Biotin and hair shedding

[MermaidKatie]

Sorry if this topic has been covered already, I couldn't find any threads on this subject.

I started taking biotin a month ago because I'm impatient and want to believe that a little vitamin pill will magically make my hair grow like a weed! I'm taking 3mg (3000mcg) but suddenly in the last two weeks I have started shedding what feels like huge amounts of hair. I clogged up the drain when I washed my hair last night (usually takes about three washes to get to that point!)! But hair just seems to be falling out of my head at a much greater rate than before. Could it be the biotin? It's the only thing I've changed diet and lifestyle wise.
Has anyone else experienced increased shedding when taking biotin? I'm confused because it's supposed to do the opposite!

[Deborah]

No. Biotin is good for your hair and nails. I think the shedding is coincidental.

[CreatureBailey]

I think we have periods of more shedding and periods of more growth. Maybe your hair that are shedding just happened to all be at the same stage (the last one) at the same time.

By the way, do you guys think it's good to take Biotin with no breaks? Or does it need a break to let the body not get used to it? :)

[Sundial]

I had a few period of bad sheddings. I spoke to my endocrinologist about it and she says it usually stems from these reasons: (1) lack of certain things from your diet, namely zinc or iron or DHEA, or (2) you've been through a particularly stressful period or were very ill, (3) reaction to a new product you used

Apart from something new, do you think you might be lacking something or have you experienced a particularly stressful period? She said that the shedding won't happen until about 3 months past that period. I was sick and tested positive for mycroplasma in November but the shedding didn't start till February that's why I didn't link it with my period of illness.

[Nique1202]

Sorry if this topic has been covered already, I couldn't find any threads on this subject.

I started taking biotin a month ago because I'm impatient and want to believe that a little vitamin pill will magically make my hair grow like a weed! I'm taking 3mg (3000mcg) but suddenly in the last two weeks I have started shedding what feels like huge amounts of hair. I clogged up the drain when I washed my hair last night (usually takes about three washes to get to that point!)! But hair just seems to be falling out of my head at a much greater rate than before. Could it be the biotin? It's the only thing I've changed diet and lifestyle wise.
Has anyone else experienced increased shedding when taking biotin? I'm confused because it's supposed to do the opposite!

That's quite a lot of biotin and yes, I think it could be related. Most people only need about 30 mcg per day or 1% of the dose you're taking, so huge doses like that CAN cause side effects. If you're not deficient in biotin, it's not going to have any positive effect for you. You may be better off taking a multivitamin that has some biotin in it, as at least those doses won't hurt you.


I think we have periods of more shedding and periods of more growth. Maybe your hair that are shedding just happened to all be at the same stage (the last one) at the same time.

By the way, do you guys think it's good to take Biotin with no breaks? Or does it need a break to let the body not get used to it? :)

There's no such thing as your body "getting used to" a supplement. If you're deficient in something then either you need the supplement all the time or you need to change your diet so you're getting enough without having to take a supplement. If you're not deficient in something, then it's not going to work for so many months and then stop working because it's not going to have ANY effect at all.

[Wusel]

Seasonal shedding? It's spring... :)
Don't worry too much. I think it's seasonal.
But, just in case, reduce the dosage of biotin to every second day.

[Theobroma]

"A little vitamin pill" is unlikely to make your hair "magically grow like a weed". It might help if you're deficient in that vitamin, but biotin is in so many things we eat that it's almost impossible to be deficient -- and if you are, you're going to notice it in more serious ways than poor hair growth.

If you aren't deficient and you're ingesting megadoses that are ten times higher than what your body needs, though, you could give yourself health problems rather than fixing them. A few years ago someone on this board reported going into early-stage kidney failure as a result of biotin overdoses. (Yes, biotin is water-soluble. But notwithstanding the widespread belief that this means you "just pee out" any excess, your kidneys have to work harder to make that happen. If you have an underlying kidney issue that you're unaware of, that might be all it takes to bring it out into the open in unexpected and unpleasant ways.)

Please read "Igor's Infamous Biotin Rant (http://igorsbelltower.blogspot.co.at/2011/02/infamous-biotin-rant.html)" before you do something to your body that's a waste of money at best and a possible health risk at worst.

[lapushka]

It's unlikely, but maybe...? Stop using it and see what that does. If it's not that, it's probably a spring shed. But those amounts of Biotin are not good, not for anybody. It's more than you need and your body might not deal with it well. Try reading this:
http://igorsbelltower.blogspot.be/p/infamous-biotin-rant.html

[Ethelpea]

Another vote for spring shed. I've been taking biotin for about 2 months now and haven't noticed any extra shedding whatsoever. I don't shed too much, so I would definitely noticed it if I did.

[truepeacenik]

It is a biotin overdose. Shedding is a response to it.

Likely you are also taking a multi or B supplement, so look at all of it.

Just because a vitamin manufacturer says that x amount is safe, it isn't necessarily true. In the US, there aren't good oversight agencies, mainly because of the allopathic/holistic split in medicine.

Misinformation and profit taking exist in the holistic world, just as it does in Western medicine.
Just because it isn't Big Pharma, doesn't mean Big Suppliments are ethically pure.



See this, from a longhair of epic proportions:
http://igorsbelltower.blogspot.com/p/infamous-biotin-rant.html

[Silverbrumby]

Sorry if this topic has been covered already, I couldn't find any threads on this subject.

I started taking biotin a month ago because I'm impatient and want to believe that a little vitamin pill will magically make my hair grow like a weed! I'm taking 3mg (3000mcg) but suddenly in the last two weeks I have started shedding what feels like huge amounts of hair. I clogged up the drain when I washed my hair last night (usually takes about three washes to get to that point!)! But hair just seems to be falling out of my head at a much greater rate than before. Could it be the biotin? It's the only thing I've changed diet and lifestyle wise.
Has anyone else experienced increased shedding when taking biotin? I'm confused because it's supposed to do the opposite!

Half the dose or take every second day. I looked up overdosing on it and couldn't find much on google. But if you have any kind of kidney issues or a family history of issues then don't over do anything. Kidneys are vital organs and making them work unnecessarily is not good.

What I'd also look at is birth control issues (have you gone off or on it lately?). Are you drinking enough water. Are you eating enough protein.

[MermaidKatie]

Thanks everyone :)

It's not spring shedding because I'm in Australia and it's just turned autumn :P
I'm not on birth control either..
I did do some googling before I started taking it and I didn't read anything about adverse reactions or overdosing. Many people even take 10mg consistently with enhanced hair growth.

But for now I have stopped taking it and will wait to see if the shedding eases back to normal, as it's the only thing that has changed. I'll read the links posted.. It's just so annoying that vitamins can be sold at such high doses without having to see a naturopath or something when they can have such adverse effects! The pill is so tiny I don't think it could be cut up. (And for the record, I don't honestly think a vitamin will make my hair grow crazy - I said I wanted to believe that something like that could. I'm sure we've all been wishful at some point when it comes to growing hair!)