Posted by Sarah T. on October 17, 2005, at 1:38:12
In reply to Wellbutrin hair is brittle and falling out!, posted by TrishP on October 14, 2005, at 5:26:05
Hi Trish.
Your hair loss may very well be caused by Wellbutrin, but before you change medications or change any other variables, I think it's a good idea to go to the doctor and have a complete physical check up, including lots of blood tests, especially thyroid tests (TSH, T4, T3). You should also have ferritin checked and possibly cortisol. You might also want to make an appointment with a dermatologist. Some dermatologists even specialize in hair.
Last winter I had a lot of hair loss, and I wasn't on any medications then. I think it was caused by stress , but I'm not sure. I increased my intake of B vitamins and vitamin C. Several people suggested Nioxin shampoo. It was difficult to find, but I did finally find some at a hair salon. It's pretty good, and there's a conditioner that goes with it. I also use Nizoral Shampoo approximately once a week. I don't have a scalp fungus, but when I had all that hair loss, I was worried that I might have a fungus, so that's why I started using Nizoral. If you do get some Nizoral, you're not supposed to use it more than a few times per week; however, Nioxin can be used more frequently.
By the way, have you had any other physical symptoms related to your Wellbutrin use? Have you gotten pimples or acne? When I was on Wellbutrin, I looked as if I had reverted to adolescence. My skin got very oily, and I had big pimples, much worse than anything I'd had as a teenager.
Although I have never bothered to investigate this further, I had a theory that Wellbutrin might be androgenic (i.e., it might increase production of male hormones). The reason I think that might be the case is that Wellbutrin is known for increasing sex drive (unlike almost every other antidepressant), it is known to cause hair loss (balding is often associated with increase in male hormones), and it can cause acne and/or oily skin (also a sign of increased male hormones).
By the way, my doctor told me that nearly all medicines, even aspirin, can affect the hair growth cycle.
poster:Sarah T.
thread:566101
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20051010/msgs/568015.html