most important one being the weightloss, but if someone is having issues that they were not having before, then why shouldn't the ones of us that are having those same issues relate to them about it?

I certainly don't want to scare anyone from taking the phen..I will keep taking it regardless of the hairloss...heck they got some really pretty wigs on the market these days...Wigs will camoflauge the
bald head...nothing will camo this fat a.s.s....lol

And I am not trying to offend you either...Just responding to your post!

[bamachicky]

Hi Imabijou,

Goodness no, I'm not offended at all. And you're right, that's what this forum is for. We both agree that you cant get answers if you dont ask the questions. I just feel that we should consider the fact that the weight loss itself causes our body to react in different ways. And for many people, the weight loss occured while taking the phen. So, its perfectly normal to assume that one of them is the reason for some of these issues. I just wanted to open up the idea that since the phen and weight loss go hand in hand, that it might not always be the phen. And as I stated, in my case - it wasnt. All of these things happened long before I started taking phen.

I value your opinion and the opinion of everyone else here. As I stated before, this is an awesome site where we can all come for support, encouragement, answers, and new ideas.

Have a blessed evening!

[casino11]

Go to Walmart and buy a bottle of vitamins. that read. for hair . skin and nails.. take it every day.
Dont' wash your hair every day and try to not blow dry it.. This helped me out ALOT.
CASINO11

[Mommy2Belle]

iam expierencing the same thing. i have very thick hair and lose tons when i brush a little more then normal in the shower i would say. it defiently scares me so i know how you guys with thin hair feel. its not phentermine its the whole weight loss perios. I asked my dr he said because of the rapid weight loss your body is all out of wack and things happen fori instance period staying longer or not even getting it at all. Good luck and if they tell you it stops i just started my 4th bottle and it is still going on.

[Dawn06]

My sister had a gastric bypass and her hair fell out literally in handfulls- her doc says that stress and the lack of sufficient amounts of protein are the culprit. Phen is a weight loss tool and losing weight can unfortunately mean losing hair when the calorie restrictions mean less protein than normal. She drinks lots of soy milk now and buys those vitamin E caplets (liquid) and breaks them open and rubs them into her scalp. It's growing back and is as healthy as ever. So- more protein could be the solution. Hope it goes well!

[bamachicky]

I changed my eating habits when I started taking phen from Weight Watchers to a high protien/ low carb diet upon the recommendation (AND strong urging) of my doctor. The hair loss has slowed down tremendously. (Thank God!)

[allylynn]

I agree with the protein and the fact that the hair loss is probably not a result of Phen but of weight loss and our eating habits. I have had very very thick hair. I had my hair cut shorter and the other day I noticed that I could see huge gaps of my scalp. I almost freaked out.

I had remembered my conversation with my two friends who had gastric bypass. One had a huge hair loss and the other woman didn't lose any. I inquired what made the difference. I was strongly told it was the amount of protein that they ate. The one who ate lots of protein barely even lost any hair.

I'm upping my protein the last couple of weeks. Hopefully it will slow down or grow back in and not be a permanent loss.

[Glenna M]

I was losing tons before the weight loss and Phen, it has actually slowed down now. One cause for me was my thyroid, the other was I am a carbabholic. I didn't really eat alot of protein. Now I have my thyroid under control and I take vitamins (I didn't bother to before) and eat more protein. As far as being chilly I welcomed it with open arms! Before Phen I was one constant hot flash! Between being heavy and starting menopause, I could never get cool enough. The Phen stopped my hot flashes. I have not had one bad side effect from Phen. The only side effect I had was not sleeping well, and that went away. The being chilly is because we have lost alot of our fat layer that insulates us.

[Cini]

Carolann,
You say your hair is very dry and that you have to use lots of conditioner, but also that it gets oily fast.
Are you using the right products? Something that a hair-dresser who really knows her business has recommended?
As Glenna mentioned, you could have thyroid issues. My mom lost tons of hair before her thyroid hormones were balanced.
Are you born in 68? If so, you could be perimenopausal and your entire hormone system might be fluctuating. You could have too much testosterone compared to estrogen. Testosterone is well known to cause hair loss and oily skin/scalp.
Stress can lead to hair loss. Emotional stress or physical stress like surgery or massive weight-loss.
Diet and nutrition of course are huge factors as well.
With as little as many are eating while on phen, it's easily possible that you simply do not get enough nutrients. You might want to consider taking a good multivitamin and mineral supplement. All vitamins are not created equal and the cheap brands are synthetic. Synthetic vitamins are by far not as easily absorbed by the body and bio-available as vitamins that are from food sources. Those products are expensive, but I feel they are well worth it. I have used numerous "New Chapter" vitamins and minerals (and a few others) for several years now and I feel great. I also have no problems with hair loss or skin issues while on phen- and I have thyroid disease which usually does not help with hair .My well-being and looks are worth the money to me
Apart from a good vitamin which can't hurt in any case, you might want to go to a doctor and get a blood panel done to check your hormone levels (thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) . A full blood panel will also show if all your other values are in range. If they are not, you could have an undiagnosed issue that causes the hair loss.
Periods of increased hair loss are fairly normal, but it should definitely not be so much that you see balding spots.

[doxiegal]

Hey there! Its been a while since I have posted but this topic caught my eye. I have been on phen and topamax for over a year and a half now and I have suffered this problem as well. I have very thick hair and my hair dresser and I noticed that it was staying thick on the top but was really thinning out on the bottom and started to look like I had a mullet. Well I had not been taking my vitamins for about a month or so and I started back on them because my doctor wanted me to take a blood panel and it included a B12 check in it and I want taking that either so I started back on that religiously as well. Well about 3 weeks into it, I read the front of the bottle, now these are vitamins that my doctor formulated and bottled but anyone in my area can buy them. The bottled says B complex for support of hair skin and nail growth. Well sure enough my hair was getting thicker and not falling out as much and the out growth of my roots was at least 2 1/2 inches in only 4 weeks! My hair dresser was amaized and she had been my same program and had not been taking her vitamins for months and her hair looked awful and her skin even worse she wanted to know what I was doing that made my hair so much better I told her and she said she was going to go get the B vitamin complex right away. So my advise is to go out and get a good quality vitamin B complex capsule and take it religiously and see if that might help you it sure did for me!

[RunUndefined]

I wanted to comment on this too..

I don't think it's the Phen, as I too have lots a lot of hair (lost 50# last year) as I was losing weight.

I think it is just the shock to your system... I take LOTS of supplements also..
I do think the Biotin I am taking (added a couple of months ago) has really started to help.

[jenna_x7]

Hello! I just started Phen so I haven't lost any hair yet, but on the last diet pills I took (Diennet Diet) I lots a TON of hair...so did my best friend. She said that it was due to malnutrition....or just not eating enough I guess (malnutrition sounds so harsh lol!) She suggested I drink a cup of skim milk everyday, and it really helped with the hair loss!

[benson012094]

Hi. I have PCOS and that is what caused my hair loss. Read the below and that might help. Also, I am a licensed cosmetologist and there is a new product out that is the new "it" thing for hair loss. I can already see some new hairs on my hairline. It is called Alterna Life Restore Scalp and Follicle Serum. It's awesome. It's expensive, about $30.00 a bottle, but I love it. It's hard to find. You can always get it on eBay though.

Causes of Hair Loss in Women

The cause of the failure to grow new hair is not well understood, but in the case of women with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), excessively high levels of androgens (male hormones) are thought to be primarily responsible.

A male hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is converted from testosterone, binds to sites on hair follicles and appears to make the follicles go into their "resting" phase sooner, which in turn starts to cause the hairs produced by those follicles to become thinner and thinner with each growth cycle.

Women with high or increasing levels of androgens, such as women with PCOS or who are menopausal, may find that the hair on the head is thinned, while facial hair is coarser. Although new hair is not produced, the follicles remain alive, suggesting the possibility of new hair growth.

It appears that sex hormone imbalances or fluctuations are responsible for most female hair loss, including those who have PCOS, recent pregnancy, menopause, postmenopausal trauma, or birth control side effects.

"Androgenic alopecia" is hair loss due to a male hormone imbalance, and is probably the most common cause for hair thinning and loss in PCOS women.

However, androgenic alopecia is not to be confused with estrogenic alopecia, which is due to a fall in estrogens.

In contrast to testosterone, estrogen helps hair grow faster and stay on the head longer, resulting in thicker hair. This is the reason women’s hair gets fuller during pregnancy when estrogen levels are quite high, then sheds several weeks after the baby is born. Estrogen-deficiency alopecia generally starts around menopause. Because estrogen levels start to fall before periods stop, this form of female hair loss can be the first sign of approaching menopause. But sometimes the alopecia does begin until a few months or even a few years after menstruation has ended. Not all women get noticeable alopecia after menopause but most have at least mild thinning.

Many PCOS women also have thyroid problems, usually hypothyroidism (low thyroid function). Not only does hypothyroidism contribute to weight problems, it can also contribute to hair thinning. Some women with PCOS have both an excessively high level of testosterone and an underactive thyroid. It's not uncommon to have multiple factors involved in female hair loss.

Insidious poisoning with heavy metals such as lead, mercury or cadmium can show up as hair thinning. Sources are everywhere in the environment. Be particularly interested in this if you have lived near a mining site, or worked or lived with someone who works in an industry that uses metals. If you smoke tobacco, you get a lot of cadmium. A hair analysis can indicate abnormally high levels of these heavy metal toxins. If you want a hair analysis, or have high levels of metals showing up in a hair analysis, consult with a naturopathic physician or Dr. Nancy Dunne.

Other possible contributors to female hair loss or hair thinning in women may include:

Anemia
Any hypothalamic or pituitary disorder (glands in the brain)
Any thyroid, liver, adrenal or ovarian disorder
Childbirth
Drug toxicity - anesthesia, chemotherapy
Eating disorder - anorexia, bulimia
Essential fatty acid deficiency
Protein deficiency (common with vegetarian diets)
Severe infection
Severe stress
Starting or stopping birth control pills
Various medications, including bromocriptine, beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, amphetamines, anticholesterol agents
Mineral or vitamin deficiency - zinc, manganese, iron, vitamin B6, biotin
Perms, hair color, bleach, improper brushing/combing, hair styles that pull on the hair
Autoimmune disease such as lupus
Any sex steroid imbalance such as low progesterone, estrogen dominance
Allergies
Recent hepatitis B shot.

[carolann1968]

Hi all,
Thanks for all of your posts. You all have been very helpful and I have a lot of information that I didnt have before this post.
I just wanted to say that my hair has ALWAYS been thin. I have very light skin and eyes. I think IM recessive. Anyways the hair has always bugged me. Its like baby fine blonde hair. It is dry as in the hair is dry and easily damaged. My scalp gets so oily that I have to wash it everyday and thats why I have to add so much conditioner.
I just turned 40 and could easily blame it on perimenapause but like I said its always been super fine. It just seems to be breaking a lot lately and falling out. My hairdresser said to not wash it but thats impossible. I look like a grease ball if I dont. When Im off from work of course I dont but when I do I have to wash it...
I had all my labs drawn and they were fine. My cholesterol was high but my hormones, and thyroid were all normal. As a kid, my doc sent me to an endocrinologist to see if i possibly had thyroid problems but even then I didnt. I guess i am a freak of nature, LOL.
I am going to buy me some vitamins like yall were suggesting and hope that helps. I have to say im pretty slack when it comes to those. Thanks everyone for your input.

[benson012094]

Also, you don't need to apply a ton of conditioner. If your hair is dry, it is coming from the inside. (unless you chemically damage your hair.) Even then, buy a professional conditioner and use only a nickle size. Your hair can only absorb so much, the rest of the conditioner just sits on the top and is wasted. If you find TIGI, they have moisture and protein conditioners (moisture maniac and self absorbed). Good luck to ya!

[WeepnWillow]

I dont think its the Phen per say but the fact that Phen keeps us from eating as much...and we dont get as many vitamins from the food we digest. I would suggest taking a multivitamin and Biotin...my aunt does hair and she suggested I start taking Biotin for hair regrowth...and my hair has started to grow back. My friend lost alot of weight by starving herself and her hair thinned so badly....I talked her into taking the Biotin and she after years of thin hair has started to see regrowth....

Im not sure if anyone else in above post mentioned it or not....I hate reading and at work I dont have time to read the entire thread......I hope this helps someone.

[Vixena99]

Ok I am a Cosmetologist and the main reasons people lose hair are.....
1. Genetic hair loss ....Alopecia (sp?)
2. Stress
3. Weight loss
4. Malnutrition

I am sure there are some meds that can cause you to lose hair, but I have not had this experience with Phen. I have lost hair before (massive amounts) due to not eating enough on a "crash" diet combined with a ton of stress.

DO NOT wash your hair everyday it's super bad for your hair. Unless you are unfortunate to have oily hair and need to....in that case DO NOT use conditioner. Conditioner should only be used in a small amount....I have a ton of hair it's longer than my shoulders and super super thick.....I only use maybe a dime size of conditioner.......so if you have less hair or fine hair.....use a pea size. .....it should only be used on the ends and then if you need to run it through your hair to de-tangle.....just stay away from the scalp. You don't have to buy the "expensive" salon products, just know how to use the products. Another trick is to change your shapoos/conditioners. Your hair has a PH balance and sometimes when our hair gets used to a product it begins to feel and look dull, so switch it up every couple of weeks. I think I seriously have like 6 different types of shampoo.....some expensive, some not. It's good to have a good clarifying shampoo to use once every couple of weeks.

A great vitamin to get for hair and nails is Biotin, you can get it at GNC (Super biotin 2500 is what I took to get my hair to grow back after my hair loss.) Another fabulous thing that is good for your hair and nails are PreNatal Vitamins. Nexium is a good product line for hair re-growth.
Those are the tips I have and I know have worked for myself and my clients.
Good luck to you all!

[TishaO2]

The hair loss could be a lack of protein in your diet and your losing vitamins and nutrients from the lower amounts of calories. Try taking a good multi vitamin and the foods that you do intake, try to find ones that are good amounts of protein. Also, Vitamin E is really good for the hair, skin and nails. Hope something works for you.

[carolann1968]

Hi guys,
Thanks for all your advise. I am going to eat more protein and I went out and bought some multivits, biotin, and b complex vits. Hopefully this will help.