Saturday, November 26, 2011

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow


I've had a bad hair day for about five years now, or has it been more like ten?  Regardless of how long, the fact of the matter is that my hair is noticeably thinner and I'm not liking it.

Lupus requires my taking a cocktail of medications that include Methotrexate, Plaquenil along with  Prednisone and cortisone injections on and off for as long as I can remember.  Those combined with the reality that I'm in full blown menopause and my stress level has been through the roof with the sad passing of my step-father 4 months ago, and, well,  it's clear my hair is paying the price.

For the record, I'm 53 years old with dark brown hair but do not color my hair yet--  Because I only have 17 gray hairs, and yes, I've counted them.  Despite my older and younger sisters all requiring the assistance of Miss Clairol, I'm still far from the monthly hair color ritual (knock wood).  So, that's not contributing in any way to my hair falling out.  Phew.

It is my understanding that on average a person loses 50-100 hairs per day.  I'm waaaay past that level so my Rheumatologist and I discussed the state of affairs--  Overall, my lupus symptoms (fatigue, joint swelling, shortness of breath) are cutting me a break in the past several weeks except for the alarming amount of hair on my pillow, in the sink and on my brush.  I prefer not to rock the boat by changing any of my meds so a more natural approach was my chief topic of conversation.

Biotin, specifically Vitamin B7, was the suggestion.  I stopped at the pharmacy on my way home and asked the Pharmacist which brand was best and of course he recommended the store's brand.  I bought a bottle and started taking one small table a day.

Three weeks later I can't say I actually see a difference in my hair.... yet-- But I'm hoping I will.  I have, however, seen a significant improvement in my finger nails-- They're growing like crazy and are stronger too.

Have you had any luck with more natural options for hair loss related to your lupus or other auto-immune disease?

Until next time...
Joanna J. aka Lemon-Aid
Photo Credit: © .shock - Fotolia.com

4 comments:

  1. Interesting - What about a muilti -vitamin...
    Do you take one? You know, I'm a fan.
    Of YOU and vitamines!
    Especially Omega 3.
    Oh - and Miss Clairol! *wink*

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  2. I take Biotin (a commercial brand) 5 mg. But I also recently had my ferritin levels tested and was told they were low at 13, which led to also confirmation of my iron deficiency. My doctor said low ferritin levels will cause hair loss too. I have been on iron supplements for about 6 months and have seen some improvement but did go into a lupus flare and the hair loss came back again. It's so frustrating.

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  3. All this time I have been reading your other blog, I did not know that you had lupus. You are amazing.

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  4. JJ, I've been on Rogaine for about 4 months, so YES, I have thinning hair. I wrote a blog post on my own site about it then re-posted it on Vibrant Nation. I've gotten tons of responses from women! I've been taking Biotin for ages, but it really hasn't seemed to make much difference. My nails are terrible, too. I'm afraid to stop taking it, though, in case it's actually doing something and things get worse! lol Good luck! Let me know if you're interested and I'll send you the link to my Vibrant Nation post so you can see the comments and suggestions.

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