There are many reasons someone could start to lose or having thinning hair. For me, it started with a birth control shot I received after I had my first child, Marissa, at 21 years old. I didn’t want to continue to use condoms with my husband and I wasn’t into tracking my fertility at that time. A shot was an easy out. So I took it, but soon enough my hair started falling out, a lot. I was horrified! I had always been praised for my thick, shiny hair. This mane means a lot to me, to this day. I didn’t take the second shot, but my hair was never really the same after that…and my second child, Noah, was conceived once the first shot wore off!
Yes, my children are only 18 months apart. Ha! I love that they’re so close in age, because they’re basically best friends now at 21 and 22. Anyway, soon after my son was born, I began to have headaches and migraine attacks. Which in hindsight, now that I am way more knowledgable about migraine, I should have known this was coming. When I was a kid and into my teens, I would have issues with nausea, dizziness, and headaches when I didn’t eat. Still happens to this day and it usually leads to a migraine attack.
When I saw a doctor for the first time to address the migraine attacks, I had not actually heard the word “migraine” before. It was new to me. My doctor suggested I get a divorce because stress was the cause of my migraine. I definitely didn’t take her advice, just the medications she prescribed. These meds led to very dry mouth and I had to stop taking it. Starting to see a pattern? If not, you will. I tried other meds with her, but nothing really helped. I only had attacks every so often, so I eventually gave up seeing her for migraine. Just so you know, stress does not CAUSE migraine. Stress is a migraine trigger. Big difference.
Several iPhone cases to choose from to bring awareness to migraine and mental health conditions now at Achy Smile Shop
In 2004, when my kids were toddlers, I was in a very bad car accident. From this moment, I began to have bizarre symptoms that took 5 years to diagnose. Some of my diagnosis’ are controversial among all my specialists. Some agree, some disagree. No matter what, though, we now know I live with Migraine with Brainstem Aura and Hemiplegic Migraine. Also, Vestibular Migraine, Retinal Migraine, and New Daily Persistent Headaches (NDPH). It’s been quite the journey taking so many different medications, especially when I first started scouring for a diagnosis.
Because my symptoms were all over the place and included different systems within the body (including my central nervous system and bones/joints), I was tested for Epilepsy and eventually diagnosed. Several months later, that diagnosis would be removed and instead, I’d receive a Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosis.
A year later, RA was removed and Complex Migraine became my diagnosis going forward. In all this time, I took so many different medications…so many! In addition, I began experiencing issues with my monthly periods that eventually led to Adenomyosis. Around 2012/2013 I was given a chemical menopause treatment via injection (in the same family as the birth control shot I tried years before) and that quickly furthered my hair loss and noticeable thinning hair. It also led to Alice in Wonderland Syndrome and those few months were awful. I was also told I had a hormone imbalance with high testosterone, which made my body think I was low in estrogen and progesterone. I’d later learn I also have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
Between all of the heavy medications I’ve taken over the years, the stress of daily life and living with chronic illness, hormone imbalance, and vitamin deficiencies, it’s no wonder I have thinning hair.
Erica Nicole Carrasco
Needless to say, I would go onto have a full hysterectomy with an oopherectomy to remove one ovary. The doctor and I both agreed it was safer to leave one ovary just in case my body couldn’t handle losing access to hormones like I did with the chemical menopause. Didn’t want to live in a possibly permanent state of Alice in Wonderland Syndrome! It wasn’t until after surgery I learned I had Adenomyosis. This is what had been causing the severe periods I had been experiencing for the last few years before. It was so bad, I felt like passing out sometimes. And the migraine attacks were so severe when triggered hormonally every month. For me, the hysterectomy was one of the best decisions I’ve made for my health.
Between all of the heavy medications I’ve taken over the years (including the ones I’m on now), the stress of daily life and living with chronic illness, hormone imbalance, and vitamin deficiencies, it’s no wonder I have thinning hair. Honestly, it’s making me feel way older than I am and very frustrated. The frustration comes with trying hair styles made for people with thick, shiny, flowy hair that I can’t pull off anymore. My hair has no bounce, it’s lifeless. As someone who was always praised for “beautiful” or “gorgeous” hair, it brings me down to look at it. My hair is usually in a bun, ponytail, or under a hat these days.
I found a wonderful article by Brain & Life Magazine titled How to Deal with Hair Loss Caused by Medication written by Natalie Pompilio in the April/May 2020 issue and highly suggest reading through it if you experience hair loss, changing texture, or thinning hair due to medication use like I have. I am still searching for a non-prescription supplement or treatment to help grow back what I’ve lost, because let’s face it, as a 40+ year old woman, my hair is only going to continue to thin.
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