Are Meds Causing Hair Growth?

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I’m a 34-year-old female in fairly good health except I have diabetes and am overweight. I’m currently taking Avandamet for diabetes and Lipitor for cholesterol.

My first problem is that I have hair growing in places where hair should not be on women. Do you have any suggestions what I can do for this and why I have it?

My second problem is that I have very bad dry skin on my forehead and nothing has helped. What is worse is that my 5-month-old daughter has dry skin on her forehead and the back of her head. I have taken her to the pediatrician and have been told to use hydrocortisone on it. All that does is cover it up. Do you have any suggestions for this?

DEAR READER:
While not your first concern, I would be very interested to know the progression of your diabetes, high cholesterol and weight gain. These changes can manifest in a number of ways and can vary from person to person. Was the diabetes present prior to your pregnancy or did you have gestational diabetes? What about the weight increase? Was it present before your pregnancy or did you gain weight during the pregnancy that you have failed to lose? When was your high cholesterol level diagnosed?

Did a primary care physician prescribe both the Avandamet and Lipitor? Was one prescribed before the other? This would be important to know, since you may be suffering a drug interaction between the two.

Avandamet is prescribed as an adjunct to diet and exercise for type 2 diabetes. Weight loss, exercise and a restriction of dietary calories and sugar are vital for optimal results. Therefore, I assume that despite the additional work involved with a new baby, you are exercising and controlling your food intake. Dose-related weight gain has been observed in patients on Avandamet. The reason for this is unclear but likely involves fluid retention and fat accumulation.

Lipitor is a statin drug taken for lowering cholesterol levels. Side effects are weight gain, hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, dry skin, seborrhea, contact dermatitis, eczema, leg cramps, arthritis, and more. Seborrhea can present as either very oily skin or dry scales.

My concern is that the two drugs you are on may be reacting against each other. I urge you to return to the prescribing physician to discuss this possibility. Since you don’t indicate what your cholesterol readings are, I am somewhat reluctant to recommend an over-the-counter product such as niacin, CholestOff, omega-3 oil, or others that might be adequate. If prescription medication is necessary, perhaps you can be switched to a different drug with fewer side effects.

As far as the hair growth issue is concerned, there are a number of possibilities. When a woman develops excessive amounts of hair on her chest, face or back, the condition is known as hirsutism. Up to 10% of all American women have some degree of the condition. It may be attributed to an adrenal gland abnormality, be caused by medications taken for endometriosis, from Cushing’s syndrome when the body is exposed to high levels of cortisol or from polycystic ovary syndrome. The latter results in obesity, irregular periods and more.

You should address the condition with your primary care physician or specialist who can do an examination, order laboratory blood testing for hormone levels, an ultrasound to check for tumors or cysts, or a CT scan to evaluate your adrenal glands.

Now, for your baby. Because you are on Lipitor, I assume you are not nursing. Were that to be the case, that might be the reason for her dry skin. I must question whether the dry skin on the back of her head might be cradle cap. This condition presents as a crusting, scaly rash common on the back of the head and in the area of the eyebrows. It can be treated with baby oil or olive oil rubbed onto the affected areas. The procedure should be followed with soap or shampoo especially designed for cradle cap. Cradle cap is harmless except for a possible accompanying itch and is not contagious. Generally speaking, the condition disappears by the time a baby reaches 12 months of age.

To give you related information, I am sending you copies of my Health Reports “Diabetes Mellitus” and “Understanding Cholesterol”. Other readers who would like copies should send a self-addressed, stamped, number 10 envelope and $2 for each report to Newsletter, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title(s).