What I learned today about shedding

gn1g

gn1g

Well-Known Member
My hair started sheding again so I made another appointment with the derm. He ask was my cycle heavy I said yes and the older I get the heavier. long story short Iron defdefencieny can be the cause of hair shedding. So he suggested I take iron, zinc and vitamin a supplemements.

HTH someone.
 
Great thread. Could this be my problem? Maybe. I've always shedded alot & always had a heavy cycle. Thanks for posting.
 
I know it happens because i'm an anemic and it happens often to me. I've been on Iron, zinc and vitamin c, a, and others for a while now. the shedding slowed down alot.
 
I'm anemic as well. I just take a multivitamin with iron in it. Hopefully that's enough.

Can one get too much iron? if I were to start taking an additional supplement? I wonder ...
 
Synthia said:
I'm anemic as well. I just take a multivitamin with iron in it. Hopefully that's enough.

Can one get too much iron? if I were to start taking an additional supplement? I wonder ...
Click to expand...

Yes, too much can make you constipated, :eek: so you may want to start with the brand's reccomended amount before increasing.

I've also heard from my derm that iron supplements can help with hair loss as well- I need to get back on the band wagon. I forget about the simple stuff such as supplements- all the while I'm scouring the BSS looking for a miracle product.:(
 
Thanks Gn1g for posting, I hadn't considered this as an avenue of remedy. I've been shedding more lately and it's coincided with my slacking on taking my vites as well.
 
I am told that you should take about 18mg of Iron and some zinc. I take the iron on an empty stomach because a lot of things can stop your body from absorbing it. But make sure to take the zinc with food. And too much Iron can be harmful. I am so excited about stopping this shedding.

I hope someone tells Adrian.
 
Following up: I've been taking iron with Vitamin C since I saw this post and my shedding has diminished about 75% of what it was doing. I'm not afraid to CO wash my hair anymore!

Thanks GN1G for the heads up! :up:
 
Ladies pleae talk to your doctor's first and get a full blodd work before you start taking iron. Make sure that your iron levels are low. Too much iron is not good for you. You don't want to get iron overload (Hemochromatosis) just to prevent natural shedding if you are not deficient. And NEVER take multi-vitamins with iron added unless your doctor advises you.

:)
 
1QTPie said:
Ladies pleae talk to your doctor's first and get a full blodd work before you start taking iron. Make sure that your iron levels are low. Too much iron is not good for you. You don't want to get iron overload (Hemochromatosis) just to prevent natural shedding if you are not deficient. And NEVER take multi-vitamins with iron added unless your doctor advises you.

:)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up. As for me, I've been diagnosed with anemia since forever, I'm just never consistent with taking my supplements. :spank:

Since I have a physical scheduled for next week, it can't hurt to be retested!
 
1QTPie said:
Ladies pleae talk to your doctor's first and get a full blodd work before you start taking iron. Make sure that your iron levels are low. Too much iron is not good for you. You don't want to get iron overload (Hemochromatosis) just to prevent natural shedding if you are not deficient. And NEVER take multi-vitamins with iron added unless your doctor advises you.

:)
Click to expand...


Thats great advice.:yep: I personally cannot take pharmaceutical iron beause I'm too sensitive to it (I double in pain 10 minutes after ingesting it) So my doctor advised me against it and I make sure I get enough high iron foods instead. So even though I'm slightly anemic, this is what works for me.

-A
 
CAUTION!!! Beware of taking supplements without talking to a doctor or dietitan first.

I'm in college studying to be a dietitian and have had to learn a lot about vitamins and minerals in the last few years. Therefore, I would caution against taking single vitamin supplements. Most multi-vitamins are able to provide you with an adequate, but safe, level of most of the vitamins the body needs.

Fat-soluble vitamins (like Vitamin A) are stored in the body and taking it by itself can cause it to build up in the body in toxic amounts. The RDA (recommended intake) for vitamin A is 700 μg/day. Taking as little as 10x more than the RDA of vitamin A can, over time, cause dry, itchy skin, alopecia (hair loss), bone and muscle pain (luckily it's reversible if you stop taking too much vitamin A). But too much vitamin A can also cause birth defects for pregnant women.

As for iron, taking too much of it can cause: liver damage, caidomyopathy (heart damage), endocrine dysfunction, pulmonary hypertension, and increase the risk of having an opportunistic infection. Also, zinc and iron kind of counteract one another when taking at the same time. So if you do decide to take a zinc and iron supplement they need to be taken at different times of the day (ex. take your iron supplement between meals and your zinc with meals).

Ladies, taking supplements (besides a multi-vitamin) can be very dangerous if you take more than you should. Be careful, whatever you decide to do.

I hope my post was helpful.

P.S.
For more reliable nutrition info. (from a registered dietitian) go to www.dietitian.com (I can't help endorsing my future profession. I love it!:p )
 
SEMO said:
(I can't help endorsing my future profession. I love it!:p )
Click to expand...

I ain't mad at all :lol: and will be viewing that l link more in depth when I get home. I'm going to send you a PM...

ETA: Welcome!! :newbie:
 
1QTPie said:
Ladies pleae talk to your doctor's first and get a full blodd work before you start taking iron. Make sure that your iron levels are low. Too much iron is not good for you. You don't want to get iron overload (Hemochromatosis) just to prevent natural shedding if you are not deficient. And NEVER take multi-vitamins with iron added unless your doctor advises you.

:)
Click to expand...
yes that is GREAT advice. too much iron can cause lots of problems! most people get sufficient amounts of iron from their daly food intake. anyway, if you are diagnosed with anemia (as a good friend of mine was) another thing that she's found to help was conditioner washing. she conditioner washes 3 times a month and uses shampoo once a month. at first she didn't notice a difference in her shedding rate, but over the next 2 months, her shedding was down 75%.
 
Thanks ladies for all the feedback (though I know it's not all directed at one person), I'm going to quit taking mine until my after my physical next week so the Dr. can get an accurate reading on my levels.
 
My shedding has stopped in it's tracks! completely. (TMI ALERT:Now what to do about this constipation and I can't wait to see what my next cycle will be like).
 
gn1g said:
My shedding has stopped in it's tracks! completely. (TMI ALERT:Now what to do about this constipation and I can't wait to see what my next cycle will be like).
Click to expand...
There are non-constipating iron supplements that are absorbed very well by the body and already contain vitamin C, which works in synergy with iron. Nutritionists told me that Floradix, an iron+herb supplement and FerroFood iron supplement are fully absorbed by the body and are non-constipating.

As Semo said, take your zinc and iron at different times. :yep:
 
No wonder I've been shedding like crazy! (I'm on my period, TMI sorry.) And no wonder my mother's hair hasn't been shedding like it used to (she takes iron pills for her joints). I may have to do something about that.
 
I've been anemic since birth but have only taken iron supplements while pregnant and nursing. I've got one more month until I ween my second son but I think I'm gonna continue my iron supplement. I had no idea my hair was all over the floor because of my low iron. Thanx for the info girls, ya'll are the bomb!

P.S. I'm also gonna find another multi vite. Prenates are a bit much if you're not preg or nursing. Any recommendations for multivites?
 
I made another discovery about hair shedding via the internet.

There is a correlation between those that get cold sores and have excessive shedding. It's an amino acid deficiency.


This is what I am going to do:
Take 1000mg of L-Lysine - it's and amino and it helps to distribute the iron through out the body.

18mg Iron - careful taking iron because too much is toxic to the liver
50mg Zinc

500mgEvening primrose Oil daily. helps to prevent testerone from converting to dihydrotestosterone at the level of the hair follicle which is the chemical that cause the hair to shedd.

500mg Esters-C

I probably should take L-cystein as well.
 
This is reallyl good information. I take a multi-vitamin that has all of the goodies in it but I still shed so I guess I should go have a physical and get a blood work up to see if I need more iron that whats in my multi-vitamin.
I HATE GOING TO THE DOCTOR!!!
 
This is a great post. I've been diagnosed as slightly anemic in the past and my doctor put me on birth control that had those brown iron pills for the 4th week that you were on your cycle. Well I never took those but I'm definitely going to take those brown pills now. My doctor also advised me to eat red meat, but I don't eat red meat. I'm getting ready to go for my yearly physical and I'm going to ask my doctor about my iron levels. I have terrible shedding
 
sometimes, as in my case, shedding was a result of low caloric intake. any change in diet can lead to hair loss.
mine was extreme!!
 
That's good to keep in check. I'll keep an eye on my iron consumption. Ladies, remember not to overdo iron due to potential toxicity.
 
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