Chronic TE from BC pills and stress!

by Jen
(Georgia, U.S.)

I am a 22 y/o female. In May 2009 I began taking Yaz birth control, and at the same time going through severe emotional stress. Two months later, July 2009, is when my hair loss became apparent. At any given moment I would look down and see at least three or four hairs on my clothes. Naturally I have lots and lots of hair, even my hairdresser would always comment on how much hair I had. I wasn't too worried because hair loss associated with stress/birth control seemed to be a common problem after doing some online research. Everything I read seemed to tell me to stay on the birth control pills, and within 6 months the loss would stop once the hormones adjusted. Seven months later, the hair loss had not stopped and I couldn't bear to lose any more of my hair. So, I quit taking the pills completely. At this point, the emotional stress I was experiencing was pretty much gone as well.

Well now it is June 2010, I've been off of the BC pills for 6 months now and my hair is still falling out way more than it should (I understand up to 100 hairs daily is normal). At this point, I would say I have lost AT LEAST 40% of my hair. Luckily, I had thick hair to begin with. Had I not, I TRULY believe I would be BALD! I get my hair highlighted every 2-3 months and my hairdresser is amazed at the loss every time I see her. Last month I visited my dermatologist and she diagnosed me with TE. She gave me a list of things I could do-most of which I already was: Rogaine, Biotin, and Multivitamins. I also cut my hair shoulder length which made the thinning even more noticeable! I am also using Nioxin/NutriOx shampoo system which supposedly helps.

In the eleven months I have been experiencing this, I have gone from worried, to sad, to extremely pissed off, to somewhat accepting. It's coming up on a year and I don't expect this to just stop, knowing Chronic TE can last several years. In the mean time, I am wearing human hair extentions until I am satisfied with the growth from my natural hair. This is the only thing that has made me able to deal with this, as it has an instant effect. This has definitely been a learning experience for me though. I now know that just because a doctor prescribes you a medication does not mean it is safe. Make sure you do your homework on these drugs or you just may be sorry!