Newbie needs help with hair loss

[August8]

Hello to all, This is my first post here and I hope you are all well. If someone could please help me with a question about hair loss and hyperinsulinemia I would greatly appreciate it.
I am a 43 yo male and have been in poor health for about 6 months now but was finally diagnosed with hyperinsulinemia. My new Endo says this is what's causing my hair to fall out. He seemed quite sure that Metformin and diet change would not only stop the hair loss but the hair would mostly grow back.
I would love to believe him but I haven't really been able find too much info on google about this. Then today I saw a well respected hair loss Dermatologist who said if hyperinsul... caused hair loss it was news to him and in a polite way told me I may not want to get my hopes up.
I have been fatigued/weak for months now, frustrated with seeing 5 different doctors ( I have always been underweight and have no family history of diabetes) but it's the hair loss that's really bringing me down. So if anyone could please help a newbie with any advice or knowledge about this it will really mean alot.
Thanks for reading this and good luck.

[princesslinda]

Hi August8, welcome to the forums! Just before I was diagnosed with diabetes, I noticed a lot of "shedding," lots of hair in the shower stall and in my brush. Since i've gotten my blood sugars under control, this has improved, though i'm still not back to the thick hair I used to have.

If you know many diabetics, you'll see many of us/them will have thinner hair. I've read that this is caused by our insulin resistance. As metformin help with insulin resistance, maybe you'll see some improvement on it.

That being said, there are treatments for thinning hair that your dermatologist can recommend.

Other physical problems can also cause hair loss, such as thyroid problems, low iron, recent surgery/anesthesia, stress, crash dieting. There's also a familial link...are some of your relatives the same way?

[August8]

Thank you Princesslinda for your reply.
As far as my relatives go most of them still have their hair.
I have been tested for almost everything,my DHT is low,but my thyroid is a little hyper and some of my testosterone levels are fluxuating. My total test. level for the last 3 months is 341 378 550 390. Also my b12 level jumped from 485 to 633 in one month. All of these test were taken before I started Metformin or any other treatment. My new Endo. disagrees with my 1st Endos diagnosis of Hashimoto's disease ( early stage, would monitor not treat) and says it's the Hyperinsulinemia that is causing my symptoms and fluxuating hormone levels. As far as the derm. goes he suggested the two popular products which honestly scare the **** out of me. And yes I do notice that most of the diabetics I know have thinning hair so I guess this may not go to well for me. How very, very sad. I'm glad yours improved Princesslinda and hope it continues to do so.
Thanks again for your help.
BTW About how long does it usually take (w/ meds. and diet.) for a pre-diabetic to get their blood sugars under control?

[princesslinda]

BTW About how long does it usually take (w/ meds. and diet.) for a pre-diabetic to get their blood sugars under control?

It can take metformin a few weeks to reach optimal levels in your body, and it works best in combination with exercise and minimzing your carbs.

I noticed results pretty quickly, but I immediately started exercising and counting carbs at the same time.

[August8]

Thanks again Princesslinda and yes I am also exercising and limiting my carbs. I hope you don't mind me asking another question but could you please (or anyone else) tell me about how long after starting metformin did the hair shedding stop, and how long it took before you saw improvement to your hair. Thanks and happy holidays to all.

[fgummett]

What are your Blood Glucose (BG) levels?

Have you been told you are Pre-Diabetic or Diabetic?

Did they do an A1C blood test?

How did they diagnose the hyperinsulinaemia?

High levels of insulin without low BGs seems like it should only happen with increased Insulin Resistance (IR) which is more often associated with obesity. Did you say you are underweight?

[Patient254]

Do you have high blood pressure, per chance?

[August8]

Hello Fgummett and thanks for your reply.
My fasting BG is 105, I was told I am pre-diabetic and no they have not tested myA1C level yet. Yes I have always been underweight. I went to the Endo. with 5 different sets of test results none of which were aimed at a insulin problem. Endo. diagnosed me with hyperinsulinemia from the little info. from the results but mostly from my symptoms and my eating habits. He would like to do all the necessary tests after I've been on Medformin for 2 months.
Thanks again Frank , btw I'm Anthony.

[August8]

Hello Patient254 and thanks for the response.
No, my blood pressure is usually pretty good except for the times out of nowhere my heart just starts racing. From what little I understand that is a symptom of pre-diabetes. Is something like that related to hair loss?

[Patient254]

Hello Patient254 and thanks for the response.
No, my blood pressure is usually pretty good except for the times out of nowhere my heart just starts racing. From what little I understand that is a symptom of pre-diabetes. Is something like that related to hair loss?

Not to my knowledge. That's not where I was going with my question. What I was going to say is that if you had elevated bp you could ask your doc for Minoxidil which is a bp med but has the side effect of making hair grow. My hair was coming out a LOT before my dx with T2 diabetes. I also have hypothyroidism and my hair was not in good shape. But, my blood pressure is elevated and my doc gave me Minoxidil and my hair absolutely does NOT fall out now. Unfortunately, I have hair growth on my face, but it's easier to get it off my face than to make it grow on my head without the med.

[August8]

OK Patient254 I understand now. I guess If I don't have high blood pressure that wouldn't be a option for me. Or can you take the pill form with no BP problems? To be honest I am scared to death of Minoxidil and Propecia, just a personal preference. I am glad to hear it is working for you though and I thank you for your response.

[Patient254]

Yeah, I would be afraid to take a bp med if my bp was fine. Sorry that's not an option for you, but I guess you had reservations about it anyway. Maybe you could try the topical foam roagain that's related to Minoxidil? Just a thought.

[August8]

yes I know about about foam, I don't mean to scare anybody but there are some side effects with that stuff. I don't believe all the horror stories about rogaine I've read on the net but I'm sure some of them are true. A close friend of mine used it and he got headaches and his face became bloated from it. It went away when he stopped using it.

[Patient254]

I take a lot of meds and I've definitely run into some nasty side effects on them. One BP med made my hands hurt. Another one sent me to the hospital with a terrible heart problem and low pressure (Avapro). I'm only 39 but I have osteopoenia (stage 1 osteoporosis) and the first med I took for it (Miacalcin) made me entirely sick. The rx information on the meds states "Adverse events reported in 1%-3% of patients are identified with an asterisk(*)." This is for "influenza-like symptoms*" This is no joke. I was running a fever EVERY NIGHT. Some meds are just straight nihtmares for some people. Definitely stay away from Minoxidil if you think you'll likely have a reaction.

[August8]

Im so sorry to hear that, 39 is too young for all that you are going through and definitely no joke. I hope the best for you Laura.

[Patient254]

Thanks very much August8. Not trying to complain but just saying I know where you're coming from being careful with the meds. Sometimes you gotta just get in there and try one and see what develops. I think I got the osteopenia from use of prednisone because of chronic hives. This stuff is serious I tell ya! lol Take care.

[August8]

Serious indeed! You take care too.

[Patient254]

bump - maybe someone else has an idea for August8 and hair loss?

[foxl]

I had posted a thread about dry skin and hair breakage and someone replied about Nioxin. It looks awfully pricey at first, and sort of "boutique-y" but I found starter kits on Amazon for under $40 bucks, 3 products and it looks like it would last quite a while ... Not for me, this month, but maybe it will help you?

It is made for thinning hair and hair loss!

[Cloudedbrains]

I had serious probs with hair-loss and "Metformin tablets", I was given a lotion for my scalp, but then I was taken off the "metformin" for another reason and that helped no end :D

Between coming off the pills (am on insulins anyway) and using the lotion for 4-6wks my hair got back to normal within a few mths ;)

But I don't know much about the condition you mention at all so dont know if this will be helpfull or not :(

[August8]

Thank you Patient254, Fox, and Cloudedbrains.
Yes I read many blogs about people (mostly women) losing their hair from Medformin, If that happens to me I'm in trouble. Can you tell me the name of that lotion Cloudedbrains, Thanks. I used Nioxin for awhile because it was proven to help control DHT and give a fuller look. Then I found out DHT wasn't my problem and yeah it is a little pricey, but thanks. I do use a shampoo by rx called Ketoconazole 2% (Nizoral 1% OTC)
It was intended for dandruff but a clinical study showed that the 2% worked as well as minoxidil 2%. It also helps keeps the scalp "fertile" to assist in re-growth. I've read very little about shedding in the begining of use and even less about prolonged, excessive use effecting the liver. I use it every other day and leave it on for 5 mins. I read alot of people leave it on for 10 min .And you can't use it everyday because it will fry your hair a bit. I use it with conditioner and never had a problem and it did help me a bit. And if your hair is thinning and you use conditioner try to keep it away from your scalp, especially where you part you hair. You don't need it there (just the ends really) and it will help give a fuller look.

[August8]

After reading my previous post again I realized it looked like I was trying to hawk a product. It was not my intention and I'm sorry if I gave the wrong impression. I was only trying to pass on a little help to anyone else who may be going through this as well.