Something old needs something new

[renee97]

When beginning work with my current neurologist (#7) I was able to make it clear that I needed to get off Dilantin, Lamictal and Keppra. They were making me much poorer and sicker with their side effects. So now I am on Depakote only. On my latest conversation with said neurologist I learned that it is not my imagination that the Depakote is causing hair loss and, over time, can cause osteoporosis. I think I can deal with the latter, but I am baffled what to do about the hair loss. She mentioned something about selenium. Does anyone have any knowledge of, experience with, or feedback on this subject? Thanks.
Renee

 

[RobinN]

You might start here:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f22/selinium-seizures-seborrhea-2604/

Bernard: would you please spell selenium correctly in the title for me.

 

[skillefer]

My neurologist had me take prenatal vitamins. *shrug* It cut back on the hair loss. As for the weight gain....sorry, there's no solution for that. I got up to 195 lbs. That's alot when you're only 5'3" tall on a good day. Since I got off the Depakote, I've been losing the weight. But yeah...if you don't mind the weight gain, then I'd definitely ask your doc about taking prenatal vitamins.

 

[renee97]

Since starting Depakote in mid February I have had either no weight gain or a very insignificant weight gain. It all goes to show that each person responds to each drug in a different way. The only two problems / unpleasant side effects I have had with Depakote have been occassional hallucinations and hair loss.
Getting back to the hair loss problem, which is the more significant problem, I was reading that one food that is a good source of selenium is (are) certain fish such as salmon. Oddly I have been eating more salmon sandwiches lately and this would almost (within about five days) coincide with greater hair loss then in April. Now this is weird. I am beginning to get creeped out by all this. I would much prefer to modify my diet to prevent further hair loss then to start taking more pills or drugs.

 

[RobinN]

Many times, patients experiencing some hair loss may go helter skelter trying to determine what is causing their hair to break or fall out to an alarming degree. In fact, even their doctor may be bewildered as to what is causing the patient to experience hair loss when she has been doing everything possible to live a healthy life. One possible suspect that is causing your hair loss though is mercury poisoning.

Why mercury poisoning? Mercury poisoning is probably more widely prevalent in our society than we realize. There is one case of mercury poisoning of a five-year-old girl (the daughter of mystery writer Ayelet Waldman) who became a victim because she loved to eat tuna. Mercury is considered a neurotoxin that can cause brain damage, and to a certain extent, hair loss (among a host of other problems.)

The National Academy of Sciences believes that mercury poisoning is caused by society dumping its pollution into the earth's bodies of water. In turn, fish consume the mercury simply because they have no choice, since they live in the polluted water all the time. The Academy recommends that if you have to eat fish, choose those varieties which tend to have low mercury levels. Note that the Academy did not say zero mercury levels - perhaps that is not possible due to the level of pollution of our earthly habitats at present. The fish that are at the highest point of the earthly food chain (meaning, the big fish like tuna or swordfish) are the ones that generally have the greatest accumulation of mercury in their bodies because they eat more of the smaller fish that are first exposed to mercury as a pollutant.

Another way you can get mercury poisoning is by having a dental amalgam implanted into your defective teeth, which contains mercury. The mercury becomes processed over time in your mouth into a vapor (gas) so that you have no choice but to inhale it everyday. As much as 50% of the dental amalgam which a dentist may use for your teeth could be made up of mercury actually.

If mercury toxicity or mercury poisoning is really the culprit, you may experience hair loss regardless of whether you are male or female.

Should you feel alarmed by the possibility that you or someone you know is undergoing mercury poisoning, you can always have a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis done. This means that the minerals that make up your hair will be examined closely to find out what minerals seem to be present and in what volumes. There are many illnesses that could be caused by a surplus or a deficiency of certain minerals so a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis could be useful to find any underlying yet hidden medical conditions as well in the patient. The Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis becomes even more important if you have so many strange symptoms, and other tests and check ups cannot reveal what is the cause. Hair loss can also be indicative of the existence of other types of illnesses as well.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Hair-Loss-Alert-Mercury-Poisoning&id=1062948

Have you had any dental work done lately. You might google mercury/hair loss.
Did you have a flu shot this winter? That also has mercury in it. Fish definitely has mercury in it. That is why I give Rebecca a supplement for her Omega 3. While she is ill I can monitor the amount she is receiving. Her seizures also drastically reduced after I began selenium, so I will not rule out that it is helping along with the neurofeedback, progesterone, and magnesium. I can't get a therapeutic dose of some of these supplements via food. I look forward to a time when she is stabalized and that will be an option.

 

[renee97]

Yup, just had a root canal late last month. Bad enough that it is going to cost me a lot of money to pay for it, but I would not be the least surprised if that is the root cause (pun intended) of the falling follicles. And I did have a flu shot last year.
The really unfunny thing is that I rarely eat any fish any more and have not eaten any tunafish since I can't remember when. I still remember listening to the radio hearing that "eating tuna is like eating meat from a lion or tiger......it is at the top of the food chain."

 

[renee97]

So much for that idea. I called my dentist this morning and the root canal work I had in April did not have / does not have any mercury content. When I called my primary care physician about the sinus problems I have been having the last several days and the nurse called back, I told the nurse about the hair loss and she said she would talk with my MD about this as well. At this point in time I am not convinced of anything other then the Depakote has something to do with the hair loss, but it is NOT the only cause.
R97

 

[Bernard]

Stacy was also losing hair when she was on Depakote. Nasty side effect that is.

 

[renee97]

Well, if it is the only really nasty side effect (and at this point it is) then I am just going to have to live with it. All the other meds I have taken had side effects so much worse than this that it would be like comparing a soft drizzle to a severe thunderstorm with large hail and damaging winds.

 

[RobinN]

Possibly, but what about the tooth that they replaced. Did it have an old amalgam filling?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326161639.htm

Mercury is a large component of dental fillings, but it is not believed to pose immediate health risks in that form. When exposed to sulfate-reducing bacteria, however, mercury undergoes a chemical change and becomes methylated, making it a potent, ingestible neurotoxin.

Also you said you were eating more salmon sandwiches:

FDA's Recommendation on Fish and Salmon

In March 2004, FDA and EPA revised its advisories on mercury in fish for pregnant women and young children. Generally they are advised to eat no more than 2 meals of low-mercury fish per week - one can of salmon or half a salmon steak is considered one meal.

I would think that someone with a seizure disorder would want to be on the safe side too.

 

[renee97]

After spending much of the period from November 16, 2005 through November 21, 2007 (I have a very good memory, thank you) "off the deep end" about anything and everything related to epilepsy, I crawled back out of the depths, the mud and mud slinging with MD's, and found that much of my brain and self-esteem could still be accessed and utilized for the better. Thus
1) I trust my dentist. I went to two other dentists in Minneapolis before this gentleman was recommended and he and I get along very well. If my dentist says there was no mercury I believe him. If there had been any mercury from the tooth before the installation of the root canal, I think that I would have noticed problems much earlier as the root canal was started on April 14 and completed on the 29th. I did not notice the greater hair loss until May 7th.
2) When I purchase salmon, I get the smallest (6 oz) can of Alaskan Pink Salmon. I purchase, at the most, three of these per year!! If I ate just a little too much in too short a period of time then maybe the hair loss problem will go away very quickly because I will not be eating any more for at least another three months!

Yea, I do sound defensive. What I am trying to do is not "go crazy" about every little food item and environmental thing that could be affecting my health. Ever heard the song "Foodophobia?"

 

[RobinN]

Okay... sorry for overstepping my boundaries.

Does anyone have any knowledge of, experience with, or feedback on this subject? Thanks.
Renee

I was just trying to answer this post.

 

[renee97]

Wait!
You were doing just fine. This is a simple matter of not repeating, not repeating, not repeating what has already been discussed. let's have a good laugh about this and get on with things!