[SilverSprings]

I have been taking Lamictal 200mg, and Seroqual 25mg / day. I had noticed some hair thinning/weirdness w/ starting Lamictal, after maybe 1 month or so (i can't recall exactly)... I was also going on vacation and wanted long beachy hair. So- i decided to get extensions (not the glue kind, i did myself w/ a gentle way that is supposed to be easily removed.. i did remove and rotate the extensions every few weeks). I also trimmed my hair in layers myself, so i am not certain of how long it really was due to blending it allot when i got new extensions put in.

Last week or so, I took out ALL of my extensions at once... and was shocked, my hair was sooo short, frail, makes the tiniest pony tail and each time i look at it, i cry hysterically. I can not tell if it is actually thinning, it appears to be normal on the top, just super short and frail like baby fine hair.

My Pdoc said 1) Lamictal does not cause hair issues, that it must be from my extensions. 2) That i need to take supplements so i started on a regimen of Zinc, Selenium and Biotin. And we decided to keep the extensions off, so meanwhile i found a temporary 'halo' hair extension which is removable and non damaging.. so i can see progress.

I am going to give it a month or so, to see if my hair grows. It is really awful even thought i never had long nor thick hair to begin w/ ... what i have now is really bad.... I can't imagine the depression i would have facing this each day w/o my extensions.

Thank god I have a loving man in my life, he is very supportive and understanding, has been though hell and back w/ me.... however he is believer Dr is always right. and he thinks my hair is fine and that its b/c i was messing so much w/ it, that it must be the reason!!! Grrr...

I however blame the Lamictal- but i dont know for sure. I dont know what to do. The Lamictal seems to help me, but suddenly I feel like stopping it. I am worried if it is damaging my hair, what other side effects could it cause :/ and is that maybe worse then the Bi polar symptoms.... (probably not...)

Also- in the future maybe 1-2 years, i would like to get pregnant. Another concern for taking meds....

Thank you for any input. Feeling kind of down and confused..

My hairdresser recommended taking silicium supplements, maybe you can take those too? No harm, no foul.
I have alopecia areata and also don't have a lot of hair left. I wear scarves etc. around my head when I go out. Luckily, what hair I have left has appeared to have (temporarily?) stopped falling out. Now hoping it'll grow back. Dermatologist says there is no scar tissue preventing the hair from growing back, so that's good, at least.

[BlessedRhiannon]

When I asked my doctor about this, he told me that Lamictal CAN cause hair loss. He told me to take 100 mg of Selenium and 25 mg of Zinc daily. I also take 1000 mcg of Biotin daily. Don't expect immediate results with the supplements - it can take up to 6 months to see changes due to hair growth cycles.

With the zinc and Selenium, check out a men's multivitamin rather than having to buy the supplements individually.

[hecate]

In my opinion it wouldn't be the lamictal. I take 350mg for over 5 years and it has not affected my hair. I am a hairdresser and have had/done extensions in almost every length and color. When you take them out you can expect some hair damage because even though the hair isn't that 'heavy' it still puts a strain on the roots of your hair. When you take them out hair will also shed, as your hair sheds daily but if you have the extensions in your not going to see the shedding.
The first time I had my first extensions in, I had the glue in method (the kind that some hair is glued to a small piece of your own hair). When I took it out, the glue didn't want to come out! I used lots of baby oil and it helped. What i was left with for hair was quite the mess! It was super dried out, thin, frizzy. I got my hair cut then I ended up wearing hairpieces for a while until it grew out.
Vitamins B, and zinc are very good. The also make supplements for hair and it wouldn't hurt to pick up a bottle of those either.

[Miswimmy1]

I also have been feeling like I am experiencing hair loss on Lamictal. I'm on a fairly low dose though. I asked my pdoc and she said that Lamictal doesn't cause hair loss. I'm not sure what to think now because BlessedRhiannon's doc says it does. Hmmm...

[HALLIEBETH87]

Since I've been in lamictal my hair has significantly thinned!

[BlessedRhiannon]

My pdoc told me that all of the anti-epileptic drugs have hair loss as a potential side effect. Some people experience it, some don't, just like any other side effect. I had severe - like falling out in handfuls - hair loss on Depakote. I've had mild hair loss on Lamictal. I've found that selenium and zinc really do help keep the hair you have and biotin helps with new hair growth. When I was on Depakote, about a month after I started the selenium and zinc, the hair loss lessened. I went off Depakote for other reasons, and about 9 months later, started Lamictal. The instant I noticed an increase in hair loss, I asked my pdoc about it and instantly started selenium and zinc again.

[splitimage]

My hair was falling out and thinning, and my Dr. checked my Iron levels which were very low. So now I'm taking 900 mg of Ferrous glucorante daily and it seems to be helping.

splitimage

[SilverSprings]

Thanks for all the input. I wish now that I checked my hair more as I went along I never realized how short it was! And thin I'm still really upset about it. I really hope supps help and not using extensions.... Boo

[PinkFlamingo99]

It's really weird but since I started on Lamictal I have had a nonstop itchy scalp. I kept thinking it was my shampoo or hairspray but I've changed everything now, no dandruff or anything. It just occurred to me that it could be that.

[dillpickle1983]

I was on Lamictal for about 2 years, and I started thinning out too. I stopped it and my hair has not recovered.

[Nammu]

Every time I've been on lamical my hair thins out. I cut my long hair short but its still a problem. Fortunately I have thick hair so it's not noticeable to strangers just people who know how thick my hair normally is. Every time so far when I've quit my hair grows back....I'm conflicted on quitting because it does seem to be helping.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

There is a shampoo called Nioxin that helps. It has something called DHT which I think helps keep the hair on your head. I used it a few times; once I lost a good bit of hair from meds and twice more when I had gyn surgeries and my hormones were chaotic. There are different levels of the stuff and while I am pretty sure Amazon sells it the first time it might be helpful to get it through a salon that can help you get the right "number" for your situation. I honestly don't remember how easy or hard that is to figure out. I do know that it worked for me in conjunction with Centrum Silver (the generic version; it has all the hair vitamins in it). It takes time but it did work.

[SilverSprings]

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow

There is a shampoo called Nioxin that helps. It has something called DHT which I think helps keep the hair on your head. I used it a few times; once I lost a good bit of hair from meds and twice more when I had gyn surgeries and my hormones were chaotic. There are different levels of the stuff and while I am pretty sure Amazon sells it the first time it might be helpful to get it through a salon that can help you get the right "number" for your situation. I honestly don't remember how easy or hard that is to figure out. I do know that it worked for me in conjunction with Centrum Silver (the generic version; it has all the hair vitamins in it). It takes time but it did work.

Thank you so much!

[SilverSprings]

A little update: I went to my Dermatologist who said everything seems OK ran some blood tests to check for anything underlying. i have thin hair and always have ... he said im not 'losing it' based on his checking and pulling on it lol.

I am supposed to up the Bioton to 5000mcgs (i was only 1000 prior) and fingers crossed nothing weird underlying.

so... the jury is still out on if the Lamictal is to blame or not.

Also, i rather start w/ supplements- and go from there.