Haha, homeless people didnt take accutane. 
Agreed but dont need to cut off all the vitamins, just have healthy balance. dont overdose on vitamin at the same time dont cut off either. I've been taking care of my liver too by drinking a cup of tea everyday, drinking more than a liter of water per day and adding fresh lemon juice to my water.
I recently marked four months post accutane  my hair is certainly getting thicker and sheds less comparing to few months ago. still its very loose on my head tho. 
few tricks that I think its working out for me other than vitamins, is to keep your hair short, do not comb/use hair dryer.
- Shower less, (I only shampoo twice a week, with hair thinking shampoo, let it sit in ur hair for 10 mins min and 10 mins of conditioner). if u wanna shower more dont use shampoo or wear a shower cap. let the hair air dry or just pat the excess water with a towel, dont be harsh while drying ur hair. 
- Dont pull on you hair, let ur hair loose, keep it short. 
- massage ur scalp 5-10 mins a day, the blood flow nourishes the follicles. (I bought an electric scalp massager)
- dont expect the hair growth in one week, it requires months and months and commitment.
-REDUCE STRESSSS. my hair sheds more on the days I'm stressed. stop freaking yourself out. stop staring at the mirror. 
-Take less Vitamin A rich food. Vitamin A latches into ur liver that's why the shedding doesn't stop. carrot and leafy greens are not Ur friends in this scenario. but healthy fat are, since Vitamin A is fat soluble.
I have a 10 hrs a fay office job. Used to count the hair on my desk, the ones I could find on the desk were 15 to 20 but since few weeks ago it dropped down to 5 to 10 (rarely over 10). 

have faith!  your not gonna get bald, just less hair with flawless skin. own it. 
no one could even tell I lost 30%ish of my hair on top of my scalp within 2 months. 

Also everyone shed more in fall and winter time (cold seasons)!

Think I™m gona start on the minoxidil women™s foam next week!It™s finally come to this :(....i don™t think it™s going to take to my scalp well as it™s so super sensitive but I™m SO DESPERATE now to stop the shed or at least if I can™t stop it help my hair regrow. It™s beyond thin at this stage  

16 months off accutane.

13 week rogaine update:still shedding badly. The density of my hair is so thin. I'd say I'm losing about 350 hairs a day, every single day. Not as bad as during the first 7ish weeks of rogaine, but still bad.

Rogaine is definitely giving me some regrowth around the front of my hair. I no longer have visible bald patches close to my hair line - they are really filling in, it's amazing. However, I can't see much regrowth anywhere else, and the ACCUTANE SHED is not stopping. If it wasn't for the shed, I think I'd have a decent amount of my hair back in 1 year. Sadly, it looks like i'm tending towards being literally bald due to the fact that i am constantly losing so much.

This is by far the most devastating thing that i have ever been through. I am depressed every single day of my life, going out with limp, thin hair when I had incredible hair before. Will never come to terms with this.

@chicanery I'm not using Rogaine but I feel like I am getting slow regrowth. My shedding has not slowed either though which is causing such thin hair.  I just don't understand when the shedding will stop?  If it was truly a "shock" to my system, I would think my body would have worked it out by now.  I only took Accutane for a month and it did this much damage, which is terrifying.  

3 hours ago, MeritNorth said:

@chicanery I'm not using Rogaine but I feel like I am getting slow regrowth. My shedding has not slowed either though which is causing such thin hair.  I just don't understand when the shedding will stop?  If it was truly a "shock" to my system, I would think my body would have worked it out by now.  I only took Accutane for a month and it did this much damage, which is terrifying.  

I agree, this is exactly how I feel!! I'm convinced that accutane has changed something, whether it's the immune system's functioning (maybe our body's constantly attacking our hair cells), thyroid function or something hormonal. The horrendous thing is that doctors literally have no clue what accutane does to the body. I just don't know what I'm gonna do when I inevitably start having hair so thin that i look unwell. I don't know how I'm going to deal with that/avoid becoming suicidal.

@chicaneryclearly your follicles are still kicking, which is a great news. have u seen a dermatologist? maybe they can help you more rather and doing self treatment. also maybe use hair thickening shampoo it makes a difference.

Have any of you tried The Essential Woman - its a supplement made by Barleans. its what Im using and my TE has stopped recently. Here are studies http://www.hairloss-research.org/UpdateFishOil8-12.html

How is everyone doing? My hair is starting to "feel" normal again, but I'm sure it will be followed by another shedding cycle.  

hey meritnorth! iv started using minoxidil....using it about 2 weeks now...i thought the shedding was slowing down over xmas but today its back to the same as it has been  so no good update from me :{

hello everyone!!  im still using minoxidil in the area frontotemporal of my head, the baby's hair is growing up in that area but the rest of my hair is still falling. i guess this is the shedding cycle that you are taking about MeriNorth.

On 28. 11. 2017. at 2:10 AM, MeritNorth said:

My hair is back to shedding majorly. I really thought I was starting to see a difference but it now seems to be getting worse. I'm so sick of trying to style my hair to cover my scalp. Picture of what's left of my once full head of hair  

I feel sorry for you... but you are not alone with side effects. My hair has not been so impacted, yet, but muscles, joints, bowel, anxiety... all have been. 

Isn't this drug wonderful? Even after you stop it, you keep waiting in fear what problem comes next. 

I am now slowly accepting some effects may be permanent. 

My skin is also so bad now again...it™s a year since I accutane (which I only took for one month) but yet my hair continues to fall out....at this stage I™m thinking if my hair is going to fall out anyway I may as well have finished off my course and have clear skin?  sometimes I just think should I go back and finish taking the accutane

My hair loss is still terrible - 300-400 a day, 30% of the hair I had before. Losing the short minoxidil regrowth too. Can't believe this.

Question:have any of you had your thyroids tested?

I had mine tested right after coming off accutane, but was just told it was "normal" and didn't see the results. i don't trust doctors at this point so might get it tested again. Convinced accutane has altered a hormone or something in my body - assume it's tragically something we can't change, but could be thyroid-linked... who knows.

Hello chicanery, i had my thyroids test, and it was normal, i saw the results. i lost around 30% of my hair until now... still waiting that this telogen gone. i want to know if there are person who experimented this telogen after accutane but they complete recovered, maybe the first persons had writing this forum, right?

23 hours ago, chicanery said:

My hair loss is still terrible - 300-400 a day, 30% of the hair I had before. Losing the short minoxidil regrowth too. Can't believe this.

Question:have any of you had your thyroids tested?

I had mine tested right after coming off accutane, but was just told it was "normal" and didn't see the results. i don't trust doctors at this point so might get it tested again. Convinced accutane has altered a hormone or something in my body - assume it's tragically something we can't change, but could be thyroid-linked... who knows.

Which thyroid tests did you do? There is not only one...

Unfortunately tane affects pituitary, hormones etc. I also plan to get some tests done.

It is now well accepted some changes can be permanent, like eye dryness(kills the gland off) or night vision.

i did TSH, T3 and T4

My hair loss is really, really heavy again. 400+ hairs a day. I just dont know what to do - I'm 1.5 years off accutane. I just have to realise that I'm never getting my hair back, and I've pretty much accepted that already.

However, I can't even start to imagine how i'm going to look in a year's time if this continues (which I'm sure it will). This is what i can't accept - the prospect of having to wear a wig, of constantly being scared of showing my scalp. Franky, I shouldn't have to accept this as i'm only 20 and was LIED TO by my derm. He looked at me and laughed, saying "of course accutane can't cause permanent shedding/hair loss".

I have to pray that the minoxidil causes regrowth consistently and balances this shed out, so my hair's appearance doesn't dramatically worsen over the next few years, but i just have no clue what's going to happen. All I can hope for is to maintain my hair as it is. The hope of having my NICE hair back has long, long gone.

i'm 1 year off accutane, I'm feeling you chicanery. I hope there will be a day that this falling hair will stop. I'm not drinking anymore vitamins, does not work... i stop the minoxidil.

18 minutes ago, Karly123@ said:

i'm 1 year off accutane, I'm feeling you chicanery. I hope there will be a day that this falling hair will stop. I'm not drinking anymore vitamins, does not work... i stop the minoxidil.

It's the worst! I'm convinced this is permanent and autoimmune, similar to something like Crohn's Disease and rheumatoid arthritis, both of which Accutane can cause. We've just been affected on our scalps.

Why have you stopped minoxidil?

Hi guys,

I haven't been on much, due to the holidays/moving to another city/starting graduate school, but I've been thinking about you all, hoping things were looking up for you. I'm sorry to here about everyone's struggles, I am not doing so hot either  My shedding has slowed down substantially but will spike at least once or twice a week, and at this point I can't afford to lose much more hair. There is no hiding it now. For a while in the summer I could scrunch it dry and make it look fuller but even that isn't working at this point. Every time I go outside I can feel the cold on my scalp and it's so disgustingly thin now I can barely put it up in a ponytail. Also, and this is probably TMI, I noticed in the past couple months that I've lost the majority of my pubic hair. I keep reading this is hormonal, and the last time my doc and I checked my hormones they seemed fine. I will probably ask for another test though. Some days I feel like I am descending into a stage of premature aging or something. I was only 30 when this started and I know this is NOT normal. I still get furious sometimes, and can't bear to look at old pics of myself. As far as the thyroid thing goes, make sure you are being tested for more than just your TSH. The TSH reveals almost nothing, so test for T3, reverse T3, T4, TPOs, etc. Rule out autoimmune thyroid diseases. I am due for another iron test this week, so I'll see if it's gone up at all. I may order myself a thyroid test too, just to make sure my levels are still decent. One things I've learned from this absolute hell of an experience is to never, ever, let a doctor talk you out of your suspicions, hunches, or gut feelings. I know I said that before but I can't say it enough! "Normal" is not optimal!! Make sure your gut is healed and functioning properly too. If anyone's taken lots of antibiotics or birth control they are at risk for a gut bacteria imbalance. That was a HUGE piece of my health problem, which I fixed (mostly) with probiotics and a gut-healing powder called Glutagenics. I too am worried the BC, chronic telogen effluvium, and deficiencies may have ruined my hair cycle.  I don't know how I'd even test for that. Don't give up, Chicanery! Don't give up, anyone! We will make it through this. XOXO. 

hola chicanery! i stooped minoxidil because I already have enough baby hair on my frontotemporal side to cover my baldness. I was a person who had a lot of hair, so 30% of what has fallen is in the crown area, but it still looks good, that why i stooped until i really need the minoxidil. If you see the picture of Merithnorth, I had it like that, monoxidil is the only help here to growing up.our hairs. 
What I have been able to note is that hair loss decreases when my period is coming, how strange, I think it is hormal ... or who will know the truth...even the doctors don't know....
I have decided that if I lose more than 60 percent of my hair, it will obviously look horrible, so I'm going to shave my head !

6 hours ago, Karly123@ said:

hola chicanery! i stooped minoxidil because I already have enough baby hair on my frontotemporal side to cover my baldness. I was a person who had a lot of hair, so 30% of what has fallen is in the crown area, but it still looks good, that why i stooped until i really need the minoxidil. If you see the picture of Merithnorth, I had it like that, monoxidil is the only help here to growing up.our hairs. 
What I have been able to note is that hair loss decreases when my period is coming, how strange, I think it is hormal ... or who will know the truth...even the doctors don't know....
I have decided that if I lose more than 60 percent of my hair, it will obviously look horrible, so I'm going to shave my head !

 

 

it is horrible what this extremely dangerous drug has done to many of us and docs never properly warned us. 

21 hours ago, Undone515 said:

Hi guys,

I haven't been on much, due to the holidays/moving to another city/starting graduate school, but I've been thinking about you all, hoping things were looking up for you. I'm sorry to here about everyone's struggles, I am not doing so hot either  My shedding has slowed down substantially but will spike at least once or twice a week, and at this point I can't afford to lose much more hair. There is no hiding it now. For a while in the summer I could scrunch it dry and make it look fuller but even that isn't working at this point. Every time I go outside I can feel the cold on my scalp and it's so disgustingly thin now I can barely put it up in a ponytail. Also, and this is probably TMI, I noticed in the past couple months that I've lost the majority of my pubic hair. I keep reading this is hormonal, and the last time my doc and I checked my hormones they seemed fine. I will probably ask for another test though. Some days I feel like I am descending into a stage of premature aging or something. I was only 30 when this started and I know this is NOT normal. I still get furious sometimes, and can't bear to look at old pics of myself. As far as the thyroid thing goes, make sure you are being tested for more than just your TSH. The TSH reveals almost nothing, so test for T3, reverse T3, T4, TPOs, etc. Rule out autoimmune thyroid diseases. I am due for another iron test this week, so I'll see if it's gone up at all. I may order myself a thyroid test too, just to make sure my levels are still decent. One things I've learned from this absolute hell of an experience is to never, ever, let a doctor talk you out of your suspicions, hunches, or gut feelings. I know I said that before but I can't say it enough! "Normal" is not optimal!! Make sure your gut is healed and functioning properly too. If anyone's taken lots of antibiotics or birth control they are at risk for a gut bacteria imbalance. That was a HUGE piece of my health problem, which I fixed (mostly) with probiotics and a gut-healing powder called Glutagenics. I too am worried the BC, chronic telogen effluvium, and deficiencies may have ruined my hair cycle.  I don't know how I'd even test for that. Don't give up, Chicanery! Don't give up, anyone! We will make it through this. XOXO. 

After tane, we have to test ourselves... I have developed more than one problem, which are 100% down to tane. Losing hair is not normal, in this way. 
 

21 hours ago, Karly123@ said:

hola chicanery! i stooped minoxidil because I already have enough baby hair on my frontotemporal side to cover my baldness. I was a person who had a lot of hair, so 30% of what has fallen is in the crown area, but it still looks good, that why i stooped until i really need the minoxidil. If you see the picture of Merithnorth, I had it like that, monoxidil is the only help here to growing up.our hairs. 
What I have been able to note is that hair loss decreases when my period is coming, how strange, I think it is hormal ... or who will know the truth...even the doctors don't know....
I have decided that if I lose more than 60 percent of my hair, it will obviously look horrible, so I'm going to shave my head !

 

 

Especially, I feel hair is a really bad issue for girls. I find nice hair in girls very appealing, and sexy. Yet, some may be left bald by accutane.

I guess we guys can just remove it all, be bald, heck some girls find even this sexy... my hair loss from tane has not been big, but it's early to say. I do have many other problems though. 

On 09. 01. 2018. at 7:21 PM, chicanery said:

It's the worst! I'm convinced this is permanent and autoimmune, similar to something like Crohn's Disease and rheumatoid arthritis, both of which Accutane can cause. We've just been affected on our scalps.

Why have you stopped minoxidil?

It might well be- accutane is directly linked to many autoimmune diseases. 

What a "magic pill"- acne out, and 60+ years of life left, permanent problems of various kinds. Many people have been severely crippled by this drug, permanent ED, pains and much other. 

I got my thyroid tests back, TSH and T3 (or T4.. can't remember but she ensured me I only needed either T3 or T4 so it was one of them).

They both came back perfectly normal. I did my own research, and they are Definitely normal.

What should I get tested next? Do I beg my doctor to do some thyroid antibody tests, or should I be asking about things like lupus?