Q: In May of 2010 I had a slight stroke. I had numbness in my left leg. I am recovering now but am having a problem with hair loss. I am 72 years old in very good health but I do have high blood pressure which I am being treated for.
I read on the internet that when you have a traumatic experience, you can suffer hair loss approximately three months later. When I wash my hair there is a lot of hair in the drain and on the comb after I wash and comb it. My question is, what can I do to stop this? Are there vitamins or things I can take? Should I change my diet? Do you have any suggestions? I am taking Diovan, Lopressor, Plavix, calcium and vitamin B12.
A: A loss of more than 100 hairs per day is considered excessive and may be the result of stress, medicine, the aging process, a medical disorder, an inherited factor, or the way a person manages his or her hair. Common causes include poor nutrition — specifically a lack of iron and protein in the diet; alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system inadvertently attacks hair follicles; being on specific medications such as anticoagulants or chemotherapy; having lupus or cancer; and because of changes in hormone levels. And, it’s a well-known fact that mental or physical stress can definitely cause hair loss that generally occurs between four weeks to three or more months following physical or emotional stress. In the case of stress, clumps of hair may fall out, yet when the stress is dealt with or dissipates, hair will grow back.
There is a condition known as telogen effuvium that occurs following stressful situations such as major surgery, weight loss, being on specific medications such as beta blockers, antidepressants and NSAIDS (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) in which an individual loses large amounts of hair daily. This occurs because hair shifts from its growing phase, passing rapidly through its resting phase and quickly enters its shedding or telogen phase. A physician may look for club-shaped bulbs on the fallen hair roots for this diagnosis.
Another possibility is a condition known as hypothyroidism, implying an underactive thyroid that can cause, among countless other things, hair to become more brittle and break more easily. The reverse of this is hyperthyroidism, implying an overactive thyroid that can also cause hair loss. Either diagnosis is easy to determine through simple laboratory testing.
Let’s take a moment to review the medications you are on. The Diovan you are taking for your high blood pressure, as with numerous medications, comes with some side effects; however, the incidence of thinning hair and hair loss is not known. Lopressor is a diuretic (water pill) that helps prevent your body from absorbing too much salt. This is a beta blocker that could cause the telogen effuvium mentioned above and may be worth speaking with your prescribing physician about. Plavix was prescribed as a platelet inhibitor, meaning that it keeps platelets from clumping together. This is similar to aspirin’s anti-platelet action. This medication could cause hair loss; however, I’m sure the benefit of the medication outweighs the risks but that is a decision best left to your prescribing physician.
You need to address your concerns with your primary care physician. In the interim, treat your hair well. Do not use harsh coloring chemicals on it, don’t rub your hair briskly following shampooing and brush or comb it gently. If your primary physician is unable to find the cause of your hair loss, ask for a referral to a dermatologist. Good luck.
