Friday, May 30, 2008

Lithium's making me bald

It was a terrible blow. The other morning, I took my shower, slicked back my hair with some gel, and prepared to style it. It was then that I noticed the unspeakable: small white patches of scalp peeking at me through my obviously thinning hair.

I knew I had a thin spot in the back but figured I had so much OTHER hair (it's about 2 feet long, very thick, and wavy) it didn't matter. It's been so humid, though, that I tried the hair gel thing. Normally I just style it wet without using gel, which makes the hair clump. When my hair dried even I couldn't tell it was thinning.

I was in a pretty bad bout of shock/hysteria (but I ate well!) all Wednesday. Thursday I was in denial. Tonight I decided to google "Hair loss women lithium" and there it was. Lithium can cause hair loss. Now, I do know some things.

#1 I'm not stopping my Lithium.
2. I'm not going bald, either.
3. Lithium uses up the body's supply of Insitol.
4. Adele Davis, a famous nutritionist, always said that she was able to help her patients regrow lost hair by supplementing their diet with Insitol.
5. I had already bought a supplement containing Insitiol and I've been taking it for about a week.

I did a quick google and found many many links stating that lost hair can regrow when Insitol is added to the diet. Which I've already done.

What a terrible blow, I am used to the fatigue, the grogginess, the thirst, the shaking hands, and now the BALDNESS?

Ay yi yi.

I'm not stopping the lithium but what a price to be sane! I know, NO ONE CAN TELL BUT ME. But I know... I'm losing my hair. Oh. My. God.

I have the most unflattering urge to go down something with an insane amount of carbohydrates. I won't. I was planning to make my whipped cream thing anyway.

BALD!

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