sorry to keep going on about spironolactone but did anyone ever shed more hair than usual while starting spironolactone,you see i have been on spiro for 1 month now and i am shedding about 200 hairs a day and my hair is a lot worse that it was before starting spiro,i am also on avodart which i have been on for 9 months and that has not helped 1 bit,my hair is the most important thing because although i am not ready yet i will become a woman in about 3 or 4 years ,although i will have to move countries i live in england at the moment and plan to move to spain,thge reason i have to move countries is because nobody has any idea and it would upset family,getting back to the hair loss issue ,did anyone shed on spironolactone then after that there hair got better,please help

I noticed that since starting Spiro 5 months ago and Avodart 4 that I have been losing much more hair.  I was hoping that it was just a case of temporary shedding but now I have doubts.  Frankly it doesn't sound promising.  My hair sends me into severely depressive fits at least 3 times a week.  If it doesn't improve I dont know what I am going to do. 

Wish I could help but I am having the same issues.

Charlotte

PLEASE, I hope no one takes offense at this, BUT...

I sometimes wonder if the "shedding" is more a result of over-analyzing one's progress every day, obsessively counting every hair looking for changes? Many people on a hair loss forum I once belonged to reported the same thing, and it seems like they all spent hours every day studying their hair loss problem.

There's a similar thing where people beginning HRT often report that it's making them look more MALE (m2f) in appearance, when in fact they're simply probably more conscious of their existing maleness because they're so anxious for changes.

Apologies if this sounds like "you're just imagining things," as I don't mean to dismiss everyone's very valid concerns. Maybe it DOES cause shedding, I really don't know. But self-perception can be SO misleading sometimes, BELIEVE me, lol...

~Kate~

Quote from: Kate on November 03, 2007, 11:45:05 AM
PLEASE, I hope no one takes offense at this, BUT...

I sometimes wonder if the "shedding" is more a result of over-analyzing one's progress every day, obsessively counting every hair looking for changes? Many people on a hair loss forum I once belonged to reported the same thing, and it seems like they all spent hours every day studying their hair loss problem.

There's a similar thing where people beginning HRT often report that it's making them look more MALE (m2f) in appearance, when in fact they're simply probably more conscious of their existing maleness because they're so anxious for changes.

Apologies if this sounds like "you're just imagining things," as I don't mean to dismiss everyone's very valid concerns. Maybe it DOES cause shedding, I really don't know. But self-perception can be SO misleading sometimes, BELIEVE me, lol...

~Kate~

I have thought about that myself and frankly it may be the cause of my increased worry.  Frankly my hair loss is my only major concern as far as my transition goes.  It is however something that has been so personally devastating and has eaten away at my self confidence to such a degree that it puts me in stages of severe depression.   My family just thinks I am overreacting when I try to explain HOW much it bothers me.  My brother for example tells me "Well, I am losing my hair."  It seems like he doesn't get that as a male I could just shave my head and forget about it, but transition kind of changes the dynamic.

I have done the wig thing and I really don't like it one bit.  I am sure nobody does however a wig makes me feel more self conscious than wearing a bandana or headscarf on my head.  I am sure one way or another that I will find a way to deal with it, but it just feels so final when I look in the mirror.

Charlotte

Quote from: dean1972 on November 03, 2007, 11:11:20 AM
sorry to keep going on about spironolactone but did anyone ever shed more hair than usual while starting spironolactone,you see i have been on spiro for 1 month now and i am shedding about 200 hairs a day and my hair is a lot worse that it was before starting spiro,i am also on avodart which i have been on for 9 months and that has not helped 1 bit,my hair is the most important thing because although i am not ready yet i will become a woman in about 3 or 4 years ,although i will have to move countries i live in england at the moment and plan to move to spain,thge reason i have to move countries is because nobody has any idea and it would upset family,getting back to the hair loss issue ,did anyone shed on spironolactone then after that there hair got better,please help

I'm surprised you have managed to get Spironolactone while living in England. It's not a common drug over here. I've never been able to access it or know what the benefits might be over my present anti- androgen (Androcur, Cypretone Acitate). I think it is an issue for some and although I haven't shed any hair personally, my friend has who has been on the same medication has experienced clumps of her hair falling out in the bath or shower on a regular basis..

Hormones and anti - androgens generally make hair finer but it doesn't usually decrease or fall. Body hair becomes less and I've found my nails are far more brittle than they used to be.

You could always try a different anti - androgen and find one that's more compatible with your own genetic system..

This is wired because I have felt like I have been shedding more hair than before HRT too. I don't know if it's just me or if something else is going on. I have however had new hair growth in the front hairline so I was not that concerned about it before hearing other are having the same issue. I almost am never able to run my fingers through my hair and have no hair caught in them.

Remember it ISNT always from DHT-- ppl always blame that.

I'm not a medical genius but let me give you some cues

You see you have to think Logically.

-Spiro is a diruetic(typo), it takes out all of your water in the system, adjusts blood pressure, AND makes skin dry!

-So it could possibly be from not drinking enough water, dry scalp and blood circulation to the scalp.

Now HRT can cause some stress and depression.- this can cause chemical imbalances- this can cause hair loss(temporary loss)

To fight depression and stress take vitamin B-6 and B-12. Vitamin C is depleted by estro which needed for hair growth and estro's metobalization. Take protien(not too much).

do cardio work for 45 minutes 4 days a week- it will bring oyxgen to the scalp, circulate estro better- thus estro can go to the scalp area. So if the AA's and hormones circulate more it's logical to say that testo would drop and so would DHT.

Avoid shampooing your hair more then 4 days in a week- as this dries the scalp.

Go in a Indian Supermarket(trust me) and buy Coconut Hair Oil, Almond Hair Oil, Henna Hair Oil.- i bought a Indian Hair oil that has Henna, Coconut Oil, Some herbs and Fenugreek which is good for male pattern baldness.

Now take these oils and massage your scalp for like 10-15 minutes with it- don't just put it on your hair, massage your hair roots and scalp with the oil- put lots of it!- Now these oils are greasy so put it on night with a towel on the pillow. Wake up in the morning and if it's the day to shampoo then shampoo it. If it's not the day to shampoo then just rinse your hair with water very well.

I reccommend you put this oils in small amount on your hair for dryness during the day and I recommend to massage this on your scalp at night.

Avoid curling irons, blow drying, Hair gels, hair sprays and coloring your hair.- these have chemicals and the heat from curling irons as well as blow drying dries the scalp.

You should not smoke, drink, drugs etc-common sense!

Try to get 8 hrs of sleep or more!

You could try Rogaine(I heard you have to keep taking it though)- perhaps Propercia.


So again- all the stuff I listed here is common sense!- It's knowlegde that you have which you need to apply.

Good luck and I hope you have gorgeous hair- its terrible for a women to go bald.

Hi Dean
Well both my partner and I are on spironolactone and have not had any problems with hair loss. The only problem I have had is thinning of the fingernails so that I need to get my nails done every two weeks.

Cindy

The only hair that I lost on spironolactone came from my body.  I have none with the exception of pubic hair.  I don't have hair under my arms and I don't shave my legs.

The hair on my head is the same as it was before I began HRT.  It was always baby-fine and it still is, it just grows faster.

Wing Walker

Quote from: cindybc on November 03, 2007, 08:31:20 PM
Hi Dean
Well both my partner and I are on spironolactone and have not had any problems with hair loss. The only problem I have had is thinning of the fingernails so that I need to get my nails done every two weeks.

Cindy

Same here my nails break more now.....but I don't ever get my nails done or anything like that..

Quote from: Tanya1 on November 03, 2007, 03:41:31 PM
Remember it ISNT always from DHT-- ppl always blame that.

I'm not a medical genius but let me give you some cues

You see you have to think Logically.

-Spiro is a diruetic(typo), it takes out all of your water in the system, adjusts blood pressure, AND makes skin dry!

-So it could possibly be from not drinking enough water, dry scalp and blood circulation to the scalp.

So should I start putting lotion on it? 

Okay this is the thing.
As new hairs come in, they do push out old hairs, so shedding continues.

My personal experience is my hairline has improved substantially, but shedding has continued because of this process. 
Most people do not understand that there is a natural shedding process to hair when its healthy.  Its when it doesn't grow back that there is a problem.

My experience may not be yours, but it is pretty common.

Hi Berliegh

I have to have artificial nails put on and acrylic fill over them. My natural fingernails are cigarette paper thin and the possibility of getting seriously hurt is quite a possibility. I am not certain if it has anything to do with estrogen or not. I only noticed them getting like that in the last couple of years and that was  after SRS. What in tarnation would SRS have anything to do with it? The estrogen is like that though, it can change much or parts of your anatomy you wouldn't think of..

The good thing is, I got eyebrows tattooed on yesterday. the lady who did them did a really good job. I guess I need to get a new pic of me to put on line. 

Cindy

 I was under the impression that thinning nails and potential hair hazards were progesterone based. After a few months of estradiol tabs and spiro my hair improved with in terms of being softer, a bit more shine and filling the hairline. My nails however, still break at about the same rate as before starting HRT. ~A~

Edit: Removed dosage info ~ Kate

Lower testestosterone leads to
dryer skin and more brittle nails, lower libido, etc.

Progesterone that has some androgenic qualities.
So, it leads to skin that is less dry (but not
as oily as with T) and less brittle nail and
stronger libido. It has also many other effects,
it doesn't have an effect only on the breasts.
The best ones is bio-progesterone or
less expensive, but has most of the same
qualities as P, duphaston (the best of the progestins,
so synthetic derivatives of progesterone).

isnt Spiro supposed to cause hair on the head to become thicker, and fuller.

Your shedding is most likely old hair falling out, it should eventually thicken and fill, or as a few said other skin drying out meds.

I've figured with any medication the first three months of taking it while your body adjusts to it, can be problematic. I suffered the same problem. From feb 2010 I started noticing handfuls of hair in the shower and my ponytail halved in size, but with new front line growth still coming in slowly.
I considered and blamed several different things before it finally got better. three months have pasted since feb and I'm only just noticing a decrease in shedding.
I had switched to androcur late year but the gap made me think it wasn't that.
I started taking saw palmetto december/january just before my first abnormal blood test result.
I'd read that there are links between saw palmetto and hyperprolactinemia, as I developed that after seeing the next blood test results.
SO now I was really confused, what was it? A combination of different things?

Everyone is different, some people react to certain products others are fine.
It could be anything really, for me my doctor was thinking the saw palmetto, but really *shrugs*.
If your hair comes good again after a few months and you have nothing to point a finger at it could just be a reaction to starting a new drug that could get better with time or require a change.
OR it could be ............ o_0

I didn't have any real problems with losing hair. I had a little more shedding than usual but now that I have been off spiro (less than a week) I now only have a few folicles in the shower by the end of it so it seems to be returning to normal.

Isn't olive oil good too?

yeah and so is the omega 3 from raw fish guts, but that can get a bit smelly lols.

For practicality I use organic shampoo that doesn't have any harsh chems in them and then afterwards I rinse my hair with apple cider vinegar diluted in water as a final rinse that I leave in for a few minutes.
ACV helps cleanse and keeps your scalp free of bacteria and it also balances your hairs pH which helps close the cuticles which improves strength, shine and smoothness. I would never not use APV, it's become a part of my life not just in the bathroom but kitchen and laundry as well! ^___^