HRT causing shedding?

[TheLittlestSlam]

Hey friends!
So i had had hair thinning since starting college two years ago, but it wasn't much maybe some strans in the shower, nothing too serious.  I started hormones in november with really low doses and then in february I increased my spiro to 4x as much as i was getting previously but kept a low estradiol to adjust.  However I gained breast growth my hair started shedding alot more!  Last month I noticed it more in the shower, but waking up I find hairs on my bed and on my rug, this month my doctor put me on finasteride but i'm still getting hair fall.   Is this normal?  is it just speeding up my hair loss?  I can tell its shedding since it seems the bulb is attached at the end of the hair.

[amydane]

The same has happened to me. I hope that it's just making way for new hair growth.

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[TheLittlestSlam]

We can only pray haha!  my loss is mostly near the hairline, but thankfully since it's summer I can part my hair into a bang and use a bandana folded like a headband to hide the corner's of the forehead.  +my current love interest says its cute

[Rambler]

I went through a brief shed about a month after starting Finasteride that was visually unnoticeable and then started seeing significant signs of regrowth by the 4 month mark. At this point I've been on estradiol/Spiro for just over a month and have noticed signs of another shed but I'm still seeing new follicles sprouting. The discussion seems fairly common on the ->-bleeped-<- forums as well, and the consensus seems to be that as long as the loss isn't profound and noticable, it's a sign of good things happening. If you are concerned talk to your doc about adding Finasteride or dutasteride to your hrt regimen to prevent loss/encourage growth.

[Cimara]

I shed hair like a dog. It gets in the drain, on my pillow, all over my boyfriends clothes and wrapped around the roller thing on the vacuum. But I have no thin spots at all. I think when your hair gets longer its just more noticeable when it sheds.

[Janes Groove]

I was on spiro for about 6 months when the shedding became noticeable.  Then I did some research and found out that for some people spiro causes scalp hair loss.  If you google spironolactone side effects its right there under possible spironolactone side effects.  At 8 months I was starting to get seriously depressed.  I went to a new doctor and she took me off of spiro completely and started me on proscar. After just a few days after I quit taking spiro the shedding went from being really bad to just normal shedding.

[Rambler]

I was on spiro for about 6 months when the shedding became noticeable.  Then I did some research and found out that for some people spiro causes scalp hair loss.  If you google spironolactone side effects its right there under possible spironolactone side effects.  At 8 months I was starting to get seriously depressed.  I went to a new doctor and she took me off of spiro completely and started me on proscar. After just a few days after I quit taking spiro the shedding went from being really bad to just normal shedding.

That's not an uncommon experience. This is why a lot of endos will prescribe at least a low dose finasteride or dutasteride as part of HRT. Even though Spiro cuts down T, it doesn't do anything to stifle DHT production and that's what causes hairloss in genetic men from a hormonal standpoint. The remaining T and heightened estrogen can actually cause continued dht production. That being said, Spiro is sometimes prescribed to genetic women who have balding problems, so I think it probably has more to do with overall hormone regulation.

[KayXo]

Even though Spiro cuts down T, it doesn't do anything to stifle DHT production

It does because by reducing T, it also reduces DHT since T converts to DHT. Less T, less DHT. Also, Spiro partially blocks all androgens, including DHT.

The remaining T and heightened estrogen can actually cause continued dht production.

Estrogen does not convert to T or DHT. It is anti-androgenic and can help with baldness.

That being said, Spiro is sometimes prescribed to genetic women who have balding problems, so I think it probably has more to do with overall hormone regulation.

It's because Spiro reduces and blocks DHT.

[jentay1367]

I am on high doses of Spiro, Estradiol and finasteride. One year on the first two, four months on the latter. I now have less hair than when I began. Talk about depressing...

[Wednesday]

I shed hair like a dog. It gets in the drain, on my pillow, all over my boyfriends clothes and wrapped around the roller thing on the vacuum. But I have no thin spots at all. I think when your hair gets longer its just more noticeable when it sheds.

Same here. Actually I shed more than my cat lol. One thing my mom notices every time I spend several days or weeks away from home is that my fallen hairs are no longer all over the place

[LizK]

Here is something I was unaware of until the last few years

If your thyroid goes out of whack it will also increase hair loss. So next time you have your bloods checked ask them to check that your thyroid is doing its job properly...hair regrowth stuff and even implants are useless if your thyroid is not working correctly...