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Anti-convulsants and hair loss
- Thread starter Toscacat
- Start date
tryingHardEr
Greenlighter
Hey Toscacat,
This is definitely something you should contact your doctor about. I have never heard of that severe amount of hair loss with psych meds. Let your doctor know about all the side effects your experiencing and maybe he/she can adjust your medication. losing hair does not sound fun.
This is definitely something you should contact your doctor about. I have never heard of that severe amount of hair loss with psych meds. Let your doctor know about all the side effects your experiencing and maybe he/she can adjust your medication. losing hair does not sound fun.
UpInFlames
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2015
- Messages
- 141
Depakote is notorious for causing hair loss/thinning of hair. This is a general loss of hair, not a "pattern" baldness.
You can sometimes slow the hair loss by supplementing selenium and biotin. Both are available at health food stores. Just follow the dosing instructions on the bottle.
I was on Depakote for 6 years (until my liver started objecting) and that combined with menopause and an auto-immune thyroid disorder, have left me with about half the hair I started out with. Luckily, I had very thick hair before, so in my case it's not a big deal.
I can still remember taking a shower after having been on Depakote for about 3 months and just reached a therapeutic blood level, and looking down to see the bottom of the tub literally coated in hair.
Oh, HR note: Make certain your prescribing physician orders frequent Depakote blood levels drawn and also checks your liver function frequently. INSIST s/he orders these tests. Depakote is a "big gun" drug, and at excessive doses can do a lot of damage. A CBC/Diff should be run a couple of times a year as Depakote can affect white cell production as well.
The good news is that if you are not undergoing pattern baldness at the same time, and not a post-menopausal woman with a shot thyroid, the hair does grow back after Depakote is discontinued.
You can sometimes slow the hair loss by supplementing selenium and biotin. Both are available at health food stores. Just follow the dosing instructions on the bottle.
I was on Depakote for 6 years (until my liver started objecting) and that combined with menopause and an auto-immune thyroid disorder, have left me with about half the hair I started out with. Luckily, I had very thick hair before, so in my case it's not a big deal.
I can still remember taking a shower after having been on Depakote for about 3 months and just reached a therapeutic blood level, and looking down to see the bottom of the tub literally coated in hair.
Oh, HR note: Make certain your prescribing physician orders frequent Depakote blood levels drawn and also checks your liver function frequently. INSIST s/he orders these tests. Depakote is a "big gun" drug, and at excessive doses can do a lot of damage. A CBC/Diff should be run a couple of times a year as Depakote can affect white cell production as well.
The good news is that if you are not undergoing pattern baldness at the same time, and not a post-menopausal woman with a shot thyroid, the hair does grow back after Depakote is discontinued.