Epilepsy and hair loss

[crazychick]

Im going to hsve s talk with my neuroligist ehen hr decideds to get back in touch with me that is.

 

[Nakamova]

Basically, talk to your neurologist, make sure he understands that the hair loss appears to be related to the Keppra, is an unacceptable side effect and that it may be affecting you mood as well. Ask what your options are for other meds.

There are other possible causes of hair loss that have been noted in the comments above -- hormones, nutritional issues, hypothyroid, low blood sugar, etc. They may or may not be related to your hair loss, but they are worth mentioning to your regular doctor to see if they are playing a role in your general health. You said your regular doctor mentioned hormone replacement therapy at one point -- find out why. You mentioned that you feel like you will collapse if you don't eat regular meals -- discuss this with your regular doctor as well, and try eating 6 small meals a day (avoid high-sugar, high caffeine, highly-processed foods).

 

[crazychick]

it was my neurologist that mentioned the hrt, yeah am going to mention everything when he decided to get back to me that is

 

[jyearta]

When I talk about nutritional needs, it is the cleanest choice in food, to feed the energy needs of your body.
Most doctors will agree that eliminating white refined products, sugar, processed foods, and eating a plant based diet is the best to meet our bodies needs.

Robin can you tell me where to get a copy of this diet.

I would appreciate it.

 

[crazychick]

im just going to wait and see what my neuroligist says first but thanx for your advice every1

 

[kjcolmo]

I am currently on 500mg of keppra they have stopped my seizures im taking vitamin supplements to try and stop me losing my hair, i felt ok taking these now i dont feel right at all taking vitamin tablets, i can be fine 1 day and the next I can feel like im always tired. does any1 else have this problem with keppra and the vitamin supplements?

crazychick,
I can relate to you in regard to the medication side affects. ( Hair loss, double vision, tiredness, irritability, low sex drive etc)
I'm still taking these, but they are products that have seemed to benefit most of my side affects. Mainly, all I have now is the tiredness. The tiredness doesnt seem to last as long.
I wish you luck!

 

[kjcolmo]

crazychick,
I have taken supplements that actually benefit less siezures and auros.
Though still having the side affects, just not as many.

Hang in there!
K

 

[crazychick]

Hi kjcolno. Will these side affects stop? what supplements did you take? my hair is gettin thinner n thinner. My neuroligist just dont seem bothered either.

 

[RobinN]

I don't have a "diet" to copy. It is based on research gathered, about what our bodies needs are for energy production.
I dislike the term "diet" because to me that is based on the latest trend, and for many people going on a diet is a negative.
When I do my research for health, it is only based on our nutritional needs, and the harm processed foods have done to our overall health.

When I talk about nutritional needs, it is the cleanest choice in food, to feed the energy needs of your body.
Most doctors will agree that eliminating white refined products, sugar, processed foods, and eating a plant based diet is the best to meet our bodies needs.

Robin can you tell me where to get a copy of this diet.

I would appreciate it.

 

[RobinN]

I apologize... I was wrong... it is 23.9 hrs
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2430660/?tool=pmcentrez

I would be curious where you got that number. I know the course I took which was not as in depth as what doctors go through we spent 20 hours just learning how ATP is converted into ADP to produce energy from food alone. That doesn't include everything else. Even just learning the kreb cycle can take longer than 15 hours.

I'd be very suspicious of whoever told you that.

Purpose: To quantify the number of required hours of nutrition education at U.S. medical schools and the types of courses in which the instruction was offered, and to compare these results with results from previous surveys.

Method: The authors distributed to all 127 accredited U.S. medical schools (that were matriculating students at the time of this study) a two-page online survey devised by the Nutrition in Medicine Project at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. From August 2008 through July 2009, the authors asked their contacts, most of whom were nutrition educators, to report the nutrition contact hours that were required for their medical students and whether those actual hours of nutrition education occurred in a designated nutrition course, within another course, or during clinical rotations.

Results: Respondents from 109 (86%) of the targeted medical schools completed some part of the survey. Most schools (103/109) required some form of nutrition education. Of the 105 schools answering questions about courses and contact hours, only 26 (25%) required a dedicated nutrition course; in 2004, 32 (30%) of 106 schools did. Overall, medical students received 19.6 contact hours of nutrition instruction during their medical school careers (range: 0–70 hours); the average in 2004 was 22.3 hours. Only 28 (27%) of the 105 schools met the minimum 25 required hours set by the National Academy of Sciences; in 2004, 40 (38%) of 104 schools did so.

Conclusions: The amount of nutrition education that medical students receive continues to be inadequate.

http://journals.lww.com/academicmed...on_Education_in_U_S__Medical_Schools_.30.aspx


http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/obesity/20100517med-schools.html

However, significant barriers prevent many clinicians from offering dietary support. These include lack of time, lack of teaching materials, and lack of nutrition knowledge and confidence on the part of the provider

http://www.sharinginhealth.ca/nutrition/health_care/education.html#krf

Research has increasingly pointed to a link between the nutritional status of Americans and the chronic diseases that plague them. Between the growing list of diet-related diseases and a burgeoning obesity epidemic, the most important public health measure for any of us to take may well be watching what we eat.

But few doctors are prepared to effectively spearhead or even help in those efforts. In the mid-1980s, the National Academy of Sciences published a landmark report highlighting the lack of adequate nutrition education in medical schools; the writers recommended a minimum of 25 hours of nutrition instruction. Now, in a study published this month, it appears that even two and a half decades later a vast majority of medical schools still fail to meet the minimum recommended 25 hours of instruction.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/health/16chen.html

http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=597&page=95

The National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine recommends that medical students receive a minimum of twenty-five hours of nutrition training. That’s not a lot, Kohlmeier says, but schools rarely meet that threshold. Kohlmeier, who has an MD, and dietitian Kelly Adams surveyed 109 medical schools—86 percent of all U.S. med schools—and found that only 25 percent of the institutions met the institute’s recommendation. That was down from 40 percent in 2004. They found that nutrition education was optional at four schools, and one school offered no training at all.

 

[crazychick]

i take vitamin supplements but i dont know if these are working or not to be honest.

 

[RobinN]

One never knows, unless you notice you are feeling better when taking them, or feeling worse when you stop.
If you have a cooperative doctor you can also do vitamin and mineral testing to see what your levels are. But I have learned that the amount of a vitamin or mineral in the blood doesn't necessarily let you know what is crossing the blood brain barrier. So if you are taking it for brain health... it is basically guess work.
Also, the amount depends on not only your size, but the health of your gut. If your intestinal tract is not healthy due to poor nutrition, the amount of any one vitamin getting into your system is unknown. You might be eliminating more than you are absorbing. Best to get the health of the gut underway, before exploring vitamins and minerals.

 

[crazychick]

Yeah ur probly right. Im going to mention everytjing to mu neuroligist ehen i eventually get an appointment with him. Because i want to try different things as keppra is defo not agreeing with me. I feel ill honstly all the tym on it. I just dont feel like me. If that makes sense? they make me so emotional its unreal.

 

[RobinN]

I understand... my daughter was definitely not herself on the four different meds we tried.

in the meantime, perhaps relaxation techniques will help the anxiety

 

[epileric]

I apologize... I was wrong... it is 23.9 hrs
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2430660/?tool=pmcentrez

The National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine recommends that medical students receive a minimum of twenty-five hours of nutrition training. That’s not a lot, Kohlmeier says, but schools rarely meet that threshold. Kohlmeier, who has an MD, and dietitian Kelly Adams surveyed 109 medical schools—86 percent of all U.S. med schools—and found that only 25 percent of the institutions met the institute’s recommendation. That was down from 40 percent in 2004. They found that nutrition education was optional at four schools, and one school offered no training at all.

Given that the survey methodology completely excluded optional courses at all schools, gave a zero to 9 schools where the person responding was uncertain about the number of hours in third and fourth years. Right there that makes things a bit slanted.... no?

You also have to remember that when taking courses that teach how the body works such as anatomy & physiology, that teaches how/what we ingest, digest,absorb food, convert it to energy & excrete it, a nutrition course like that is not that critical.

Also, judging a course by how many hours it is is much less telling than what the course teaches as I'm sure each school has varying hours for the same courses. That just means it's taught differently, not better or worse.

 

[crazychick]

i cant relax when im like this and see my hair pouring out everyday, its getting thinner and thinner its so scary

 

[crazychick]

does any1 know how long it will take for biotin supplement to work?

 

[Nakamova]

it can take weeks to months.

 

[crazychick]

av been taking it bout 3 weeks now and av seen no difference yet, av got sum shampoo for hair loss its called alpecin have you heard of it?

 

[BlueSkies2220]

I would recommend getting a silk pillow, so that your hair is not tangled.. use a wide comb or pick, working from the bottom up so that you can untangle your hair without breaking it off, and condition your hair regularly. Try a dry shampoo instead of using shampoos that have sulfates. Take your biotin suppliments because they work for some people in restoring lost hair.

Do not brush your hair because that is damaging to your hair if your hair is weak and it breaks off. A comb or pick is much gentler when you take your time to untangle and condition your hair. the idea is to get your hair in shape with the least amount of damage. Brushes can tear your hair apart and they are too damaging for thin hair sometimes

Another wierd trick that ive read on forums, and you can search this on google, is monostat cream, applied to the scalp - it has helped some people grow NEW hair and regenerate the hair that is lost. i know it sounds wierd but it has worked for some people. There is something about what's in the ingredients that work for people. if you try this do it in a small area to see if you are allergic to it. You can get monostat cream at the CVS or other drugstores. I know its a strange treatment but for some reason its worked good for some people, just like minoxodil that they put in men's hairloss treatments.

I've been using Argan oil on my hair. it makes it feel nice and silky and tangle free, all day long. after i bleached it several times i had to deal with breakage and dryness, so i moisturize it daily to keep it 'fed'

There are times when i have wore wigs or extensions just for fun. they aren't so bad once you get used to them.