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20790871 tn?1507161421

Why is my hair falling out?

I am a healthy 20 year old female. I am a former collegiate long-distance runner; I stopped running competitively a few months ago, but still run and workout regularly. I noticed that shortly after I started college (2 years ago), my hair stopped growing completely. It used to be long and thick, but over the past couple years it has become very thin and damaged and simply doesn't grow. In addition to this, I have also been getting acne on my jaw and neck-which I didn't use to get. It is difficult for me to pinpoint what could be causing this because a lot of things in my life changed when this issue started occurring. My diet changed, I lost a bit of weight(down to 6.4% body fat), my training intensified, and I started two medications for depression (Lexapro and Wellbutrin). I gained the weight back after I quit competitive running, but the hair thinning persists. Another thing to note, I have never been an illness-prone person, but lately I have been getting sick a lot and have had several infections over the past few months. I recently got my blood tested because I have mono(which has hit me hard), and aside from the mono and white blood cell count (low neutrophils and high lymphocytes-presumably from fighting off the mono), everything was normal. My ferritin and thyroid tests also came back normal. I have a regular period and healthy diet. I've tried researching Lexapro and Wellbutrin side effects, but didn't find much on hair loss associated with these medications. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
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3191940 tn?1447268717
I would strongly advise ignoring the advice above to self-diagnose and start taking untested, unregulated supplements.  They might cure the symptom, but you need to identify the underlying cause.

I would insist on a full work-up.  Changes in hair or skin could certainly be due to a hormone imbalance or a vitamin deficiency.  I'm glad to see they've already ruled out thyroid.

I wouldn't be shocked if it's the meds.  Whether it's a listed side effect or not, sometimes combining meds can cause different side effects than a single medication. I actually know someone who was taking depression meds and experienced hair loss - I'm not sure which ones those were.  A talk with a pharmacist might be even more illuminating as they tend to be more familiar with medication and side effects than doctors are.

Helpful - 1
Avatar universal
This sometimes has to be with hormonal imbalance. I recommend you to find a natural supplement and try it!
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
I was going through menopause and I was experiencing hair loss as one of many symptoms. But taking a natural product that I found in google shopping gave me relief for so many symptoms like this one!
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