new member--have questions!

[superj]

I am 27 years old and my hair has been thinning/shedding for about a year. I was diagnosed with Crohn's diesase end of 04. I have read that sugeries/trauma can cause hair to shed. I have been to two dermatologists. Both said I have Androgenetic Alopecia and Teflogen Afluvium. I also had a low iron count and have got that up and it still has not helped the shedding. I am talking vitamins to help my hair grow. All of my blood tests have seemed normal...but my gynecologist is going to check my androgen levels. She also mentioned spiranolactone. Does anyone have experience with this drug? Also out of curiosity, how many of you have been diagnosed with Androgenetic Alopecia and know a woman in their family who has it? There are no women in my family that have it and it is supposed to be genetic. Has anyone used Rogaine and then stopped and had their hair get worse? This is my fear of using it. Any advice is much appreciated!

 

[tchehov]

Hi

My mum suffered something similar to what you described and she also suffered a thyroid disorder. Her hair is now slowly recovering. She basically upped her intake of iron & zinc, and took a dose of Co-Enzyme Q10 and L-Carnitine daily (I've started taking it too). She also cut down on sugar and drank a lot of bottled water daily. Over the months she has seen a steady improvement and she is still continuing treatment with hope.

There's quite a lot of information on spironolactone in the men's forum if you want to check it out. Do a search.

I'm not sure about Rogaine for women - but it is quite effective for men and so you might want to give it a try.

It's a very distressing business, for men and women both.

Good luck.