Hair growth symptoms and conditions

I am freaking out reading all of this. My dermatologist just injected my scalp about 20 times with Kenalog for female pattern balding to stimulate hair growth. She says that it is diluted. What makes me upset is that she just told me that this is our plan and we get good results with this and she just walked up to me with a syringe and needle. I stopped her long enough to ask how much it hurts and she just started injecting. After I was home I was angry at myself that I did not stop her and ask more questions but I really felt that she did not want to take any time with me. She did not inform me of any side affects or statistics. She did not even tell me the cost. I was not given the opportunity to make an informed decision. I did not even know what it was called until she was done. This does not seem ethical to me. I feel like a victim. Now I have to wait and worry what is going to happen to me in the next few months. Has anyone been given injections into their scalp? Please let me know.

Well, I was doing some research because my pain from my endometriosis is returning and I'm actually considering asking my doctor for another round of Lupron. I was on lupron over 2 years ago and experienced minimal side effects. I had the hot flashes, no hair loos just hair growth in unwanted places like my face, and just a few bouts of tearfulness. i actually lost weight on lupron and consider it to be the most sane time of my life. The women in my family over produce estrogen so i'm not sure if maybe my experience was different in that my estorgen level was not depleted to nothingness but to a more normal level. I am saddened to hear so many women suffering with what I considered my wonder drug!

I've been prescribed Prednisone since April and just recently experiencing hair loss (I'm Female)

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..

After my kidney transplant I was taking 40mg a day and only weighed slightly over 100lbs. I felt all of the same side effects: trembling, sweating, bloated tummy, paranoia, confusion, horrible acne, insatiable hunger, bad headaches. I started taking the pill and this helped a lot with acne and hair growth that started to appear. Ask your doctor if you can taper down to a more manageable dose. I'm still on prednisone and probably will be for the rest of my life, but I was firm with my doc and got it down to 7.5mg MWF. This level is much easier to deal with, and although I still have a slight "moose hump" (some kind of name) and disappearing eyebrows, my hair loss has evened out and I'm happy with what I have. Like many of you I used to have really thick hair. Things will get better, you just have to be persistent. No one should live that way, it's horrible and I don't think that doctors understand the drastic drop in quality of life that occurs.

This website is a joke! After I had my Mirena inserted 4 months ago I started reading on the internet about possible side effects. I was furious with myself that I hadn't Read up on this before the appointment. There were so many horrible reviews involving hair loss, weight gain, acne, and mood swings! I was so scared and actually thought about removing the Mirena that week. I then found multiple reviews on websites not owned and operated by other drug companies that are trying to scare people in order to prevent the sale and use of the Mirena and the side effects listed here were a 180 degree difference. I have not experienced any weight gain, in fact, I recently was able to shed 5 pounds from picking up running again (so it is possible to LOSE weight on the Mirena as well). I have had zero hair loss, have not had a pimple anywhere or any random hair growth. My live in boyfriend and I have discussed if we've noticed any mood swings or changes and my mood which is usually optimistic and positive has been the same since I had the Mirena inserted. My periods are much lighter and although they can last an extra day or two more than what I was used to, they are light and I have not had any cramping. I'm writing this review not because I absolutely love the Mirena, I think it's a fine form of BC but who LOVES their BC, isn't it all kind of a pain. The Mirena is by far the most convenient form of birth control and I don't worry at all about missing a day and the chance of getting pregnant. I'm writing this review because I encourage everyone to talk more with their doctors about the side effects and look around on the internet for REAL websites.

I'm on week 3 of 150 mg of Wellbutrin.I switched to it from Effexor, which caused me to gain 40 pounds.The first week on Wellb I noticed increased energy, trouble staying asleep at night, mood improvement. Now in week 3, the sleep has improved, I've managed to quit smoking (works great for this), and I lost 5 pounds. On the downside, frequent urination, some stomach issues, mild headachey feeling, sensitivity to light, feeling overheated sometimes, and some return of depressive symptoms after initial burst of energy and motivation. What scares me the most though is reading about all the reports of hair loss on here. I have fine hair to begin with ad there is no way I can endure this side effect. So far I haven't noticed that effect, but I'm considering ditching this drug if that is a serous risk. From reading all the reports I'm wondering if there are more reports of hair loss from people on 300 mg or more than from people on 150 mg??

Anyone else have these symptoms,

I had the Mirena IUD inserted in Sept. 2008 At first it was great. Light periods and now no periods. Which is sooo awesome. But then last Dec, my boyfriend and I broke up. I have never been a really depressed person but after I got really depressed. It was hard to function. Which I did not love him so I did not understand this depression. I went back to school in Jan, and between school, my kids and work I kept pretty busy.

The past 6 months I have had a breakdown (again not something normal for me), crying a lot, depression and now I have noticed a lot more light blond hair gowning on the side of my face. I never really thought it could of been my IUD until I started looking up info on it. I am not considering having it removed (really don't want to get my period again though). Anyone else have anything similar? Also wondering if it is the IUD causing the depression and hair growth if those will stop if I take it out.

Happy to have Mirena out of me! I had Mirena inserted in 7/07. I had it removed on 7/13/09—YEAH!. My sister, who is a Sonographer (she does ultrasounds), noticed my weight gain and that I haven’t been myself for a while (moody). She said that so many women complain to her about Mirena when she is doing ultrasounds for them. Most of them tell her about the weight they have gained and their moodiness. My sister said… “You workout all of time and watch what you eat. You shouldn’t be gaining weight.” I was 150 lbs when Mirena was inserted and two years later, I weigh 168 lbs. I workout intensely five or more days a week and earned the 2008 Olympian title at my gym (which took a year of hard work to acquire), but my weight keeps creeping up no matter how hard I try. My workouts keep getting harder because my body is heavier… it’s so frustrating! Following my sister’s advice, I decided to do some research on Mirena and found this site. THANK YOU! I was so relieved to know that I wasn’t crazy and that others have experienced the same symptoms as me. Here are some of the other symptoms that I experienced from Mirena: constant bloating, I ached from my hips down to my knees (which I attributed to my hard workouts, but was wrong), mood swings, hot flashes in the middle of the night, acne on my chin, dark hair growth on my chin, dull cramps in my lower stomach, back ache, fatigue, fluttering in my stomach (which felt like a baby), sensitive breasts, pain during intercourse, spotting after intercourse (almost every time). I’m not sure how long it will take me to get my body back, but am so glad that I’m on my way. I’d like to thank everyone who posted symptoms on this site, you’ve changed my life.

I have been on loestrin 24 for over 3 years now and haven’t had a period since I started taking it. No period at all, my doctor said this is normal. About a month ago my husband and I decided we should have kids soon since we are close to 30, so I stopped my BC. However, I still haven’t had a period I thought for sure I would see something in a month. I’m not pregnant; if I were, I wouldn’t be posting this message. Does anyone know how long it takes to get this out of my system. I read though all the post and I see a lot of women have the same issues as I do after being on this pill for so long, migraines, slow hair growth or hair loss, gum issues. All these side effects just started about a year ago and I didn’t relate it to the pill until I read the postings because they didn’t start right away. Any how if you experienced the same problem, not having a period and know when I could expect to see one it would be nice to know a month to me seems like an eternity.

I had my Mirena IUD inserted in 2005, age 41, and was extremely happy with it at first. I'd begun to have heavy, painful periods for the first time in my life -- they immediately lightened up and the cramps went away.

I have a LOT of hair, so it took me more than 6 months to notice that it was falling out. The first time I noticed, I thought my hairdresser had thinned my hair out too much. Then I noticed fuzz growing out of the crown of my head which I'd never seen before. My hairdresser said, "Use more product." I went to a more expensive salon and consulted the owner, who said, "You're over 40. It's the menopause."

A year later, still losing hair, I got bloodwork done. My hormone profile was normal (no menopause). My thyroid was normal. I blamed the hair loss on stress.

I have now lost HALF of my hair, and finally decided to Google "Mirena hair loss". It was a nasty shock. My IUD will be removed in 10 days, and I will be changing to a different gynecologist.

I've read that as many as 1 in 20 women (5 percent) experience severe hair loss with Mirena; a poster on another website says she found this information on the manufacturer's own website, but it was soon taken down and replaced with anodyne language about "changes in hair growth".

I experienced severe hair loss. I never associated it with Centrum Performance until I ran out of it a few times and that's when I noticed the correlation. Now that I no longer take that multi-vitamin, my hair has stopped falling out and is becoming thicker with new hair growth. Too much Vitamin A in Centrum Performance.

I'm 16 years old, and in November of 2008 i was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, or FSGS. i started taking the preds starting at 60mg, and last month i started weaning off. i'm at 20 mg right now. i noticed that i started getting the common moon face right after i started taking the meds. and i hate it so much. also, i've had so much trouble falling asleep at night, but then when i do, i sleep for so long. i've also had the dreadful hair growth, REALLY bad mood swings, headaches, and for sure, increase in appetite. i've gained 30lbs since ive been on the preds and even when i exercise daily, i still cant loose a single pound. normally im a really fit girl, i ran track and i was a dancer. im just really worried that all this "fat" wont go away. i really hope it does. it just feels like prednisone really ruined my sophomore year of high school. and i just don't feel like doing anything anymore. i just wanna wear swearpants, curl up in a ball and lay in my bed and wait until this nightmare is over. But im just glad to know that there are a lot of other people out there that know how i feel.

I am 32 years old. For years I have suffered with insomnia. I finally decided to do something about it and get a prescription because I was tired of always being tired in the daytime and not sleeping well at night. Well almost 3 weeks ago I was prescribed with Ambien CR. That 3rd week of taking Ambien I noticed significant hair loss behind my right ear. I now have a bald spot the size of 2 quarters. My hair is continuing to fall out still today and that spot is now enlarging. I made an appointment to my physician and she claimed Ambien has no side effect of hair loss. Strange thing is, I have never experienced any side effect that Ambien reads on the prescription paper from the pharmacist and the pharmacist claims hair loss isn’t a side effect found in research. My memory is well collected and usually when I would take the Ambien CR I would wake up feeling great. Now taking the Ambien allowed me to sleep well relaxed but with 4 hours max and I would wake well alert to start the day. Those 4 hours of rest did feel like an 8-hour rest. So that was the only downfall with sleep using Ambien CR is that I was sleeping enough hours like I should have been. My physician now claims I have Alopecia Aerate because significant hair loss has caused baldness on my head. Blood work was tested for various diagnoses of illnesses and my results came back clear. She referred me to a dermatologist next week to seek help if it's possible for hair growth while I still take Rogain. I find it quit amazing that with in a few weeks of taking Ambien CR that I have experienced patches of baldness. I did stop taking Ambien CR because I strongly believe this Ambien CR is the cause of my hair loses. Me losing my hair have caused me to become depressed. I am very worried and scared that I may loss more hair and that the bald spot will continue to grow larger with extensive hair loss because I took Ambien CR before. I just know that this drug is the cause of my hair loss. I pray that with dermatology help that my hair will stop falling out and grow back. I DO believe hair loss is my side effect of Ambien CR since I experienced no other side effect of this drug.

I started taking Loestrin 24 FE March 2008-everything was OK up until the first 3-4 months; my mood had changed from my normal happy free-spirited self to angry and emotional over everything-most of the time for no reason-I felt anxious and nervous during these months. It was not a good feeling. I went to my doctor and she advised these "early symptoms" were normal and would go away in a few months These symptoms did eventually get better but never fully went away. Also, I had a change in my weight; I was a size 6-8 and had losst weight and my appetite decreased. I wasn't happy about that; I didn't want to lose weight; I was happy with my size. Throughout this time, I noticed my hair had stopped growing and became very short in the back, crown and front areas specifically. I've never had a problem with hair growth. My hair has never been like this and it all dates back to starting Loestrin 24 FE last March. It will be a year next month and I've decided this will be my last month taking any form of oral contraceptive birth control. I believe we all know our bodys and BC isnt the only thing that can cause hair loss; but I know for me, this started as a result of the pill. I get regular physicals and even had a check-up with a Thyroid Specialist (just in case) every thing was normal; as it had been years before taking this pill. I'm going to monitor my changes for the better once I stop this pill. I'm sure my hair will grow back because it's not damaged; it just won't grow right now due to these uncontrollable hormone levels. My weight and appetite will return and I will feel better about my decision. The only good thing I experienced was my cycle was predictable; it was initially 1-2 very light days and I knew when I would come on my cycle. I haven't had a cycle since Oct. 2008 but this is also a symptom and very common. I'm not pregnant because I had my blood checked. These two good points aren't as important as the problems I've experienced. I wish us all luck!!!!

I forgot to list this, but has anyone noticed abnormal hair growth? Face or stomach or anywhere else. I have

Has anyone with hair loss/lack of regrowth seen improvement after having Mirena removed? I'd love to hear from woman that have had hair loss/regrowth problems (that wasn't due to post-pregnancy). This is my biggest complaint. I've always had very thick (annoyingly so hair) and now I look like a different person. My scalp shows everywhere, my hair is thin and I don't have any regrowth to even give me hope. I don't have a history of female hair loss in my family. I've had my IUD since August and my last baby was 2 years ago. My Dr. says it's stress...but wouldn't she be stressed too if she was balding at 35! I'm looking for any confirmation that the hair growth gets better. Other side effects include, ocular migraine (I thought I was having a stroke!) vision issues and new eye floaters and anxiety. I can live with most of these, but my hair loss is killing me! Any good news out there from those with a removal?
-Iwantmyhairback

I'm surprised at all the comments about Mirena...about how painful the insertion was and how horrible the side effects are. I can honestly say that I've had NONE of those issues.

I'm 28, and I've had Mirena for 2 years now. I have NO children, but the procedure was NOT painful. It was slightly uncomfortable for a few moments while she inserted it, but I did not receive any anesthetic. I had slight cramping for a few days, which is normal. Over the course of several months after having the Mirena put in, my periods began to subside and after about 4 or 5 months, I had no period at all.

I have noticed absolutely no difference in my sex drive, weight, mood, hair growth, etc. I recommend Mirena to anyone who is interested in it.

Of course, every woman is different! And, our bodies all react differently. So, if you're interested in Mirena, please don't make a judgment call based solely on this message board or any other message board, for that matter. Some of us have had horrible experiences. Some of us have had great experiences. But, your decision should come from the ONLY two people who know YOUR body best: you and your doctor. Good luck!

I was on Diovan HCTZ for a number of years for my high blood pressure. It worked pretty well, keeping my b/p to around 130/80, it had been 158/90. The Diovan, since no generic is available, is expensive but I did have a prescription plan at the time. I recently retired and asked my doctor to switch me over to a generic medication to cut my cost. He put me on lisinopril hctz 20/12.5mg. I took it once a day and had great results with lowering my blood pressure. No side effects until the third month, I then began to notice a great deal of hair loss. Since I am 58, 15 years post menopausal, dye my hair, I thought maybe it was the dye (unusual since I have been using the same product for years). I started washing my hair every other day instead of daily. This did not help, I still had to vacumm my bathroom floor daily. At this point I looked up on the internet and found this site about the connection of lisinopril and hair loss. Being an RN I decided to cut the pills in half for a week and see what happened. Sure enough, my hair loss stopped. I then went to my doctor equipt with this information. I am now on HCTZ 25mg daily and taking my blood pressure 2x/day. My b/p stays around 140/80. I know I have to go back to the doctor next week to discuss what to do next because this is not working. Luckily I HAD very thick hair otherwise I would be bald. Does the hair grow back? Does anyone have any other medication they can suggest that does not have this side effect? Too bad, I was doing so good on the lisinopril with my b/p and it did not make me tired like the diovan did.

I stopped taking yaz 4 months ago and started taking Loestrin. I was on yaz for 2 years and after so many side effects I stopped taking it. It's been a week now that I've noticed my hair is coming out in my hands when I take a bath. I counted the strainds and it's around 30 to 40. I'm so worried because I love my hair what should I do. I've been on Loestrin for about 4 months.

Quick question for those who have had hair loss - when/if you had Mirena removed, how long did it take for your hair to start growing back? If you didn't have it removed, did this side effect correct itself? I'm thinning rapidly (especially on my temples), and I'm thinking about having it removed. This is my only side effect, so I'm just trying to decide if it's worth getting the thing yanked because other than the hair loss, it's been great. Had it since March 2008. The only problem is that I don't really trust the pill - got pregnant & miscarried on it.

I am about to start Yasmin. I'm a little scared after having read all of this, but talking with my doctor today encouraged me greatly. I have been on two other kinds of birth control (Sprintec and the NuvaRing). Both gave me such terrible side affects that I have had to quit them. I have always been an extremely healthy person and I've never been an emotional person either (Im very even tempered normally). But since I've been on both of these, I've felt like I was going to pass out, been so tired but unable to sleep, nauseous, massive headaches, changes in every part of my body (dryness - everywhere - itchiness, hair growth changes, dropping sex drive, skin break outs, shortness of breath, heavy periods, extreme cramps and abdominal pains, muscle soreness and random shooting pains.) it has been terrible and my husband (while he's been an angel) is about as exhausted as I am. My emotions are across the board...I have cried several times a day and been angry and moody just as often.

My doctor told me today that my specific set of hormones may not be a fit for any type of birth control. He said there is a small percentage of women who are like this - our hormones will reject anything that messes with them. He suggested that I try Yasmin, because the hormones are supposedly more natural. He said they should match up with my natural hormones better so my body won't reject it and cause all those nasty side effects. He saidnif this one doesn't work, he's going to fit me for a diaphragm.

Did anybody else's doctor tell them something similar before they started this one? How has it gone?

I had a Kenalog shot about a month ago, due to having more phlegm than even the doctor could believe. My allergies are heinous. However, I felt no relief from the congestion or mucus from the shot. (He also put me on Nasacort, which I've noticed, in my week of use, has improved things slightly.)

Anyway, for about a month, I've been feeling exhausted. This remarkable fatigue has been plaguing me. I can't get out of bed, I fall asleep any time I sit still for too long. And I get plenty of sleep.

So here I am, on the internet, looking up causes, thinking I could have thyroid problems or cancer. Until my chiropractor mentioned that it might be the shot. So I researched it, and have seen that other people are having fatigue and sleeping problems, as well. Now I think I know the cause.

In conclusion, the shot rarely helps anyone and mostly only causes problems. I suggest moving to California for allergies.

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am at the end of my 4th year with the Mirena and except for the first three months of on and off cramping I have have a wonderful experience - no weight gain, excellent sex drive. I have been very glad to not worry about pregnancy. However....here it is, I have been having unexplained itching for the last year and my doctor cannot figure it out. I have also been having heavy hair growth on my chin and lip...I am 39 years old. I plan on having it removed to see it the itching ends. I have been grateful to have it because I hate condoms and cannot take the pill. I think each person needs to weight the benefits and side effects. Thanks for all of your honesty :)