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Hi guys,
Just an update regarding my blood test results. I've been doing a lot of research and I have a couple of theories that I'm going to try out.
Basically everything came back normal with a couple of exceptions which I feel my doctor is overlooking. My MCV/MCH levels in my blood count are always high, especially MCV which signals a b 12 deficiency. It is always just above the limit (80-97 normal mine was 104). And when I looked back at my blood work while on accutane it was always the same. The doc have never paid much attention. My doc did agree to test my folate and b12 levels which I'll get next week. I looked up b12 deficiency and it seems I have a lot of the symptoms - trouble sleeping, fatigue, frequent yeast infections, mild depression (which i thought was from the hair loss) and HAIR LOSS!
Another result was with my DHEA S being low (both men and women have this hormone). For my age it is supposed to be under 7.3, but mine is extremely low at 2.2. (it even said review result on the test but my doc ignored it). When I researched this it means that I could have adrenal fatigue (as I do have a lot of the symptoms including unexplained HAIR LOSS). We do lose dheas as we age but for my age mine should not be nearly as low. I will need to do a cortisol test to check for this which I'm going to have her check next week.
Basically, I think this is all happening due to accutane. Since before accutane, I never had any problems and have no history of hair loss in my family including the male side. As I eat a very balanced diet (meat, dairy etc) there is no reason at my age I should have low b12 stores in my body. I exercise and take ridiculous good care of myself (esp sice the hair loss started) and neither has there been severe stress in my life to account for adrenal fatigue. The rest of my hormones including thyroid were normal, so it doesn't make sense. Apparently, one's b12 stores take a long time develop and is stored in the liver and accutane does affect the liver. All this time, I've been thinking that the accutane just has to work itself out of my body, but my doc swears that it is out of our systems within a month- so why the continued hair loss?
I think that it is possible based on my results that accutane may cause a deficiency in our bodies that could lead to b12 deficiency as well as possible adrenal fatigue (since they really don't know what accutane does to our body). I think I'm going to get my doc to start me on weekly b12 shots (which can't hurt me anyway) and at the very least will lower my MCV level. And who knows, maybe it will slow or stop my hair loss?!
I know I'm the only girl posting on here, but it is possible that accutane has caused similar deficiencies in all of us. Perhaps the people who eventually have their hair grow back have been able to regain their b12 in their bodies. I was on accutane for a long time, so I'm thinking it could be a possibility in my case.
Still losing silly amounts of hair daily.
Jade
Hey all good to be back(well unfortunately).
Jade I had B12 def' after accutane. i got shots and now take B50 sup which contains b12.
I was at an Army derm who said that the hair loss i have is TE couse my whole hair is thin and the texture is very bad but my tempels may be gone forever(mpb style) so i might need to use minoxi on them.
hope it's true cuase i still dont have re growth that may satisfy me. P.s i am still very dry and red and my eyes still get very dry. and now i got iron def' as well from the army food..taking pills for that:(
Here's a funny bit of news:
I'm shedding my eyebrows! They itch, I rub, and about 10 to 15 hairs come out! Ha! That is awesome.
Lol, again i know i sound like a hypochondriact on this forum, but yeah i've had that aswell, it seems to of stopped though, my eyebrows are really thick anyway so im not arsed...
Here's a funny bit of news:
I'm shedding my eyebrows! They itch, I rub, and about 10 to 15 hairs come out! Ha! That is awesome.
Lol, again i know i sound like a hypochondriact on this forum, but yeah i've had that aswell, it seems to of stopped though, my eyebrows are really thick anyway so im not arsed...
Yeah, mine are pretty thick, too. Which is why I find eyebrow shedding kind of funny.
David-could you answer me this question, when you say you lose 20 or 40 hairs or whatever when you wash your hair, is this the hair that you count up in the shower drain after showering?
yes. i loose a lot more as i comb my hair and what not, though.
ok yeah, im about at the same pace you are then. I shampoo my hair every 3 days and usually notice 30-40 hairs in the drain after shampooing, but hardly any when I dont shampoo my hair. I don't usually comb my hair, but notice other hairs on the floor random places, on my sheets, etc. I have now been shedding for 4.5 months, hopefully it turns around soon for us all soon.
Oh btw i saw my ex girlfriend a few days back, she has also been on tane and finished about 3 months ago, she was on a very low dose (10mg a day for 7 months) her hair seems alot thinner... she said it also sheds alot more than it used to, i don't see why her hair wouldn't go back to normal after such a low dose treatment though....
I think our shed it due to the deficiency of b12 and biotin the tane has made us lose alot of it and not absorb it as we used to so we gatta take a good amout.
What amout of biotin and b12 do you guys take? i was on 600mcg of biotin but ran out imma get some more this week imma try the b12 to to see if it helps..
lamarr you said something about steroids, what steroids will you be going on?
real quick question. from my understanding that when women go through TE, they often experience most of their shedding in their temple region along with the normal difuse shedding. do you think men experience the same pattern of shedding, as in the bulk of shedding may happen in the temples.
I think our shed it due to the deficiency of b12 and biotin the tane has made us lose alot of it and not absorb it as we used to so we gatta take a good amout.What amout of biotin and b12 do you guys take? i was on 600mcg of biotin but ran out imma get some more this week imma try the b12 to to see if it helps..
lamarr you said something about steroids, what steroids will you be going on?
I'm going to wait until ive had a biopsy, and ANCA test. But it will likely just be predispone...
And GDwright, yes we do believe so we have disscussed that in the thread already. The temple area is naturally your thinnest area to begin with, so diffuse hairloss will make the temples worse than any other area...
I agree on you rtheory in some cases, but i don't believe it explains everyones!! Be careful not to take to much biotin and forget your b12 and vice versa. Make sure you have an intake of all b vitamins as taking one can diminish stores of another...
Hey guys I read an article online a few months ago I forgot where. But it talked about when the hair falls off some of the hairs will have dry sebum on the end of the hair root. Well lately some of the hair that falls of my head have the dry sebum attached to the ends.
Does anyone experience this?
I forgot what the article says but it could be a sign that its not TE or it is TE.
Hey guys quick update here. Still shedding as usual, and I know it's quite thinner than it used to be but right now I'm pretty content and happy cause i seem to still be attracting girls, and hot ones at that. I was wearing my hair long for awhile and to me when i looked in the mirror it looked like shit and thin but when I look at it from just random pictures that people have taken it actually still looks pretty full and thick. Granted I know my hair has thinned, but maybe with the appearance aspect it's just based on the amount I'm shedding right now because it doesn't seem that other people even really notice. But yea we were patying this past sunday with all of the guys on the team here, and I managed to finally hook up with a smoking hot girl who has been a friend of mine sor a little while. When looking at pictures of the night my hair looks great, and all and all she was running her hands through it the whole time and didn't seem to mind. Also, I just got my hair cut yesterday the shortest it's been in a while. The sides are actually in line now, and although my hair doesn't look as thick and full when i had it out long it may look slightly better just based on the fact it's not as out of control now. Either way though this experience this past weekend has made my confidence surge back since this whole hair issue started. So right now I'm on the prowl again I plan on enjoying my hair and getting as much action as I can while I have it. What I also am sort of looking for, that I haven't for the past few years, is maybe even get a steady girlfriend. I mean if I had someone who really cared about me and was into me and all I think that at the end of the day if I was losing my hair she wouldn't care, and if I had to get a toupe or wig etc she wouldnt mind. Who knows though, but right now it's my birthday this coming weekend the big 22 and I wanna enjoy myself. see ya guys
also i have an appointment for a doctor on the 25th, and i will be asking him everything aout whats going on so i will def keep you guys posted on what he tells me.
one question, is thinning hair all over your head a good thing or a bad thing? i wanna know what you guys think
