It's been a few years since I suffered my hairloss, but I'm always willing to tell my story to help other people out.
My dd1 was about 18 months old, still nursing, and I was under a lot of stress at work. My doctor prescribed Paxil, 20 mg. I started out with half dose and worked up to 20 mg. As soon as I hit that full dosage my hair started falling out in handfulls. I got online and saw this wasn't unheard of--many SSRI drugs cause hairloss.
I slowly weaned off Paxil, dropping my dosage in half every few days. I felt a little dizzy and sick for a few days, but didn't have any lasting symptoms, thank goodness.
I saw an applied kinesiologist about my stress and he suspected low thyroid and prescribed Symplex F for low-thyroid. I probably didn't have a very low thyroid and stopped taking this--it made me wired. In the meantime I started taking supplements to restore what pregnancy and nursing had depleted: Pre-natals, 1000 mg Vit C, Vita Biotics, MSM, Silica, Zinc Gluconate, Calcium and Omega Mom. I also eat a low-gluten diet due to a family sensitivity (my daughters are gluten- and cowmilk- free).
Then I found a book called The Mood Cure which suggests a diet high in good protein, low in sugar and caffeinne and amino acid supplements. I took Tyrosine, 5 HTP and then GABA at night and during high stress situations. This regime totally changed my life and helped me get my life back. (I'm nursing my second daughter now and I *don't* take 5 HTP as it messed with my prolactin levels. But I don't hit the pillow without a GABA under my tongue. I can't tell you how much it improves the quality of my sleep.)
Within two weeks of stopping Paxil and then after starting the supplements my hairloss stopped and my hair grew back. After the birth of my second daughter I had only a little hairloss, the normal amount of stress and anxiety
and what hair I did lose grew back, though it's been slow. She's 15 months old now and I still see new hair coming in. But I think this is normal post-partum hairloss and I never had so much loss that I even thought much about it.
I so feel for all of you who have SSRI-induced hairloss. I know it's not fair. The sooner you get off the drugs and switch to a diet and lifestyle that supports your moods the better your chances are of recovering your hair. Good luck!
My dd1 was about 18 months old, still nursing, and I was under a lot of stress at work. My doctor prescribed Paxil, 20 mg. I started out with half dose and worked up to 20 mg. As soon as I hit that full dosage my hair started falling out in handfulls. I got online and saw this wasn't unheard of--many SSRI drugs cause hairloss.
I slowly weaned off Paxil, dropping my dosage in half every few days. I felt a little dizzy and sick for a few days, but didn't have any lasting symptoms, thank goodness.
I saw an applied kinesiologist about my stress and he suspected low thyroid and prescribed Symplex F for low-thyroid. I probably didn't have a very low thyroid and stopped taking this--it made me wired. In the meantime I started taking supplements to restore what pregnancy and nursing had depleted: Pre-natals, 1000 mg Vit C, Vita Biotics, MSM, Silica, Zinc Gluconate, Calcium and Omega Mom. I also eat a low-gluten diet due to a family sensitivity (my daughters are gluten- and cowmilk- free).
Then I found a book called The Mood Cure which suggests a diet high in good protein, low in sugar and caffeinne and amino acid supplements. I took Tyrosine, 5 HTP and then GABA at night and during high stress situations. This regime totally changed my life and helped me get my life back. (I'm nursing my second daughter now and I *don't* take 5 HTP as it messed with my prolactin levels. But I don't hit the pillow without a GABA under my tongue. I can't tell you how much it improves the quality of my sleep.)
Within two weeks of stopping Paxil and then after starting the supplements my hairloss stopped and my hair grew back. After the birth of my second daughter I had only a little hairloss, the normal amount of stress and anxiety
and what hair I did lose grew back, though it's been slow. She's 15 months old now and I still see new hair coming in. But I think this is normal post-partum hairloss and I never had so much loss that I even thought much about it.I so feel for all of you who have SSRI-induced hairloss. I know it's not fair. The sooner you get off the drugs and switch to a diet and lifestyle that supports your moods the better your chances are of recovering your hair. Good luck!
