[marilynmonroe]

I've been on 37.5 mg of phentermine 2x a day for 3 months. I'm under the care of a weightloss doctor. So far I'm very happy with the 50 lb weightloss with only about 15 lbs to go. However the loss has drastically slowed to about 1 or 2 lbs a week. My biggest concern with the side effects of this medication is the hairloss. Starting about three weeks after taking the medicine my hair started comming out by the hundreds a day. All of my life I took great pride in having a headfull of long, THICK hair. Now, my hair is so thin I can see my scalp. I'm afraid to wash it or comb it. My doctor said it was due to the lack of vitamins and minerals in my diet. I think he's full of CRAP!!! He told me to take biotin which I have for 2 months now and have seen no results. I don't think losing another 15 lbs is worth losing anymore hair over. But now I'm wondering if it will grow back. And when I stop taking the pills if I'll gain back the weight and be bald too!! PLEASE DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS??? I"M DESPARATE!!

[lisabeth]

WOW, I can only image how you must feel to lose your hair. The question I have is are you eating enough? The reason I ask that is I used to have a few very close friends who unfortunately suffered from anorexia, and they too had to go through the hair loss ordeal. Just a suggestion...maybe a second opinion is in order. I am not a doc, but it sounds serious enough to need more than biotin. I see a diet doc and mine only talked to me once, the only people I actually have contact with are the nurses who wiegh and dispense the meds. I just want to reassure you that people care. That you are not alone and even if you really don't want my lame attempt of advice that at least someone cares enough to listen. Hang in there, and be careful lisabeth

[marilynmonroe]

Thanx for your response lizabeth. Now you really have me thinking...Could I be anorexic? That thought never really crossed my mind! I thought I was eating enough but perhaps not. I usually eat one small meal a day usually consisting of a protein, carb, and vegetable. I also try to have a glass of milk sometime during the day. I really don't have enough apetite for more than that. Gosh, I never thought I was eating so little that I'd be anorexic, but that would certainly explain the hairloss. Maybe I need to find a good vitamin supplement. Thank You So Much For The Insight!!

[nal]

I'm sorry, but I just read this post and I am shocked. You are eating one small meal a day, and you wonder why you're losing your hair? Does the diet doc know how little you are eating?

Your weight loss is impressive, but at what price? I'll grant you, mine has been much slower, but I'm not losing hair.

I really think you need to talk with someone knowledgable about what a normal, healthy eating plan would be for you. One small meal per day is starvation.

[rutzy]

hey there,
i think that there is something in all diet pills that effect hair loss in different people. a friend of mine was taking phen phen and lost gobs and gobs of hair. she had to stop taking it.hope there is something out there to help you.

[lenny felten]

I think besides eating more food each day, you should go down to only one 37.5 pill a day. Two a day is ALOT. Maybe that will make a difference in your appetite AND your hair loss. (You will still lose weight with one Phen a day)

[kat115]

He everyone - I too have lost a significant amount of hair. I took Phentermine from May to November until I noticed what was happening. I can only speak from my own experience, but I do have some advice.

I was only taking one pill a day (37.5), and sometimes just 3 times a week, and totally loved it from the get go. I am not taking it now, and am in the process of trying different herbal alternatives to phen., but I tell ya, there is nothing better than the real deal.

I do not think I can say that phent. alone is what caused my side effects. I was so thrilled at not being hungry, that I too would not eat as much as I should. Hence, my body naturally reacted in some way. I have lost close to 30 pounds, and I get sooo many compliments on how good I look now. Lots of women ask me how I did it and I tell them what worked for me. I always caution them on what I think I did wrong, and try to counsel. Everyone is looking for something that will work for them.

I have researched around as to how to solve my hair loss. I have come up with some things that I am trying, and maybe it will work for others out there as well. I can't remember the source of my information, but I think the book is called nutritional healing.

It advised taking flaxseed oil or evening primrose oil, this will improve hair texture and prevents dry brittle hair.
flaxseed is good for you anyway to get the omega fatty acids.

There is a product called Ultra Hair from Nature's Plus that you can find in any health food store. Take as directed. I was told however, that if you are already taking a good multi vitamin, you can skip this because you may just be doubling up on ingrediants already in your mulit. Choose either one.

I am also taking 1000 mg of Biotin every day.

In addition, I am taking a supplement called MSM, ( Methylsulfonylmethane) this reads that it helps in the builiding blocks of protein, helping in stronger hair. I am taking as directed on bottle.

I am going to try clean up my act, pay better attention to how I eat and be sure I eat enough. I am still very tempted to get back on phent. I live in a small town and the doctor's here won't prescribe it to me because I really don't need to lose any more weight, but I would like to always have some on hand for maintenance. I experienced the feeling of having no appetite, and the feeling of well being. I called them my happy pills. Never got jittery, anxious, or moody. It was the pill I had prayed for for so long. I expect it will take about a year for my hair to get back to where it was, but if I keep it up with the vitamins and supplements, it may come back in better shape than it was. Good luck to everyone. Hope this can help.

[princessleah]

Hi! Phentermine was DEFINITELY the source of my hair loss. Doctors also tried to tell me that I wasn't getting enough vitamins, but I took multi vitamins every day and ate extra protien as a precaution. I started losing so much hair that I finally just stopped taking phentermine. The hair loss continued for a while after that, but eventually slowed & stopped (excessively). I started gaining some weight back and tried phentermine again. IMMEDIATELY I started losing hair! Once again I stopped the phen, and the hair loss, once again, stopped. I have been off the phen since December and the hair loss stopped...I still have some left over phen so I took some last week for some enery during a hectic week. AGAIN, the hair started coming out after the first day. There is NO DOUBT that phentermine causes hair loss. I do not know why it's not listed in their side effects! It should be. ALSO, FYI...I have experienced hair loss with herbals, such as Hydroxycut and Motabolife, and I was told that it's from the ingredient Chromium Picolinate. I do not know if that is true with everyone, but anything with the chromium has caused hair loss in ME. Hope this has helped!

[marilynmonroe]

Thanx for your response Leah, I am now also convinced it is the phentermine. At my last doctor appointment, I saw my doc's assistant and flat out told him, "Look doc, I think i'm done with the meds. I can live with the weight I've lost, I can live without ever being the size 7 I was hoping for, but I CAN'T live with losing anymore of my hair!!!"
Well then the truth came out. He said it was infact the phentermine. That it causes your blood vessels to constrict, so your scalp is not recieving as many nutrients, or blood circulation. He said that's why my hands are always cold too. I would also imagine that would be the cause for elevated blood pressure in some people. He said he wanted me to stay on the meds alittle bit longer and told me to start using rogaine to stimulated my scalp, to help prevent further hairloss and to help hair regrowth. I can't say I'm thrilled with the idea but I'll give it a try. I'm only losing about a pound every two weeks anyway so if the rogaine doesn't help, I'll be saying bye-bye to phen.

[princessleah]

Marilyn...glad the post helped, and I am glad your post explained WHY phentermine causes the hair loss. It's insane! It's hard to deal with having to stop taking the phentermine (because you want to KEEP your hair...I did the same exact thing. Frustration over hair loss caused me to quit the phentermine before I was to my goal weight. Good luck to you!

[marandy]

I think your doctor is at least partially correct. In the past, when I was on straight liquid diets (no food and about 450 calories) I also lost hair. I wasn't on any medication but was told that cutting calories that drastically is a shock to the system and that's why the hair loss. I think if you'd write down what you're eating and look at your caloric intake each day, you'd see that you aren't getting enough nutrients.

[lovejones]

I am sorry to here about your hair loss...i am not taking phen, but WAS considering...now i know that i will achieve my weight loss without this drug....that is really scary.

Also, I know that you are definitely not eating enough...you should be putting something in your mouth at least every 3-4 hours...an apple, a pear, 1/2 chicken breast; something! Girlfriend, you must EAT...this is crucial to your health, metabolism, and a healthy weight loss.

Much Love!

[Drewbie]

Your hair is falling out because you aren't consuming enough calories. Your doctor is correct. When youd on't eat enough, your body does not get the Nutrition it needs for your hair, teeth, bones, and skin to remain undamaged.

[llsp62]

Hi to all of you who are losing your hair. I read most of these posts, and got as far as the one saying that your doctor has suggested Rogain. If I may suggest something that I think might even be better, and not YET another drug (because Rogaine IS a drug). I have been using Nioxin hair products for a couple of years now. I don't really know why I started losing my hair, but it was coming out BAD. Anyway, Nioxin is a full line of hair products, for people losing their hair, but the main product you should look at is the Scalp Therapy. (I use the whole line and think their wonderful!)You use it every time you shampoo (not in place of your conditioner, in ADDITION to) and use GOBS of it, dont skimp. Massage it into your scalp and leave it on for as long as you can. I used to use it in the evening and leave it on for 1/2 hour or more, but now I just use it in the shower for a minute or 2 as mainenance. It takes some time but it really is great stuff. My hair came back, PLUS. I still have baby fine hair, don't get me wrong, but I can't praise Nioxin enough. It really does work. Hope some of you find this helpful!
Lisa

[JEN100]

Lisa,
I too have experienced hair loss on phen. I've been using Nioxin too for about 1 1/2 months. I can't say that I've noticed alot of regrowth. I'm still losing alot of hair in the shower and when I brush. I leave on the scalp therapy for about 2 minutes everyother day. How long did it take you to fully grown back your hair? I have a patch on the top of my head about 4 inches long. I feel new hair growing in but its been about 2 months and that's all that has grown. I'd love to hear what your experience was and if you continued to take the phen during the hair loss. Thanks so much!