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Why is this happening to me ? What are possible causes? And what has worked for others?
I started getting Alopecia areata about three years ago. I am 49 years old. All my doctor told me was it was a auto immune desease and that I had anxiety she did no blood work just put me on ampians and prozac ( which I stopped taking when I saw it caused hair loss) she sent me to a demotogist who said its was stress related and gave me injections and creams thay work but sometime i have to go back for a second shot 4 week later. I have read that there can be a lot of factors like,lupus, thyroid, arthritis,vitiminn deficiency.I have noticed that since I'm pre- menopausal my Alopecia seems to act up more like it could be my hormones but again my doctor is reluctant to put me on harmome therapy cause she said it causes cancer.Anybody have a similar situtation or advise.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kjt65 on
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Thank you for your reply, I will see a docter for full blood work and give vitamins a shot.
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Permalink Reply by KarenGinny - Iowa, US on
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Hi, I have been experiencing hair loss for about 3 years too, and was diagnosed in March 2012 with Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia - which is permanent hair loss primarily around the forehead,temples and above my ears. That doctor didn't give me much hope and no treatment options, although we were doing the steroid injections and using clobetasol shampoo & liquid treatment before the diagnosis. I am 48 now so I was about 46 when it first started. I'm not in menopause yet, but I do have thyroid issues. I haven't gotten much help in finding out why this started, but I figure it has to do with my low thyroid + hormones and is an auto-immune reaction, along with stress. I recently went to a new dermatologist to get a second opinion, so I'm hopeful he will have more answers for me. I'm able to hide the bald spots with my hair style and long bangs, but I worry if it gets much thinner it will be more obvious. I should go to an endocrinologist also although my regular dr has done bloodwork and nothing really stood out as a problem. Hope this helps... Karen - Also there is a great group of women here on the "Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia" group with very similar stories.
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Permalink Reply by Bridget F on
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It is extremely important to get blood work done, but more often than not, MD's do not do as thorough a blood test as you need. Rarely do they do a full thyroid panel and even if they did, they treat it the same way they treat other thyroid issues which is to prescribe medication. I recommend that you stay away from specialized medicine since they do not look at the body as a whole and go to someone more holistic in their approach to healthcare.
I am a 35 year old mother of two young boys and I started losing hair in patches about 8 months ago. I lost half of my left eyebrow and shortly there-after, found a large bald spot on the back of my head. It progressed to between 7 and 8 bald spots and I had many other symptoms as well, like fatigue, irritability, depression, pale skin, weight loss, and more. I went to a Functional Medicine doctor who is a chiropractor as well as a board certified internist and he did extensive blood work on me. It was discovered that I had Hashimoto's, low ferritin, and active Epstein-Barr virus. It is well known that when you have one auto-immune disease you either have or will get another. He told me to go completely gluten-free because of the hashimoto's and he started me on a lot of herbs and supplements. Before I had these blood test results I had continued my search online for anything to help with the hair-loss. I came across the product "Calosol" from the UK which is amazing. Between using Calosol and taking the herbs and supplements from my doctor, I am experiencing complete hair re-growth. My largest bald spot is completely filled in and my eyebrow is almost all back. All of my smaller patches are filled in and the short hairs are now about 3 inches long. On top of that, I feel better than I have in years. I don't care what anyone says, AA is not a benign condition. Your hair does not just fall out unless something is going wrong in your body. If you're interested in seeing the Functional Medicine doc that I go to, his name is Dr. Nikolas Hedberg. He is located in Asheville, NC but has patients as far away as Australia. Just google him and browse his website. He treats the whole body finding the root cause of your hair-loss or any other symptoms that you have. Between going to see him and using Calosol, my hair is back and I believe it's back to stay!
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Permalink Reply by ASRN on
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I started with AA in 2008 and it ultimately progressed to AU. However, when it was just AA the best (though hardly perfect) treatment I had was the steroid injections into the areas of hair loss. I HAVE been told that stress may have triggered it and that would fit with the fact that I was in my last semester of nursing school when the AA started. However it didn't progress until after I had a baby ... maybe a hormone shift that triggered it to worsen? I have been told that when you have 1 autoimmune disorder you are prone to more. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis, Autoimmune Thyroiditis and AU. There may not be a lot you can do to treat the hair loss but at least you may understand better if you see a Dr and they check thyroid/hormone levels and see if you have s/s of any other disorders that may be causing the loss ... Good luck.
PS - my derm also recommended antidepressants. I tried Lexapro (ridiculously expensive!)so I switched to Celexa. Did not help with any regrowth BUT I would say at least I don't care as much that I am bald - haha!
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