Shedding due to stress? Meds? What?!

[rubix]

Early in the summer, there was a period of time where it felt like I was hardly shedding at all. It was magical.

Then in late August/early September, this period of massive shedding started. It's still going. I washed my hair earlier today and I hate to brush it afterward so I left it fairly tangled. When it was about halfway dry, I started to gently run my fingers through it to sort it out (but not necessarily get the tangles). I counted the clump of hair I collected-- over 220 hairs, just from this. That's not including how many I lost in the shower or throughout the rest of the day. The last time I measured, my ponytail measured 8.5 cm around, which is at least a half cm less than this time last year. :(

My family thinks it's because I'm stressed. I have had a fair bit of anxiety the last few months (I was ill for months and finally got diagnosed in October, new symptoms popped up, new worries about my health...) but I don't feel like it's extreme enough to cause this kind of hair loss. I also started a medication at the beginning of October that has hair loss as a possible (but uncommon symptom). I wonder if this is contributing, even though the heavy shedding started before that.

So really, my question in-- have you lost hair from stress before? How stressed do you have to be to start losing a lot of hair? How long does it go on? And most importantly, if it is stress, will it come back?

Thanks... just in a bit of a panic! I'm afraid I might have to chop it all and buy some wigs. :|

[mizukitty]

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! 220 hairs in one go definitely sounds like a lot. More than normal. I think first and foremost you should talk to a doctor and ask pretty much everything you've asked here.

I have experienced stress related shedding, however it doesn't happen until a few months after the incident for me. So I had a meltdown in February, and then July I thought I was going bald. Nothing else changed, no scalp issues at all. But you can confirm it's true shedding by examining the hairs for a follicle. If it doesn't have one, it's breakage. Follicles are the little tiny white balls at one end of a shed hair. All of mine are like that, pretty much.

It could really be a bunch of things, probably being ill to begin with, then the stress, then the meds.. You'll have to see a doc methinks!

Hugs and good luck.

[rubix]

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this! 220 hairs in one go definitely sounds like a lot. More than normal. I think first and foremost you should talk to a doctor and ask pretty much everything you've asked here.

I have experienced stress related shedding, however it doesn't happen until a few months after the incident for me. So I had a meltdown in February, and then July I thought I was going bald. Nothing else changed, no scalp issues at all. But you can confirm it's true shedding by examining the hairs for a follicle. If it doesn't have one, it's breakage. Follicles are the little tiny white balls at one end of a shed hair. All of mine are like that, pretty much.

It could really be a bunch of things, probably being ill to begin with, then the stress, then the meds.. You'll have to see a doc methinks!

Hugs and good luck.

Sadly, my doctor is fairly useless (and I plan on switching, but need him to handle some forms for me in the immediate future). He writes off everything as stress without considering anything else as even a possibility and doesn’t give me much opportunity to ask questions. So I’m trying to find some information on my own right now and then maybe I’ll have specific information to go to him with.

It is really excessive. I’ve stroked my hair a couple times since posting my original message and have pulled out another 30-50 hairs, I’d guess. Lots. Too much.

If stress-related shedding happens a few months after, I think it could still be a possibility. The stress started around last January and continued until… uh, well, it goes up and down but I guess it’s still going haha

Thanks for your input! <3

[cassidy_2711]

Maybe go for a blood test to make sure your iron is okay. I notice my hair tends to shed more as the seasons change. I hope you are healthy soon!

[Ghaliya]

Hey... you sound like me. I get stress sheds. I don't have the best diet either. In my case, my hair grows back...so I'm hoping it does for you as well. I suffer from anxiety from time to time as well....and it definitely doesn't help the situation lol... been there more than once, so I know what it feels like :(

My doctor was also useless with it....I did find my iron to be a bit low...but unsure if it has made the shedding worse
...I'm recovering from post partum shed now....and I hope it all grows back... it's all I can think about lately.

Not sure where you live.... but I like taking this supplement...it's hübner silicea (silica) and it's a German product...I've tried it on and off a couple times...and I'm also taking biotin and iron. I will second what the previous poster mentioned, to get some blood work done. Try not to stress too much because I've read it can make it worse worrying about it.....I should really take my own advice too haha!!
Let us know how it goes , would love to hear your progress

[lapushka]

There is something called a "spring shed" and a "fall shed", a period of time where a lot of us tend to lose more hair. This should end after a few months, though.

Only measure your circumference once, the same time every year, yearly variances *do* occur, due to these periods where you tend to shed more. But all in all, it should be about = yearly.

I wouldn't worry about it unless it comes out in clumps (not just a few hairs), but "clumps".

If you are *that* worried about it tough, get your doctor to check your levels (bloodwork). If at all possible.

But it doesn't sound alarming to me yet... there's that!

[Idreamlong]

I hear ya! I get exactly the same thing. My hair thickness has nearly halved this past year, I feel so sad about it :(

Not really sure what the answer is to be honest, worrying less/ getting less stressed isn't really an option for me, like it probably isn't to you either! It sucks though so you have my sympathy!

[cgirl]

Hi rubix, I'm so sorry you've been going through this. When I first joined this forum a couple weeks ago, I was so stressed out because I had been shedding like crazy after a straight perm & I was so afraid I had done permanent damage to my follicles. but I quelled my worries after reading the kind responses from the awesome people here. 😀 and since I've been visting family for Christmas I've been able to take my mind off it more and finally just noticed yesterday that the shedding has decreased significantly! 😀

What I think has really helped is for the past few weeks i have been washing my hair less, now only once a week, and especially handling it less, which is hard to do when you're worried about it, but must be done. I'm also taking a hair and nail vitamins, doing non-sweaty exercise, sleeping more, eating hair-friendly and iron and protein-rich foods, and doing things that make me genuinely happy like driving around to look at Christmas lights and talking to my brother on the phone.

I also had to purge a lot of negativity from my life. I put a stop to seeing a toxic ex who wanted to "still be friends" I also quit smoking and drinking, now I drink herbal tea and hot water and lemon when I get cravings. Drinking more water in general.

So my best advice from my own recent experience is do all you can to stop touching it & thinking about it, make being healthy your priority, and do the things that fill you with joy and cheer. This is most important. I am rooting for you! 😀

[thunderseed]

Back when I was recovering from anorexia I lost clumps of hair, it was terrifying.

The doctor explained that it actually takes a really long time for the hair to be effected by major illness or stress that could cause major hair loss, which is why hair loss typically happens long after someone has recovered from whatever illness they had, and then people are always confused as to why theiy hair is falling out because they aren't sick anymore.

I'm not sure what it could be, but it would have to be A LOT of stress to cause that if you're otherwise healthy - I would go to a doctor personally, to get checked.

And also I think it's worth mentioning that being underweight and going on any restrictive diets can cause you to lose your hair after you have started to recover and get healthier, and I know that is very common with women so.... just mentioning that possibility.

[Shepherdess]

First of all, I am very sorry that you have been going through stress and having a hair shed, that is never fun, and it can be scary! :( :grouphug:

A few years ago while I was yet in college I was stressed horribly and I shed so heavily that I nearly lost half of my hair thickness. It was extremely depressing at the time. I think that stress can really affect the hormones, though I also didn't take care of myself so well and probably didn't eat as much as I should have. I used to have trouble with hypothyroidism in the past too, so it might have been resurfacing, I'm not sure, though it now has been a few years later and my hair thickness has all come back, so it does come back! If you do get a blood test, it would be a good idea to have your thyroid hormones checked, and for anemia and iron levels. It definitely would be a good idea to bring up about that medication if you can visit a doctor too.

I hope that the shedding stops and that the stress lessens for you, stress is really hard to go through! :grouphug: