2nd April 2004
Hello. I am a 20 year old male and have had acne since I was 12 or 13. A little over a year ago, I began mega-dosing on vitamin B-5 (antithetic acid) due to advise I received on acne message boards such as this one. I took 7 to 10 grams a day for what was probably a few months.
Shortly after beginning my high dosage of B-5, I started to shed much more hair than usual. Then, during the summer, my scalp became slightly pink, very itchy , I started to get dandruff, and the hair loss got even worse. I stopped B-5, but the symptoms continued.
It’s now a year later, and my hair loss and itchy scalp have gotten worse than ever. I’ve lost so much hair that my scalp is visible and my head is so itchy that sometimes it keeps me up at night. I don’t think my hair loss is normal, due not only to my itchy, flaky scalp, but also my hairline doesn’t seem to be receding and I lose hair from all over my head, even the sides. I’ve been to a dermatologist, taking prescriptions shampoos such as Nizoral, as well as every dandruff shampoo in the book. I even went on Propecia for months to see if it was normal hair loss, which didn’t help at all.
I’m here to see if anyone else has had such adverse effects, as I’ve read of this kind of thing happening before. It’s gotten to the point where it bothers me all the time. Add to it the fact that my acne is still around, and I’ve had a very tough time recently. I’m scared that I have created a severe imbalance within myself and have run out of ideas. I’ve recently started taking Biotin and Iron, as low amounts of either could cause hair loss (especially since I have a history of iron deficiency a few years back).
Anyway, I’m posting this on a few boards in hopes of hearing from some people who’ve experienced similar problems or maybe just who know a lot about the subject. I’ll be here to share thoughts with anyone, so hopefully I can conquer this thing. I hope to hear from some of you.
Shortly after beginning my high dosage of B-5, I started to shed much more hair than usual. Then, during the summer, my scalp became slightly pink, very itchy , I started to get dandruff, and the hair loss got even worse. I stopped B-5, but the symptoms continued.
It’s now a year later, and my hair loss and itchy scalp have gotten worse than ever. I’ve lost so much hair that my scalp is visible and my head is so itchy that sometimes it keeps me up at night. I don’t think my hair loss is normal, due not only to my itchy, flaky scalp, but also my hairline doesn’t seem to be receding and I lose hair from all over my head, even the sides. I’ve been to a dermatologist, taking prescriptions shampoos such as Nizoral, as well as every dandruff shampoo in the book. I even went on Propecia for months to see if it was normal hair loss, which didn’t help at all.
I’m here to see if anyone else has had such adverse effects, as I’ve read of this kind of thing happening before. It’s gotten to the point where it bothers me all the time. Add to it the fact that my acne is still around, and I’ve had a very tough time recently. I’m scared that I have created a severe imbalance within myself and have run out of ideas. I’ve recently started taking Biotin and Iron, as low amounts of either could cause hair loss (especially since I have a history of iron deficiency a few years back).
Anyway, I’m posting this on a few boards in hopes of hearing from some people who’ve experienced similar problems or maybe just who know a lot about the subject. I’ll be here to share thoughts with anyone, so hopefully I can conquer this thing. I hope to hear from some of you.