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Topic F350: Aldactone or Spironolactone for female women hair loss

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Re: Please Read if taking Spiro...Pleassseee

From: To Sophea.....from Beta
Date: 1/29/2004
Time: 10:34:15 AM
Remote Name: 67.113.61.239

Comments

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I'll try to answer all of your questions. First, I covered the dosage info in my previous post. That should give you a good basis for the correct dosage. The ranges for most people are gemerally from 100-200 mg. depending on their androgen level and the severity of their problem. For someone with elevated levels, they would need the highest dose.

Sophea, you really need to find a doctor who is an expert in hair loss. The endo is fine for testing and dealing with your hormone levels. However, he probably knows little about hair and what the best way is to treat it. Obviously he is not very understanding or he would be explaining things to you. I am very uncomfortable with the fact that he is not willing to expain anything to you. What I would suggest is finding out what the cause of the androgen elevation is. Spiro may not be the best treatment for you, because it only blocks the androgens at the hair follicle. If you can find the source of your androgens, then you can treat them more effectively. For example, you may have an ovarian or adrenal gland problem. If your ovaries are producing too much androgen, there can be medical causes for this which you can treat, such as ovarian cysts. Sometimes BCPs that are non-androgenic are very effective for shutting down the androgens from your ovaries. If the androgens are coming from your adrenal gland, you may have a malfunction in your adrenal gland or tumor that is causing excess androgens. This can be treated with medications for the adrenal gland. That way you would be removing the androgens from you system, instead of just blocking them after they have been released from the glands. I know this is a lot of complicated info. I hope it is making sense to you.

If you do NOT have any condition that is causing the high androgens, then the Spiro is a good option for you. Some people just have naturally higher levels. It will take some time to see results with the meds. Give it at least 6 months. Don't panic if it seems to get worse at first. There can be a long delay in the hair cycles. Unless you have a tumor or something, unfortunately the meds will be a lifetime commitment. Spiro does not "kill" the androgens. It only blocks them while you are using it. The effect would stop if you stop taking it. Hormones are produced by glands continuously, so there is no way to kill them unless you remove or destroy the gland, which is not something you want to do. Glands such as the adrenal gland also produce other hormones which are necessary for maintaining your health and life, so you need that gland.

I have had "some" regrowth, but I do not take the spiro alone (see previous post). As for the oily and smelly scalp, the androgen blocker will reduce the oil. I'm not sure what the smell is. What does it smell like? If it's just a greasy smell, then reducing the oil should help. Otherwise there could be another cause for the smell. Just because it did not start until after the hair loss does not mean it is not connected. Your scalp could just be reacting more to the androgens as time goes on. However, you may have something else going on. You really should check out the scalp odor forum that this site has. You may be able to get much more help and info about the smell there. I had an oily scalp problem before I started on the meds, but I did NOT have any smell. However, everyone is different. Check out this other forum for the odor problem.

I hope all of this helps. Please let me know what happens and how you are doing......Beta (P.S. See my posts on the birth control pill forum for more info.)

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