It's not dramatic, but there's a lot more coming out than usual; say ten good long strands every time I wash and brush my hair.
I don't know what to think about it.
I checked the outer third of my eyebrows and those are still there.
Is this Bactrim hitting my thyroid? Or is it a symptom of Lyme and co? Or of chronic epstein bar/cyto?
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Strand being just one hair, I assume.
Ten strands daily does not sound excessive to me. I think we naturally loose far more than that each day - but it also depends on how many times you brush each day if you get ten strands with each brush.
If your hair is longer than it's been for you in a while, it may seem like more. That happens for me as I have to cut my own hair and it's so hard with joint issue - so it does go a while. Other than when it irritates the back of my neck, it does seem like I loose more volume when it's longer, but that's more that there is just more wrapping around the brush.
Shorter strands don't even make it into the brush, they fall away without notice.
When it's shorter, it is also more easily washed down the shower drain. Longer and it collects so more noticeable.
Thyroid, adrenal deficiencies often connected to thinning hair. Some nutrient deficiencies, too.
You are not using WEN hair products, are you? If so, that is likely the cause - search in last week's news about that.
Even if not, a change in shampoo would be in order.
- check ingredient safety on all kinds of personal care and household products -
Posted by gz (Member # 43818) on :
Could it be seasonal shed and you weren't paying much attention before? Is your hair longer now? Any change in hair habits?
Meds/infections/supplements/nutrition are certainly a possibility. I think it's the loss of up to 100 hairs a day or more that's considered normal shedding. Measure the circumference of your ponytail before a wash so you have a reference.
My thyroid went hyper for a while and I lost scads of hair. My hairline receded like typical male pattern baldness and my parts got huge. It did grow back, and I became hypervigilant about my hair care.
Sorry you're experiencing this, hang in there. You're paying more attention to it now so even a little bit will look like more.
Posted by Jordana (Member # 45305) on :
Yeah, I try not to pay attention to small changes on my hairbrush because I know it can really change over time.
It's enough for me to notice it and wonder. I seem to see strands of hair, just one or two, on some surface, at least once a day. And then when I wash and brush, these singular strands, one hair apiece. It seems like if I do anything, like pull it back into a ponytail, at least one strand will come away on my hand.
So -- not *scary* or dramatic but just enough to make me notice.
I am growing it out ( actually too tired to go get a haircut anyway) and it's not been this long for five years.
So maybe I'm just noticing the loss because there's more length.
My thyroid went hyper too and then jerked back into nearly hypo, but not quite. I think it's unstable; I have multinodular goiter anyway.
Lol,no I'm not using WEN hair products. Those poor women. Can't imagine what it's done to their bodies if it's done that to their hair.
Posted by Judie (Member # 38323) on :
Medication can cause hair loss. I lost half my hair on levaquin and only took it for 8 days. My nails got thin and bendy too.
On the plus side, it's been over a year and it all grew back.
Posted by LisaK (Member # 41384) on :
yes, mine has been coming out for years.. I notice it is probably thyroid for me, (hypo) and when I eat corn or almonds it gets WAY worse. you could try avoiding them for a couple weeks and see if there is an imporvoement.
mine comes out mostly after I wash my hair. at one point - before I removed corn and almonds form my diet- my hair was all over the place! and all over the walls in my bathroom from blowdrying. it was so bad that I had to cut my hair really short to even look sort of presentable.
cutting out corn and almonds makes my hair thick and luscious again. I do get weak moments and then I pay the price!
Posted by Jordana (Member # 45305) on :
Hm, ok, yeah, it all usually comes down to one of three things -- medication, thyroid, or something Lyme related.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
I can see my scalp now and before couldn't. I look like an old children's doll with a strand here and there.
it's depressing and embarrassing but I can't stand wigs.
Posted by cottonbrain (Member # 13769) on :
I agree with all the folks who suspect Thyroid. This is happening to me right now too.
Did you know that both caffeine and calcium can block your thyroid meds?
I found this out not from a doctor, but only after I stopped caffeine. I went from a dose of 200 mg synthroid to 125 mg! Hard to believe, but it made a huge difference.
Radibear, that happened to me several years ago. I had to do a comb-over -- i totally out-trumped Trump! Worse, I am a woman. You can use that powdery hair dye to sort of powder your scalp, then do a comb-over, then spray, spray, spray. Or just wear a hat. It will grow back, have no fear.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
well I sure wish it would hurryup. I'm getting tired of looking like raggedy ann.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- About 2-3 weeks ago, at Huffington Post, there was an article about thinning hair and using nutritive oil on the parts that are thin, wrapping head in a SILK scarf at night (obviously, not one that is a good one and not one which would have bleeding dye).
They said at night, head rubbing against most pillow cases can contribute to thinning hair but a silk wrap is the kind of fabric to help. Cotton, especially, they said can dry the hair / scalp too much.
But do not use anything synthetic.
just go to their site for a search, should be easy to find.
The thing is that would require washing of hair the next morning, every morning for sleep with hair wrapped even with a tiny drop of oil at the temples would not make for shampoo opt out morning. And with thin hair it's best to not wash hair every day.
I also tried this without the oil. Wrapping silk tight enough to say on the head is very tricky at best, hard on joints and then if it's tight enough to stay on, have to figure out a way to scoop eye balls off ceiling in the morning. -
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
I used the powder that coats the bald spots.
made me itch like crazy and made my hair feel dirty.
Posted by bluelyme (Member # 47170) on :
Thyroid. ..but bactrim did me a number after 10 days...how long have you been on it?
Posted by Jordana (Member # 45305) on :
Eleven days!
I stopped it!
I'm calling LLMD tomorrow; I'm too scared of this stuff. I have neutropenia, crystals in my urine and I bet it's hitting my thyroid too. When your thyroid tanks, it also suppresses the immune system.
Oh dear...I'm a difficult patient already...
Posted by Marnie (Member # 773) on :
Google: Forskolin thyroid.
Skim the links listed...
BUT...I would not take this cAMP elevating drug without taking a PDE4 inhibitor at the same time.
PDE4 breaks down cAMP. PDE4 is inflammatory.
50 mg of Ginger (inhibits PDE4) and 50mg of Forskolin taken at dinnertime = asleep by 8pm.
ME!!! I'm trying the above combo and yes, it makes me fall asleep fast by 8pm and yes, I've lost 5 pounds within 10 days so far.
Melatonin?
Data suggests an influence of the
5-HT1A receptor subtype in mediating nocturnal melatonin concentrations,
perhaps through a functional coupling to beta1-adrenoceptors on the pineal gland.
Smoking cigarettes - nicotine and its receptors as well as another ingredient which inhibits dopamine breakdown = less AD and less PD, but all the other nasty stuff in cigarettes isn't good.
Same with "pot"...ONE very specific chemical in it looks to be very beneficial while the other chemicals in "pot" are harmful.
In the future that *very specific* chemical, CBD, may help many persons with many diseases.
Bb, by "stealing" our Mn -> less hepatic arginase (arginase I)?
Does forskolin (via increasing cAMP) trigger arginase I in the liver?
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
melatonin has an opposite effect on me. jittery, can't sleep, drives my anxiety crazy.
Posted by Jordana (Member # 45305) on :
I've done some reading about Forskolin and I think it's interesting, but I'm not sure why, if thyroid is an issue, a person wouldn't just take thyroid.
Just for the reason that thyroid is thyroid is thyroid. There are no excipients or uncharted reactions with plain thyroid -- whereas some herbal medicines can make things worse on the back end through unknown mechanisms.
This is why conventional medicine/pharma doesn't like herbal remedies since there are too many compounds to analyze and side effect profiles can't be controlled.
It's actually pretty easy to get natural thyroid without a prescription if you know where to look.