metformin? Hair loss vs good control

[jerryn]

I just saw my PCP yesterday about the hair loss I'm experiencing. I do connect the dots and it seems the hair loss began with the starting of metformin. Of course he is testing me for other possibilities including thyroid, anemia etc but says it could be caused by the metformin. Anyway he says if all the blood work looks okay then we have to try another drug. I am having good control with the metformin, PLUS I've lost a bit of weight with it and kept it off (about 15 lbs). I'm just nervous about other drugs, i.e. side effects, possible weight gain. Still I'm getting close to the point of thinking about buying a wig so this is a real dilemma. Any ideas out there?

Holy cow! My hair could be thinning out due to Metformin?

Ah.. well I don't want anything else to start failing LOL so I guess I need to take my meds.

Gliburide works well with me but you are prone to weight gain So I counter with Byetta and working out like CRAZY.
My wife just said it looks like I'm loosing weight again

[marianofrv]

My doctor prescribed metformin and I started loosing hair dramatically in the first month. The medication was prescribed for metabolic syndrome and it helped me loose weight and decreased my appetite but this side effect is likely to end with me utterly bald within a few weeks. there is no prior history of baldness in my family.
Has anyone tried an alternative?

[LexiC]

Holy molely, you guys are scaring the doodie out of me. I was diagnosed borderline diabetic last week; my MD said he wanted to treat with Actos or metformin; he said he prefered Actos for me. So, I've been freaking out worried about the Actos/weight gain/swelling issue wondering if I should pick metformin instead; but now that can make me have diarrhea and lose hair??? What a choice! (PS: I started Actos).

[Martha3706]

I just saw my PCP yesterday about the hair loss I'm experiencing. I do connect the dots and it seems the hair loss began with the starting of metformin. Of course he is testing me for other possibilities including thyroid, anemia etc but says it could be caused by the metformin. Anyway he says if all the blood work looks okay then we have to try another drug. I am having good control with the metformin, PLUS I've lost a bit of weight with it and kept it off (about 15 lbs). I'm just nervous about other drugs, i.e. side effects, possible weight gain. Still I'm getting close to the point of thinking about buying a wig so this is a real dilemma. Any ideas out there?

I've been noticing that my hair is much thinner lately also. I started Metformin on Oct.2. I thought the loss was due to one of my meds, either the Metformin or Coumadin. Now I know that I'm not the only one experiencing this. This really disappoints me, since I like the Metformin and I think it's the best one for me.

[djt1344]

Anyone experiencing that with Glyburide? I am on 5mg 2x a day and haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary....Hmmm

Daniel

[Jay B]

My hair has been in the thinning stages even before starting the metformin. I do supplement with B vitamins, which I think has helped my hair in terms of strength and after more than a year seems to be growing in darker and more coarse than before. I also supplement with omega 3 and 6 (EPO) which I have heard will help as well.

[alura]

Googling hair loss and diabetes is what led me to this wonderful site! I had small patches of complete hair loss, not large but disturbing to me before I was diagnosed but attributed it to stress. After diagnosis (and starting met) I finally decided to check it out. Anyway, I went to a dermatologist who prescribed a steroid foam to apply to the patches. It worked great! At first the hair came in white, but now it is completely normal (not any grayer than the rest ) and it's all covered by coloring anyway. So, I don't think it was the met, but the undiagnosed diabetes that was getting to me.

[nicklow]

I was diagnosed type II about six weeks ago, and my PCP put me on metformin. I'm supposed to start out 500 2X and work my way up to twice that. Maybe a month ago, I noticed my hair falling out as I ran my hand through it - it's kind of long right now. I didn't think anything of it until one morning in the shower I noticed even more come out when I shampooed, and then a clump in the drain. I don't know why I didn't put the two together until now, when I googled the two together and found this thread. I've always had thick hair, and there's no MPB in my family. I'm 40 and I think I'd have a lost some before now if I was going to lose it. I'm pretty sure it has to be the metformin.

I've been very, very good about my diet, and I usually test in the high 80s-low 120s. I've made it in the 135-145 range maybe once or twice a week since I started testing three weeks ago, about six times a day.

Please, please, anyone with experience or tips comment. I am very new to this.

[samuel40]

metformin does cause hair loss

it cause hair loss trough this diferent mechanism

1/ it acts as an aromatase inhibitor, aromatase is the enzime that transform testosterone , androstendione and dheas into estrogen, estrogen as is well know protect hair from falling it makes the anagen phase longer .As the aromatase pathway is blocked by metformin, then there is more substrate or free androgens to be converted in DHt , trough 5 alpha reductase, they are converted then to dht the most androgenic male hormone, that is the direct cause of androgenic alopecia.as an example women with breast cancer than take aromatase inhitors loose their hair very fast, in a male type pattern.this mechanism cause permanent hair lost,Actually because it cause aromatase inhibition they are testing it as breast cancer coadjuvant treatment,
l
2/the second mechanism it cause hair loss is by increasing dheas levels as it caused a mild suprarenal impairment, so the adrenal gland produce more androgens to compensate.dheas is a weak androgen but it can be converted trough the enzime 5 alpha reductase into a very potent androgen dht, that as above mentioned cause hair loss.the hair lost trough this mechanism, is permanent

3/the 3 mechanism metformin cause hair thining is trough decreasing the igf1 effect on the body, igf1 is a metabolic part that caused most of the growth hormone effects it caûse hair to grow stronger and thicker, people who have low igf1 levels has very thin hair.this mechanism is temporal, once you stop taking metformin your hair will grow strong again,but your sugar will raise againActually as it decrease igf1 levels they are testing it as a cancer treatment.

4/the 4 mechanism is trough inhibiting B12 absortion , b12 deficiency cause hair loss.this is also a temporal mechanism


so as you can see we are not crazy it really is a secundary effect and it has a medical explanation, why it caused it.


sorry for my english I am from germany.

I a doctor here by the way, I hope I helped you guys,

[bitspeses]

My hair started falling out in clumps when I started taking Metformin. When I stopped taking it, my hair grew back. I started taking it again faithfully on the advice of my doctor and it started to fall out in clumps again. OK, I am BORDERLINE Type 2. I don't even feel that I need to take the medication most of the time as my sugar is within reason. Why are the doctors pushing this drug so hard?

[sweetstar]

My daughter is not diabetic and she was losing her hair. She is 29. She talked to her beautician and she began taking b12 pills. Her hair stopped falling out. I would try the b12 or even b complex vitamins before I stopped taking Metformin. If you have any real concerns about hair loss you should talk to your doctor.

[Reba55]

I found the "No Shot" B-12 Vitamin on Amazon. How many mg should I get?

[JEB]

A huge factor here is most of us are on low carb diets, and I am not arguing against one, my diet is strictly low carb. I think the movement to a low carb diet is a shock to the system and if you notice through out your life you probably experienced some hair loss anytime you have had a traumatic change in life style or diet. My hair is starting to come back, it has definitely stopped falling out.
In the first few weeks of turning my life around for the better, I noticed that every time I ran my fingers through my hair, even just a little and very lightly, my hair would come out in bunches. I am only 4 months into this world of diabetes, but my hair is coming back. Winter is coming, buy some sweet beanies.

PS, I would have totally hooked up with Sinead O Conner if she was slumming and needed a one nighter or morninger or afternooner or bruncher or...

[Lloyd]

I looked at half a dozen sites for side effects of metformin, including wikipedia, none listed hair loss. I suspect it is not all that common. It is one of the 10 most often taken medications (not just for diabetes).
I've been taking it for nearly 17 years, without problems.

-Lloyd

[Brennah]

Wow. This is an interesting thread. Three of my siblings also have thinning hair, all pre metformin, BUT, those same 3 also all turned out to have BG issues, (lending evidence to the post regarding insulin resistance being a culprit perhaps?) two of us are now on metformin. I was just having this conversation yesterday about how my hair is driving me nuts, it has definitely changed, the texture, the thickness (which it hasn't been 'thick' in years) the metformin factor never even crossed my mind though. I too have never seen this listed as a side effect though on anything I've ever read about it. I've been very lucky in that in the 4 months I've been taking it I've never really had any of the unpleasant stomach related side effects...but now I'm definitely wondering if it's got something to do with my hair...I also take BComplex vitamins, but not on a regular basis.

Thanks for the thread, definitely something to keep an eye on.