CombinedNSP Site Admin
Joined: 13 Dec 2006 Posts: 1406 Location: Cleveland, OH
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Posted: Dec Fri 15, 2006 7:00 pm Post subject: Hair Excessive - Facial - Arm |
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Hair Excessive - Facial - Arm
My 26 yr old daughter has fought excessive facial hair, beard/mustache type, and arm hair since she was a teenage. Her period has been so messed up for yrs. Is this a hormone imbalance? If so what can she do so she can live life without embarrassment? She also has been diagnosed with OCD, ADD, PTSD, anxiety disorder & major depressive disorder. She takes Celexa, Welbrutron, Adderall & Topomax for these problems so she has to be careful what she takes that it does not effect the meds or sends her into a tail spin. Her psyche Dr told her not to take Vitamin C with Adderall as it diminishes the effect of Adderall. I am talking with her about trying herbs for these disorders as she has never been able to take pharmaceuticals, they just do nothing for her. This problem with facial hair definitely adds to her mental/emotional state. Any help you can give me with be greatly appreciated! Thanks, -Val
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Hi Val. The facial hair can be an increased Aldosterone. I would have your doctor do a hormone level evaluation on her adrenals, test Progesterone, estrogen, testosterone levels and see what they find. Then you can safely go from there. She has quite a load on board already with the drugs. I have a feeling it is elevated testosterone levels that could be the problem. She has most of the signs. -Suzanne
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Hi Val, I am 34 and I have suffered from the same symptoms as your daughter does since I was 13. For years I was told it was stress and a hormone imbalance for which my doctor put me on birth control pills to keep it regular. I also have problems controlling my weight. I was finally diagnosed several years ago with several related syndromes/illnesses. I read up on the internet and found that my symptoms matched those of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and that was intertwined with Insulin Resistance. When I went to an endocrinologist to make sure and to get treatment in the form of Glucophage (Metformin), I was told that I also had a thyroid problem. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I also found that I was severely depressed. So, the way that I am handling all of this is to take thyroid medication to make sure my levels are fine, I take Zoloft to keep my depression controlled, I take Glucophage to help control my insulin resistance, but the most important thing that I do is I work out with weights 3x a week and do cardio workouts 3x a week. I keep my calories between 1200-1800 during the week with one free day to eat as I please. I also try to make sure that my carbs are complex and that I balance them with enough protein. As far as the excessive hair that is already there, the first thing is to take care of the medical cause of it as mentioned above, but if she wants to permanently remove it, I would recommend researching either electrolysis or the new laser hair removal. I myself did the electrolysis on the face but not on my arms or rest of body. It pretty much did the job except for the need to pluck a few hairs here and there every few days. I did let my weight balloon up and my hormones got out of wack again and I noticed that hair was growing again in new places. The next time around, when I can afford it, I will try the laser hair removal. I have read that it is faster, cheaper and more effective than the electrolysis. Your daughter may find that her depression and other psych disorders may be caused by thyroid or other problems and if so, maybe she can eventually come off of all of the other medications. In my case, the glucophage and the Zoloft should be temporary. Once I am able to get to a healthy weight and keep my thyroid levels stable, then the PCOS and the Insulin Resistance should be under control and not need medication. Anyhow, I hope this gives you some areas to investigate. Your daughter may not have the same problems I have, but since it sounds familiar to me, I thought I would share as much info as I could. There are a lot of websites that deal with these problems, so don't give up...keep looking. Best wishes to your daughter. -Becky |
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