Alopecia symptoms and conditions

cannot believe how many stories I have read about mirena and hair loss etc..etc.. etc.. I have experienced many of the side effects that everyone is mentioning.. I actually feel I could live with most of them if it weren't for the hair loss. I have had ( copying from other post.. ridiculous right?)Tired all the time ~ Depression ~ Hungry all the time ~ leg cramps ~ HAIR LOSS TO THE POINT OF BALDING IN SEVERAL AREAS ~ oily skin and bad breakouts ~ Mood swings (huge...yelling fits at my husband and the kids) ~ fluttering in uterus~Sore breasts.. I have medium thick hair that is about 10 inches. I noticed a bald spot in June and now have discovered 4-5 others starting. I just had the iud removed today and my OB pretty much tried to convince me that there is no way that the IUD is causing my issues. I have never had any of these issues before. I got the Mirena on 4/30 of 08 and noticed slowly but surely all of the side effects mentioned. My OB told me that the progesterone could not be causing my issues because it is such a small dosage that it would be comparable to spitting in the ocean as far as the amount that is in my blood stream. She said because I am black and 35 that I may have an autoimmune disorder and that I should stop reading blogs. I told her that all of my research wasn't from a blog and that ALOPECIA is a side effect just not mentioned in my pamphlet that I can find. I understand what she is saying and that she is the one that is the dr. but nobody knows my body better than I do.. I am in it!! I have !never had any problems and have been healthy my entire life. There is no history of autoimmune disease in my family. I am going to my primary care doctor.. to have some blood tests done. I think that the mirena has caused an autoimmune response in my body.. it may not necessarily be the progesterone..although I don't rule it out no matter what she says . the progesterone is synthetic and has an androgynous like activity that is similar to testosterone the main thing that causes male pattern baldness. also Mirena is made out of Silicone.. perhaps those of us that are having hair loss are having it due to our body trying to fight off the foreign invader of the IUD itself. I was going to go and have the Paragard inserted.. because i was thinking it may just be the progesterone.. nope... I read that many women are complaining of ACNE and HAIRLOSS even with that because its made out of copper. So with that being said.. not sure what to do.. may have to go back on Yasmin.. didn't seem to have any problems with that.. I really just don't want to risk putting another hormone in my body.. We all need to get together and look into a class action suit because I am tired of being made to feel crazy by doctors.. sometimes what seems to not be possible is .. especially when there are so many women having the same problem. Feel free to e-mail me re: a class action suit.. if they took depo off Mirena needs to come of too. It seems like it has really screwed a lot of peoples system up.. Hopefully I won't find out I know have a thyroid problem etc.. etc..

cannot believe how many stories I have read about mirena and hair loss etc..etc.. etc.. I have experienced many of the side effects that everyone is mentioning.. I actually feel I could live with most of them if it weren't for the hair loss. I have had ( copying from other post.. ridiculous right?)Tired all the time
~ Depression
~ Hungry all the time
~ leg cramps
~ HAIR LOSS TO THE POINT OF BALDING IN SEVERAL AREAS
~ oily skin and bad breakouts
~ Mood swings (huge...yelling fits at my husband and the kids)
~ fluttering in uterus
~Sore breasts..

I have medium thick hair that is about 10 inches. I noticed a bald spot in June and now have discovered 4-5 others starting. I just had the iud removed today and my OB pretty much tried to convince me that there is no way that the IUD is causing my issues. I have never had any of these issues before. I got the Mirena on 4/30 of 08 and noticed slowly but surely all of the side effects mentioned. My OB told me that the progesterone could not be causing my issues because it is such a small dosage that it would be comparable to spitting in the ocean as far as the amount that is in my blood stream. She said because I am black and 35 that I may have an autoimmune disorder and that I should stop reading blogs. I told her that all of my research wasn't from a blog and that ALOPECIA is a side effect just not mentioned in my pamphlet that I can find. I understand what she is saying and that she is the one that is the doctor, but nobody knows my body better than I do.. I am in it!! I have never had any problems and have been healthy my entire life. There is no history of autoimmune disease in my family. I am going to my primary care doctor.. to have some blood tests done. I think that the mirena has caused an autoimmune response in my body.. it may not necessarily be the progesterone..although I don't rule it out no matter what she says . the progesterone is synthetic and has an androgynous like activity that is similar to testosterone the main thing that causes male pattern baldness. also Mirena is made out of Silicone.. perhaps those of us that are having hair loss are having it due to our body trying to fight off the foreign invader of the IUD itself. I was going to go and have the Paragard inserted.. because i was thinking it may just be the progesterone.. nope... I read that many women are complaining of ACNE and HAIRLOSS even with that because its made out of copper. So with that being said.. not sure what to do.. may have to go back on Yasmin.. didn't seem to have any problems with that.. I really just don't want to risk putting another hormone in my body.. We all need to get together and look into a class action suit because I am tired of being made to feel crazy by doctors.. sometimes what seems to not be possible is .. especially when there are so many women having the same problem. Feel free to e-mail me re: a class action suit.. if they took depo off Mirena needs to come of too. It seems like it has really screwed a lot of peoples system up.. Hopefully I won't find out I know have a thyroid problem etc.. etc.. ******e-mail me with Mirena in the subject line!!

Do check out the website for the Women's Hair Loss Project (US-based). I've just downloaded a very thorough article on female alopecia and hormones which I will be taking to my GP when I go to get the Mirena removed. I've also ordered a book, "It's Your Hormones" (previously published as "The Hormonally Vulnerable Woman") by Dr. Geoffrey Redmond. He says FEMALE HAIR LOSS IS TREATABLE. Good luck!

My 15-year-old daughter experienced alopecia (bald patches) after the first injection. We didn't initially connect it to the vaccine. Then, after the second shot, her thick long hair thinned significantly. She will NOT be getting the third injection Gardasil is poison. Anyone else who has experienced hair loss, please post a comment with information on how long it took to come back. She cries daily about this and it breaks my heart.

PS. If you've removed the Mirena and are trying to get your hair to grow back, this method was told to me by a friend in her late 60s with beautiful waist-length hair who used to go to a famous salon in New York (George Michael on Fifth Avenue). She has had severe seborrhea in the past and George told her about this treatment:

Solgar Brewer's Yeast, powdered (nothing else is good enough). One rounded tablespoon stirred into about 6 oz of water (not carbonated) immediately before bed - after using the bathroom one last time. Do this every night, no cheating, for 90 days. Pause for 30 days, then repeat if necessary. It must be powdered yeast; capsules/tablets won't do it.

I'm only 2 weeks into my first treatment with the yeast, and I still have the Mirena (but not for long), so I can't report on its effectiveness -- yet.

I had Mirena inserted in 2006, and for a year and a half it was Great, I hadn't experienced any know side effects.

Then in late 2007 I began to notice my hair thinning tremendously, I had my thyroid tested and cholesterol thinking something severe was happening, cause I'd always had thick beautiful bouncy hair.

Well low and behold I tested negative for all illnesses and began to speak out about this problem to others and heard a few people said they had their Mirenas removed because it pulled all of their hair out and they were even balding on the sides like alopecia.

I then began to google mirena side effects and ran across sites like this one and saw that I had been experiencing a ton of Mirena's God Awful Side effects, such as severe acne, hair loss, moodiness, extreme fatigue,constant irritability, and sometimes weight imbalance, depression, low back cramps when time for my cycle.

I think there should be a class action lawsuit for this drug because I have suffered tremendously with side effects that I was never warned about, I advise you NEVER GET MIRENA IT"S NOT WORTH IT I'D RATHER HAVE A TON OF KIDS THEN LOSE MY HEALTH AND BEAUTY!!!!!!!! DON'T GET MIRENA PLEASE!!!!!!

I stopped taking Yasmin over a year and half ago as i was getting thoughts of suicide and migraines, i spoke to my doctor who said that i was having an estrogen withdrawal in my 7 day break so she gave me oestrogen tablets to take in between. I don't usually take any kind of tablets, not even for headache so i thought this was stupid. So after a couple of years of taking it (oh and i forgot to say im from England were this drug hasn't been out long, i was used as a guinea pig, first to trial it at my local doctors) i stopped. Then the trouble began two weeks after stopping i got more headaches and started to itch my head on one side. The result was my hair fell out caused by alopecia, caused by body shock from coming off the pill, after that i developed Telogen Efluvium, which is another form of hair loss. I ended up loosing 50% of my hair all over. I had oily skin and severe acne.
So now i am now still recovering, i take Viviscal herbal tablets at £40 a month, to help my hair growth. But all this dosnt help the fact that i am still recovering, i do however see the light at the end of the tunnel and im just going to be patient.
I if could just get some time with the people who make this stuff and also spread the word, DON'T TAKE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi
Again just like many of you ladies out there i am so glad i came across this website. I have been taking Yasmin for the last 2.5yrs. I used to have very think long hair, and was always complimented on it. recently my hair has thinned out, and falls out everytime i comb or wash it. I have reecntly started to experience numbness in the tips of my toes, i have just in the past few days experienced knee joint pains. Last year i had very bad chest pains, and i never thought it would be the pill, but i have been complianing to my family about breathing difficulties too. I do feel nauseous most of the time, and i feel tired all the time, i fall asleep anywhere. I am a pretty healthy individual. I have suffered headaches, reduction of vision, pain just under my ribs near the lungs, especially when i wake up in the mornings, i suffer hot flushes, again like others mostly at night... I used to be a pretty calm person, but now looking back i have had my moments of rage !
Thank God i came across this website because luckily im on my 7day break at the moment, and will probably not take them again ! and try lady comp just like another lady has .... hope this helps

I WAS ON LOVENOX 1 SHOT PER DAY AFTER I WAS RELASED FROM THE HOSPITAL WITH SERIOUS DVT, LOVENOX KEPT ME OUT OF THE HOSPITAL.....BUT.....LOST 3/4 OF MY HAIR. IT WAS FALLING OUT IN CLUMPS, MY DR. SWORE UP AND DOWN THAT WAS NOT A SIDE EFFECT OF LOVENOX. FINALLY I GOT AN APPT. WITH A DERMATOLOGIST AND SURE ENOUGH HE TOLD ME THE ALOPECIA WAS A MAJOR SIDE EFFECT OF LOVENOX. I HAVE BEEN OFF IT FOR 6 MONTHS AND I AM GROWING MY HAIR BACK..FINALLY, BUT IT'S VERY SLOW GROWING.

I am also experience hair thinning while on Wellbutrin. I have had blood tests and there is no other detectable cause. The dermatologist said that she was only able to diagnose as possibly hereditary. However, I began noticing it shortly after starting 300mg of Well XL and then noticed increased thinning when I went up to 450mg. I don't take any other medications at all.

I searched the Wellbutrin prescribing information (a pdf on the official Wellbutrin website) and this is all I can find:

Other Events Observed During the Clinical Development and Postmarketing Experience of Buproprion

Adverse events for which frequencies are not provided occurred in clincial trials or postmarketing experience with bupropion. Only those adverse events not previously listed for sustained-release bupropion are included. The extent to which these events may be associated with Wellbutrin XL is unknown.

Skin: Rare was maculopauplar rash. Also observed were alopecia, angioedeme, exfoliative dermatitis and hirsutism.

----------------

Alopecia is hair loss. All that means is it was reported and they didn't do a study that would have produced data with which they could measure the likelihood that it is a Wellbutrin side effect. In other words, people said they were experiencing it but they can't confirm it.

I just dropped down to 300 mg and I'm contacting my shrink about tapering off completely - I feel like dealing with scalp showing through and feeling horribly self-conscious and unattractive because of it is not going to help my depression and self-esteem issues any.

I'm a woman by the way - the number of reports of hair thinning in women seems significant to me. I have no family history of thin hair on the female side that I know of.

I received my first shot of Gardasil in January 2007. It could have started sooner, but about a month later my hairdresser noticed a bald spot in the back of my head. I rushed back to my ObGyn and asked her if the Gardasil could be the cause as nothing else had recently changed. She said that she had not heard of this, but she referred me to a dermatologist. I asked him if my hair loss had anything to do with the Gardasil. He replied that I had Alopecia areata and one thing had nothing to do with the other. He advised that I continue with the Gardasil and that he would start treating me for the alopecia. I wish that I would not have listened. I don't know what would have happened if I had stopped then, but I didn't I proceeded with the treatment to the end now over half of my head is bald!!!
I don't know what to do. I keep going back to the dermatologist for treatments for the alopecia, but it just keeps getting worse.
If anyone has had a similar experience and would like to share or has found some other treatments that work, please post a reply.

Melissa

I received my first Gardasil shot on May 5, 2008 and about two days later I began to notice I was losing a lot of hair. I didn't fret because I had just gotten done taking finals and had been stressed to the max. I figured it was just my body responding to the stress. I have a lot of hair so it didn't phase me one bit. A week progressed and I would lose gobs of hair when I took out my hair band, brushed my hair, washed my hair, dried my hair. Now May 17, 2008, nearly 2 weeks later, my hair is half of what it used to be. I am freaking out. When I say I have lost alot of hair, I mean I can ball up the amount that comes out after a typical shower and it is about the size of a golf ball. I have not introduced anything new in my diet, nothing has changed, and I am not stressed. I am convinced this is due to Gardasil. Has anyone else experienced hair loss? If so, for how long? I am really scared.

After receiving my second vaccination I discovered pimples on my scalp, followed by hair loss. This condition is still reoccurring eight months later. Although doctors say this has nothing to do with Gardasil, it happened almost immediately after the second injection.

I've been on Advair for years. I'm a healthy 32 y.o female, active, with severe asthma. Trying to get myself off of it and have been successful at taking the medication once every 3 days or so. I am working out more and need it less often - the more I build up lung capacity. Within the last year, I've noticed that I've been losing eyebrow hair. So much of it, in fact, that I went to the Derm. for a diagnosis. They think it's "alopecia" - and I say ... it's ADVAIR. Anyone else experiencing hair loss or eyebrow loss, who happens to be on an inhaled steroid? In my case, it's only ONE eyebrow - very annoying! Hair on head is fine. Can't help but link it to the drugs, since Alopecia seems just way too far removed.

I just starting taking prednisone March/2/07 for alopecia. I havent had to many side effects so far, I take two dose a day at 20 mg. I do notice that I have a very hard time sleeping at night, one day I got off from work and cleaned up the whole house, couldn't stop cleaning. Of course I eat more, my face has gotten puffy within the last two weeks. I took this before 2 years ago and I had very bad mood swings on it, so I hope that doesnt happen again.

I have been taking Lisinopril for about the last maybe 8 to 10 years. It started with 20 miligrams and has now gone to 40 miligrams. Recently my pharmacy change the manufacturer of their Linsinopril. My face is extremely dry, as well as my hair has dried out so bad, that I am beginning to loose my hair. I honestly just received revelation of this on last night, as I could not figure out why I would stay so dry. I try to drink lots of water, but it seems that I am literally drying out. And to be honest my hair has had so many issues since being on this high dose of Lisinopril. Has anyone experienced dry skin or hair, resuluting in hair loss or extremely dry skin?

Hey all, I have posted several times on here. I am devastated about my tissue loss in my forehead. I am trying to pursue a lawsuit against a plastic surgeon in Michigan. My doctor tried to cover it up by immediately injecting me with a filler at MY COST and telling me it would last 5 years. Well guess what, 11 months later it disappeared and I got my medical records and found it it was cause she injected me with KENALOG 40! I only have one more year to file a complaint and so far this is hard. We really need to figure out a way to start a class-action lawsuit against bristol-Meyers-Squibb. Keep calling them, every little complaint helps!

These doctors could care less about us! I have had to be put on anti-depressants because my situation is right in the middle of my forehead. I am disfigured from a small procedure.

One surgeon I went to mentioned how hard it was to utilize Kenalog 40. It has to be diluted PRECISELY or else it will most definitely 'cause atrophy. This has to stop!!!!

I received Kenalog injections for alopecia. An associate in my dermatologist office thought it would be a good idea to increase the dosage so that i would get better results. Oh I forgot to mention the fact that I had hair all over my scalp. I just had some areas where the hair was thinner than other. However, I had no bald areas. Well that is until I was injected with a larger dose of Kenalog. I now have a dime size bald area in my scalp. The area is also hypopigmented as well. I mean white in color. Oh did I mention the fact that I am african american. So you can imagenine what it looks like. It has been 3 months. I still don't have hair the area and the area continues to be depigmented. I have consulted an attorney.

Has anyone noticed problems with alopecia with Lipitor? I have been on the medication for 5 years, and 2 years ago starting noticing thinning hair (female). I was off Lipitor for a few months recently, since I started back on the drug I've noticed I'm losing more hair again. I'm not experiencing the leg and back pain as others, but occasional swelling in the legs and feet.