LymeNet Flash: hair loss (especially among the ladies)

This is topic hair loss (especially among the ladies) in forum Medical Questions at LymeNet Flash.

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Posted by threefries (Member # 6959) on :

is this a symptom of lyme?

has it happened to you?

how? Was it chunks of hair? Or was it slow and thinning first??

Does it grow back?? How long?

I need to know any info you have on this

Especially personal experiences.

Posted by daniella (Member # 6753) on :

yep I've got this. When i was getting better my hair grew in full again and now that I've relapsed hair falling out everywhere...

Uggh it is bad enough to feel sick but to have to deal with cosmetic stuff too...

it stops when we are better...i think

Posted by hodologica (Member # 6408) on :

Yes its a symptom. I havent heard of a fast onset (chunks) with this one but theres alot I aint heard.

Running my hand thru my hair, if wet, always pulls out 5-10 strands even tho its only a couple inches long. When I go over a day without washing it its very apparant that its severely thinned out.

Posted by Foggy (Member # 1584) on :

I had that when I started Plaquenil. When I stopped, thankfully, it stopped.

LLMD said it's common with Lyme, certain meds, and other conditions, including thyroid.

Posted by lymiecanuck on :

I just lost a lot this past summer but growing back now bigtime that I am on treatment. I find green drinks and vitamins help too.

Happened at 18 too, bigtime.

Yeah it's awful, expeically if you have thin fine hair as I do, and light in colour as now I have to avoid sun on my head or hair gets too blonde and can see scalp and get sunburn on scalp easy as no thick hair, but now I can feel like an inch of stubble all over my head and have much less coming out during showering etc.

I use garden of life's green drink.

Lymiecanuck

Posted by threefries (Member # 6959) on :

Well, this morning when I was taking a shower, as I ran my fingers through my hair - hair was coming out. Not in chunks, but seemed to be more than normal.

It scared me. And I'm not even sure I have lyme. My doc keeps trying to convince me that I'm fine. ("all the tests are fine, come back if things get worse in a few months")

I don't want to wait months. I want to know why my muscles hurt and twitch. I want to know why my hair is falling out. I want to know why I get so tired all the time.

I have an LLMD's info, but my insurance isn't going to cover this and moeny is tight.

Thanks for all of you guys's help.

Posted by Mo (Member # 2863) on :

Me too..

Each bout with it, for me..seemed to be tied with vitamin/mineral deficiency and/or absorption issues...based on the fact that when I addressed that carefully, it stopped.

I had it happen both when on or off abx at different times.

I think a really high quality "green drink" or "Superfood" (I use Shulzes Superfood) can help, easier absorbtion..
and one small Biotin pill per day.

I had the same results using Pharmanex Life Pak vitamins, but those are pricier..and a good quality green drink with multi, multi vitamin mineral content has worked better (faster) and I think is better absorbed.

When I recently had intestinal issues, it happened again...and since addressing those ..has stopped.

I think good attention to mineral/vitamin supplementation, absorption is well worth a try.

When it's bad, it comes out in handfuls in the shower..I have very long hair, but still..at times lost way more than normal.

Posted by hodologica (Member # 6408) on :

threefries - any other possible abnormalities?

Posted by ivebeentricked (Member # 6944) on :

Hey Everyone,

I am not a woman, but I have long hair and it has been coming out by the handfull in the shower lately.

I am not sure about this, but I have heard it can be in part due too a fungal infection that can build up under the scalp while on long term antiobiotics and that there is some special shampoo that can help.

But that could only be one cause.

Posted by pattiecake (Member # 6424) on :

Yes I had handfuls in the sink and could pull out lots in the shower when washing it. Never bald spots but visibly lots of hair was comming out. I have a ton of hair thankfully so it was not noticed. My family even noticed when I got done drying my hair how much was in the sink. It has stopped since treatment.
patti

Posted by lymiecanuck on :

Hi,

I also agree with Mo about absorption/bowels issues on this one.

Lyme affects the bowel, and our absorption of vitamins/minerals. I also had bad bowel problems during this time and has h.pylori as well. So many things could be involved, but overall a healthy bowel is important.

My absorption is not 100%, but even still as I am getting better and taking my supplements it is improving.

Lymiecanuck

Posted by Caryn (Member # 366) on :

hair loss is a common lyme symptom

it wasn't until several infections and many yrs untreated until my hair started to fall out. my hair is very fine textured, but for some reason it is curly instead of straight like that kind of hair usually is.

i also had lots of hair. it was healthy, beautiful hair all the way down to my hips. two yrs after my son was born is when it started breaking off and falling out by the handfuls and so i had to keep cutting it and cutting it. though this was the least of my problems at the time, UPENN drs (grant t liu and his asst.) thought this hilarious.

because i have so much hair, there are no bald spots, i just can't grow it much past my shoulders and there is only a third of what i used to have. i throw up a lot so keeping meds and vitamins and food down has been a problem.

i put off going to a truely lyme literate dr because of money problems. do your best to try to figure out some way to see a llmd. maybe someone knows a dr in the south who is lyme lit and does take insurence. it is so important!

Posted by Caryn (Member # 366) on :

sorry for multiple posts. my computer was acting weird and it didn't seem to post.

[This message has been edited by Caryn (edited 24 March 2005).]

Posted by Caryn (Member # 366) on :

.

[This message has been edited by Caryn (edited 24 March 2005).]

Posted by flygirl (Member # 6669) on :

wow, so once this lyme and all goes away, some hair might grow back? mine's kinda thin too. I've had this for 15 years apparently.

Posted by achey (Member # 6284) on :

I had a lot of hair loss when my thyroid tanked last year, and it improved with med, and then again when my Ld flaired enough to disable me.

I didn't get any bald spots , but some very this spots that now have a new growth abt 3-4 inches long.

The hair loss stopped w/ abx treatment.

Posted by sunshine24 (Member # 6867) on :

I thought my hair was thinning from stress and now it falls out in chunks in the shower and its very frizzy

Posted by Aligondo Bruce (Member # 6219) on :

I've had some hair issues too, similar to what is mentioned above, but because I'm a guy it's hard to know whether it's natural loss or LD related. I think some of it is LD related because not only hair on my head has fallen out but hair on my arms and legs too. I've had testosterone checked and that's fine. I noticed in the past with a course of intense meds the leg and arm hair grew back some.
It is pathetic how little is truly known about lyme. We are all slowly dying here to preserve someone's vanity. Disgusting.

Posted by twicebitten (Member # 5412) on :

I have very thick hair but loose lots of it, especially when my lyme symptoms are active. Now, my sister, who also has lyme has another problem with her hair, because of a coinfection called Morgellons which affects her skin and hair, and has completely lost her hair on several occasions and when it does come in after a while will fall out and is not even the same texture or color that it originally was.
I don't understand why this disease has affected our hair, or especially the coinfection that she has, but all these weird symptoms have some docs thinking were crazy, we are not, but this bug is..
hang in there,
Melinda