Hairloss & Gluten

[Glutenmeggie]

Hello,

I am Megan . I am 42  years old. I have Celiac . I have been diagnoised now for 2 1/2 years. I have tried very hard to keep everything under control. I have IBS & GERD as well. If I eat any gluten I vomit. In the past  month I do recall being " gluetened" at a resturant. Since then my hair has been falling out all over. My scalp at times is itchy and burning. My scalp is not red unless I am itching it. I have had blood work done and everything is normal. I am always under a lot of stress as a single mom.  I have been to two Dermatologists who have been rude and heartless. This is such and emotional thing to go through . I feel alone in this entire thing. Anyone out there ?

[NoWhammies]

Hi Megan:

 

I have not had hair loss associated with the celiac and gluten, but I have had it associated with the Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Have you had your thyroid checked? As you probably know, there is an association between gluten/celiac and thyroid disease.

 

When I was losing a lot of hair, I used Nioxin shampoo, which really seemed to help. I know it is frustrating. Hang in there.

[Glutenmeggie]

Hi NoWhammies,

I am using that shampoo right now. I have not looked into that Disease but I will now Thank you !

Hi Megan:
 
I have not had hair loss associated with the celiac and gluten, but I have had it associated with the Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Have you had your thyroid checked? As you probably know, there is an association between gluten/celiac and thyroid disease.
 
When I was losing a lot of hair, I used Nioxin shampoo, which really seemed to help. I know it is frustrating. Hang in there.

[MJ-S]

I lose much more hair than normal when I have a gluten reaction. It gets better after a week or so.

[Glutenmeggie]

I lose much more hair than normal when I have a gluten reaction. It gets better after a week or so.

h i MJ_S

 

I accidentally had gluten a week before all this hair started fallling out. I also was bloated constipated head aches and moody. Do y ou  get any other symptoms ?

[LauraTX]

h i MJ_S

 

I accidentally had gluten a week before all this hair started fallling out. I also was bloated constipated head aches and moody. Do y ou  get any other symptoms ?

As suggested by nowhammies, a doctors visit to check on your thyroid may be in order.  These are also symptoms of an under-active thyroid, so it would be a good idea to go get that checked out to make sure there isn't more than one thing going on that can be fixed.  Hopefully it is just from the gluten reaction, but best to be safe and check out with the doctor, too.

[cristiana]

Joanna Rowsell is a really inspirational young British Olympian who has suffered hair loss from a young age and it is really good to read how she has dealt with it.  I have always had fine hair but it  got really thin around the time of my diagnosis which I think may have been to do with being anemic.  I do feel for you as I know exactly how heartless and thoughtless people's comments can be.  It used to really hurt but I find that being open with people really helps and people have been very kind and supportive when it got to me.  BTW has iron been one of the checks you have had?

 

I have read a lot around the subject and there can be a link with celiac although I am not sure the experts know why.  But we need to keep off the gluten.   I think my hair is looking a bit better now, but I think I have to accept I will never have brilliantly thick hair!   Definitely have that thyroid check, though.

 

Hugs xx   

[sdaniel95]

I went bald by the time I was 30.  I wasn't diagnosed for another 20 years.  I thought it was genetics, but looking back, Gluten may have accelerated my problem. 

FYI:  Being bald is a big deal when your 30, but lots of guys my age now (68) are bald...  No big deal now.  

[greenbeanie]

My hair fell out in the shower every day during my gluten challenge a couple years ago - enough to cover my hands when I shampooed and to clog up the drain, even though my hair is short. It was quite alarming. I am a woman in my 30's and was suddenly afraid of going bald! And I always had a rashy and blistering scalp too. If I remeber correctly, I think it stopped falling out after about six weeks gluten free...thank goodness! It took a good year for the rash to go away completely and stay gone. Of course, I was eating gluten every day for a month during the challenge, so it's not surprising that my hair kept falling out for so long afterward. Now, on the few occasions when I'm pretty sure I had minor cc, the blistering itchy scalp came right back, but only lasted a couple weeks. I don't have a clear celiac diagnosis and never saw a dermatologist (way too long of a wait for an appointment, and I wasn't willing to stay on gluten until I could get in), but I strongly suspect that the rash was dh. I had it lots of other places too, but the scalp was extra miserable (and very embarrassing when I had to go to the hairdresser).

I sympathize and hope your head gets better quickly! Hang in there!

[w8in4dave]

I am also suffering from Hair loss and toe nail falling off, my finger nail started getting weird ridges in them , Dr. send me to a dermatoligest, he looked at my toenails said it looked like Lichen Planus, looked at my hair said it looked like female pattern baldness, EEeeeennnnnnnnnnntttttttt!! Wrong answer I was also complaining of no energy. Finally I went to the Dr. Just for the no energy thing and he did some vitamin levels, I was low on Folic Acid, hmmm that causes hair loss , nail problems and low energy. Go figure! Hope I get my hair back!