Lamictal and Hair Loss

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Hi everyone,

I was just wondering if anyone has experienced some hair lossor knows of a connection between hair loss and Lamictal? As i recently increased my dosage of Lamictal to 500mg a day, and i'm finding that i'm losing a lot more hair than usual especially when washing it. Any advice anyone can give me would be great!!!

Thanks Robyn.

Comments

Re: Lamictal and Hair Loss

Submitted by hairdude on Wed, 2010-02-10 - 15:03

A Success Story

I've been on 300mg lamictal per day and experienced a good deal of hair loss after just three months on the drug. I'd say my hair thinned by 20-25 percent. Not only did I have less hair, but the hair that was left was soft and lifeless.

After about seven months, I've managed to get my hair back to about 80 percent of where it was by using a combination of vitamins, supplements and shampoo. Here's what I use:

1 or 2 Centrum Silver vitamins each day

4,000-8,000 mg biotin each day. I use GNC's Men's Ultra Nourishair supplement, about two to four pills per day. They make it for women too. However, there are other sources of biotin, so look around to see your options. Be sure to take it after meals, as it may make you nauseous if taken on an empty stomach

Nizoral A-D shampoo every other day (leave it on for at least five minutes before rinsing)

Centrum Silver has selenium and zinc for hair support. Likewise, biotin helps hair grow faster and strengthens roots, which helps your hair stay in your scalp. It also thickens hair diameter over time, which helps in covering your scalp and making the most of what hair you have.

Nizoral A-D has two benefits. First, it cleans your scalp really well, which helps the pores on your scalp breathe. Second, it has 1% ketoconazole, which has shown hair growth benefits (do a Google search and you'll find more info). You can get 2% ketoconazole Nizoral A-D outside the U.S. or on eBay. I've used the 1% every other day, leaving it on for about 5 minutes before rinsing so that it has a chance to work on my scalp. You can use it every day, but I've read that you gain no additional benefit by doing so. (On a side note, I felt like I saw an immediate benefit from Nizoral A-D, as if my hair was standing up a little instead of laying flat. I certainly felt like scalp coverage was improved.)

All of this has worked for me. It's taken about seven months, but my hair is much stronger and thicker than it was after just three months on lamictal.

Regarding biotin: I had a burning sensation on my scalp almost daily after my hair began to fall out. The sensation stopped shortly after I began taking biotin. I'm not sure of the connection, but that's what I experienced. So for that alone, the biotin was worth it. As stated above, biotin will make your hair grow quickly, so if you color your hair, you may find you need to touch it up more frequently. That's the downside. (I had about 1/4 inch growth in 10 days.) However the benefits of stronger and thicker hair are worth it. I really recommend biotin, whether you use the GNC Ultra Nourishair formula or something else. Just don't take it on an empty stomach, as it can make you nauseous.

Above all, don't stress, and don't expect immediate benefits. It will take months for your scalp to recover from hair loss. Even during recovery, I had occasional shedding, but this happened less and less as time went on.

I also suggest adding hair-supportive foods to your diet, including eggs, salmon, Brazil nuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, and spinach.

Just remember: DON'T OVERDO IT. Take supplements and foods in moderate amounts. Too much of a good thing can have the opposite effect. Nothing is going to make your hair come back overnight, and what worked for me is not necessarily going to work for everyone. But I do hope my experience is helpful to the rest of you. Best of luck.

A Success Story I've been on 300mg lamictal per day and experienced a good deal of hair loss after just three months on the drug. I'd say my hair thinned by 20-25 percent. Not only did I have less hair, but the hair that was left was soft and lifeless. After about seven months, I've managed to get my hair back to about 80 percent of where it was by using a combination of vitamins, supplements and shampoo. Here's what I use: 1 or 2 Centrum Silver vitamins each day 4,000-8,000 mg biotin each day. I use GNC's Men's Ultra Nourishair supplement, about two to four pills per day. They make it for women too. However, there are other sources of biotin, so look around to see your options. Be sure to take it after meals, as it may make you nauseous if taken on an empty stomach Nizoral A-D shampoo every other day (leave it on for at least five minutes before rinsing)   Centrum Silver has selenium and zinc for hair support. Likewise, biotin helps hair grow faster and strengthens roots, which helps your hair stay in your scalp. It also thickens hair diameter over time, which helps in covering your scalp and making the most of what hair you have. Nizoral A-D has two benefits. First, it cleans your scalp really well, which helps the pores on your scalp breathe. Second, it has  1% ketoconazole, which has shown hair growth benefits (do a Google search and you'll find more info). You can get 2% ketoconazole Nizoral A-D outside the U.S. or on eBay. I've used the 1% every other day, leaving it on for about 5 minutes before rinsing so that it has a chance to work on my scalp. You can use it every day, but I've read that you gain no additional benefit by doing so. (On a side note, I felt like I saw an immediate benefit from Nizoral A-D, as if my hair was standing up a little instead of laying flat. I certainly felt like scalp coverage was improved.) All of this has worked for me. It's taken about seven months, but my hair is much stronger and thicker than it was after just three months on lamictal. Regarding biotin: I had a burning sensation on my scalp almost daily after my hair began to fall out. The sensation stopped shortly after I began taking biotin. I'm not sure of the connection, but that's what I experienced. So for that alone, the biotin was worth it. As stated above, biotin will make your hair grow quickly, so if you color your hair, you may find you need to touch it up more frequently. That's the downside. (I had about 1/4 inch growth in 10 days.) However the benefits of stronger and thicker hair are worth it. I really recommend biotin, whether you use the GNC Ultra Nourishair formula or something else. Just don't take it on an empty stomach, as it can make you nauseous.  Above all, don't stress, and don't expect immediate benefits. It will take months for your scalp to recover from hair loss. Even during recovery, I had occasional shedding, but this happened less and less as time went on.  I also suggest adding hair-supportive foods to your diet, including eggs, salmon, Brazil nuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans, and spinach. Just remember: DON'T OVERDO IT. Take supplements and foods in moderate amounts. Too much of a good thing can have the opposite effect. Nothing is going to make your hair come back overnight, and what worked for me is not necessarily going to work for everyone. But I do hope my experience is helpful to the rest of you. Best of luck.   