Newbie- Depressed. Aggressive loss. Please help!

[Jackw]

Hey Guys,

Any opinions or help would be tremendously appreciated. I'm a 30 year old male. I've always had a full head of hair my entire life until recently. My father and grandfathers all have a relatively full head of hair but with thinning at the crown. I would classify myself as a Norwood 1. Around last August I began aggressively shedding. I am a diffuse shedder (all over). I don't understand what is happening to me. It doesn't seem like traditional MPB, rather a combination of problems. I DO have severe thyroid disease- Graves' Disease aka hyperthyroidism. I am on medication but not stable and haven't been for at least 6 months. The problem is that I've had thyroid disease for years and while I did/do shed when my hormones are off, it would never cause visible thinness. It does now. I also have GAD or generalized anxiety disorder and have had it for years. And to top it off I have seborrheic dermatitis which has worsened from my aversion to washing my hair more than once a week due to the shedding. So, as you can see I have many different hair loss causes. But with the exception of seborrheic dermatitis I've always had these issues and haven't lost a substantial amount of hair until this past year.

I've been to 2 dermatologists. 1 said I had no signs of MPB the other said they saw the beginning of thinning at temples & crown-MPB. Both were concerned about my thyroid as the main cause of shedding. I disagree. They both recommended rogain if I felt compelled to try something but not propecia. This was 6 months ago, however, and it's gotten much worse.

I got propecia from my family doctor and took it once- two weeks ago. Within hours, my testicles started hurting, I urinated an alarming amount throughout the day and got dry mouth. I freaked out and didn't take it again. Still two weeks later I have a slight dry mouth and slight testicle pain- both going away, however.

So now I don't know what to do. I'm extremely depressed. It's all I think about all day. Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[pkipling]

Hey man. I truly hate to hear the amount of stress you're under and the depression you're feeling. I don't know what the future of your hair looks like, but I honestly believe that with the right help, you'll be able to move forward from the depression and learn healthy, effective ways to manage your stress.

Having dealt with an anxiety disorder nearly my entire life, I can't express to you how important a good therapist is to your well being. I personally believe that every person on the planet could really benefit from a year of counseling, but it's especially important for those of us that suffer from anxiety, depression, etc. I would actually place your mental and emotional well being ahead of your hair - though they do go hand in hand in some ways. Please make this a priority so that you can be on your way to getting the help you need to be able to move forward with your life in a productive and healthy way, whether your hair situation improves or not.

Regarding the hair, consider meeting with a credible IAHRS Hair Transplant surgeon. These doctors specialize specifically in hair loss/mpb/etc. and will be able to provide you with much more guidance than a general dermatologist can. They may be able to provide you a much clearer picture of what's possibly going on with the thyroid, potential MPB, propecia, etc.

Really hoping you start finding some answers soon. More importantly, I hope you start finding peace of mind in all of this.

And please - seek out a solid therapist as soon as you can. I went to mine for almost two years and she changed my life more than I can ever put into words.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

[Jackw]

Hey PKipling,

Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to read my pity fest. I absolutely will take the time to find a therapist as you are not the first one to suggest it. I only let my girlfriend in on how I truly feel. Everyone else thinks I'm the life of the party/convo/etc. it's an act. It's easy to say these things anonymously on a forum rather than in real life.

Anyway, I really will look into a hair specialist/surgeon to get the real scoop. If you know of anyone in the Philadelphia area or ways to separate the sketchy doctors from the good ones it would be a big help. I will attach pictures if it will help. I actually had longer hair until last week when I cut it off as I thought shorter hair would shed less and also to try to get the chunks of dandruff out from under there. Since my hair was a bit knotty when I went, the barber took off more hair with the comb than the clippers lol. I got a 2 clip fade (crew cut) and I can see through to my scalp now on top. It's not good. Like I said I can tell it will be a situation where my whole top would just thin to nothing rather than receding hairline MPB.

I feel locked in a weird spot where I'm doing nothing because I'm scared to shed more from rogain or propecia and I'm still trying to convince myself it's anything but MPB. Inaction is a quick way to disaster.

I really appreciate your time! Thanks again!

[pkipling]

Of course, man! I've been where you are in some form or another, as have many other guys on this forum. The important thing is to keep your head up and remind yourself that as bad as you're feeling in any given moment, those feelings really won't last forever. There is hope and help out there, so don't lose sight of that.

As for a potential doctor, the closest person I know of relatively close to you is Dr. Vogel in Maryland. You're right that there are a TON of doctors out there and I really believe that there are more sketchy ones than great ones, so it's important to do your research and ask questions (like you just did). Research Dr. Vogel, give him a call if you're interested, and plan a trip out there. I'm assuming it's a relatively quick trip (something that could be done in a day or so)?

Let me know what you think of this. And yes - pictures are always helpful.

I am a patient advocate for Dr. Parsa Mohebi in Los Angeles, CA. My opinions/comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Dr. Mohebi and his staff.

[AlexieJ]

It's so sad that you undergo some depression because of your condition but don't ever lose hope. Just do what your doctors tell you and you will be fine soon. There are instances that treatment have side effects but don't get be dismayed, instead always talk to your doctors.