Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Hair Loss


Brittany2

Recommended Posts

Brittany2 Apprentice

Hello,

I've had an itchy scalp since a younger age, but its never been so much of a problem until this past year, especially back in March when I realized my hair was falling out! Has anyone else had this same occurrence, I know hair loss is a symptom, but out of curiosity, in what ways did yours manifest?

Thanks! Best to you!


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



ravenwoodglass Mentor

Just like you. Usually my scalp will itch, although only in the back for some reason. Even a small amount of gluten or for me soy also, will cause this. I also have to be very careful what shampoos etc I use on my hair. It has taken me a long time to find a safe shampoo but I now use Shikai, which seems to work well with no itchyness or hair loss. Something that has also helped stop the hair loss is taking the Stress vitamins which are high in B's and also an additional one with biotin. I have seen regrowth and the hair shaft itself is thicker near the roots.

There is also a vitamin mixed with chinese herbs that I used for a while which seemed to work well called Bao Shi 'I think that is the name but not sure' but after my soy intolerance came to the forefront I had to stop using because one of the herbs is processed with soy. Do NOT use Rogaine without checking first, unless they changed the formula recently it has wheat protein in it.

beanpot Apprentice

I also have had an itchy scalp on and off for many years. didn't know that it was related to gluten but it makes sense. Not shampooing too much seems to help when I get flakes. I've been assuming its dandruff mostly and using Head and Shoulders. Had some stress-related hair loss years ago. I think Omega 3 oils help too.

  • 2 weeks later...
khennigan1 Newbie

hi!

could you tell me the brand names of the vitamins you took to help your hair? i'm having horrible problems with mine falling out/not growing and i'm desperate to fix it! also, i've been having itchy scalp too... does that mean i've eaten gluten?

Just like you. Usually my scalp will itch, although only in the back for some reason. Even a small amount of gluten or for me soy also, will cause this. I also have to be very careful what shampoos etc I use on my hair. It has taken me a long time to find a safe shampoo but I now use Shikai, which seems to work well with no itchyness or hair loss. Something that has also helped stop the hair loss is taking the Stress vitamins which are high in B's and also an additional one with biotin. I have seen regrowth and the hair shaft itself is thicker near the roots.

There is also a vitamin mixed with chinese herbs that I used for a while which seemed to work well called Bao Shi 'I think that is the name but not sure' but after my soy intolerance came to the forefront I had to stop using because one of the herbs is processed with soy. Do NOT use Rogaine without checking first, unless they changed the formula recently it has wheat protein in it.

DebNC84 Apprentice
Hello,

I've had an itchy scalp since a younger age, but its never been so much of a problem until this past year, especially back in March when I realized my hair was falling out! Has anyone else had this same occurrence, I know hair loss is a symptom, but out of curiosity, in what ways did yours manifest?

Thanks! Best to you!

i have issues with a itchy scalp and hair loss! I also have DH - do you? my itchy scalp seems to be aggravated by sweating.. like wearing a cap in the summer while outside makes me sweat and then comes the itch... washing my hair helps relieve the itch. I have read that increasing water intake during this time may help - My hair loss occurs each time i get glutened significantly - it seems.. handfuls come out while washing my hair - it's depressing to me.. I have long hair and know that it will be "forever" for that hair to grow back and be long again. Yes it does grow back .. at my forehead.. i see the new hair growth.. looks like thin bangs... sigh. Just have to quit taking chances with food. I do great at the house but then I will try to eat out and something always happens.

I have recently gone soy free - as well. Come to find out - soy has enzymes that block the absorption of many vitamins and minerals.. like anyone with celiac disease really needs that!

ravenwoodglass Mentor
hi!

could you tell me the brand names of the vitamins you took to help your hair? i'm having horrible problems with mine falling out/not growing and i'm desperate to fix it! also, i've been having itchy scalp too... does that mean i've eaten gluten?

I generally buy Country Life, they have one mix that is specially for skin and hair that I have used for a long time. You should also check you shampoos and such for gluten ingredients as well.

sickchick Community Regular

I began having hair 'shedding' in summer 2006. I wasn't diagnosed until Oct 2007. For me, I have scalp pain, sensitivity and hairloss. I had very thick hair and I have 1/4 of the hair I had.

getting thin. I also have cracks in the corners of my mouth (iron deficiency) so I think iron is a contributing factor for sure. I am going to have my iron lvels checked very soon.

good luck, Doll! B)


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Brittany2 Apprentice

Hi all! :D Thanks for the replies. Luckily I've had a gluten free shampoo on hand that my grandma sent to me awhile ago, hoping the natural product would help my head.

Its Desert Essence Organics, I use the Volumizing Apple one specifically but I'm sure there are others. It specifically states gluten free on the back. It's been helping, my heads less itchy and irritated, I only scratch if I'm stressed, or dairy seems to also aggravate it.

For vitamins, my dermatologist recommended biotin and biosil, they said it doesn't make it grow faster or anything but makes it stronger and thicker when it grows, biosil is harder to find but Vitamin shops carry it, I know they've listed their product as gluten free as well, I'm not sure about the biotin yet, but I'm about to look into it soon. Hope that helps.

Felidae Enthusiast

Very interesting topic. My scalp has been so itchy for the past year. It's not from gluten. I've tried many different shampoos without any great success. My hair is thinning at a faster rate for the past year also. It really sucks having a flaking scalp and thinning hair!

one more mile Contributor

My massive hair loss was due to and underactive thyroid. If you are chilly more then usualy, or gaining weight please as your regular doctor to check it.

  • 1 month later...
clarkje20 Newbie

I began having hair 'shedding' in summer 2006. I wasn't diagnosed until Oct 2007. For me, I have scalp pain, sensitivity and hairloss. I had very thick hair and I have 1/4 of the hair I had.

getting thin. I also have cracks in the corners of my mouth (iron deficiency) so I think iron is a contributing factor for sure. I am going to have my iron lvels checked very soon.

good luck, Doll! B)

Your issues sound JUST like mine...Uggggg...I have low iron levels, but I take iron supplements 3 pills a day. Is your hair growing back?

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

    2. - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

    3. - knitty kitty replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

    4. - lizzie42 replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      6

      Son's legs shaking

    5. - Scott Adams replied to Russ H's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Anti-endomysial Antibody (EMA) Testing

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):
  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,870
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    KABoston
    Newest Member
    KABoston
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):
  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):
  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      Blood tests for thiamine are unreliable.  The nutrients from your food get absorbed into the bloodstream and travel around the body.  So, a steak dinner can falsely raise thiamine blood levels in the following days.  Besides, thiamine is utilized inside cells where stores of thiamine are impossible to measure. A better test to ask for is the Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test.  But even that test has been questioned as to accuracy.  It is expensive and takes time to do.   Because of the discrepancies with thiamine tests and urgency with correcting thiamine deficiency, the World Health Organization recommends giving thiamine for several weeks and looking for health improvement.  Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.   Many doctors are not given sufficient education in nutrition and deficiency symptoms, and may not be familiar with how often they occur in Celiac disease.  B12 and Vitamin D can be stored for as long as a year in the liver, so not having deficiencies in these two vitamins is not a good indicator of the status of the other seven water soluble B vitamins.  It is possible to have deficiency symptoms BEFORE there's changes in the blood levels.   Ask your doctor about Benfotiamine, a form of thiamine that is better absorbed than Thiamine Mononitrate.  Thiamine Mononitrate is used in many vitamins because it is shelf-stable, a form of thiamine that won't break down sitting around on a store shelf.  This form is difficult for the body to turn into a usable form.  Only thirty percent is absorbed in the intestine, and less is actually used.   Thiamine interacts with all of the other B vitamins, so they should all be supplemented together.  Magnesium is needed to make life sustaining enzymes with thiamine, so a magnesium supplement should be added if magnesium levels are low.   Thiamine is water soluble, safe and nontoxic even in high doses.  There's no harm in trying.
    • lizzie42
      Neither of them were anemic 6 months after the Celiac diagnosis. His other vitamin levels (d, B12) were never low. My daughters levels were normal after the first 6 months. Is the thiamine test just called thiamine? 
    • knitty kitty
      Yes, I do think they need a Thiamine supplement at least. Especially since they eat red meat only occasionally. Most fruits and vegetables are not good sources of Thiamine.  Legumes (beans) do contain thiamine.  Fruits and veggies do have some of the other B vitamins, but thiamine B 1 and  Cobalamine B12 are mostly found in meats.  Meat, especially organ meats like liver, are the best sources of Thiamine, B12, and the six other B vitamins and important minerals like iron.   Thiamine has antibacterial and antiviral properties.  Thiamine is important to our immune systems.  We need more thiamine when we're physically ill or injured, when we're under stress emotionally, and when we exercise, especially outside in hot weather.  We need thiamine and other B vitamins like Niacin B 3 to keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy.  We can't store thiamine for very long.  We can get low in thiamine within three days.  Symptoms can appear suddenly when a high carbohydrate diet is consumed.  (Rice and beans are high in carbohydrates.)  A twenty percent increase in dietary thiamine causes an eighty percent increase in brain function, so symptoms can wax and wane depending on what one eats.  The earliest symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are easily contributed to other things or life events and dismissed.   Correcting nutritional deficiencies needs to be done quickly, especially in children, so their growth isn't stunted.  Nutritional deficiencies can affect intelligence.  Vitamin D deficiency can cause short stature and poor bone formation.   Is your son taking anything for the anemia?  Is the anemia caused by B12 or iron deficiency?  
    • lizzie42
      Thank you! That's helpful. My kids eat very little processed food. Tons of fruit, vegetables, cheese, eggs and occasional red meat. We do a lot of rice and bean bowls, stir fry, etc.  Do you think with all the fruits and vegetables they need a vitamin supplement? I feel like their diet is pretty healthy and balanced with very limited processed food. The only processed food they eat regularly is a bowl of Cheerios here and there.  Could shaking legs be a symptom of just a one-time gluten exposure? I guess there's no way to know for sure if they're getting absolutely zero exposure because they do go to school a couple times a week. We do homeschool but my son does a shared school 2x a week and my daughter does a morning Pre-K 3 x a week.  At home our entire house is strictly gluten free and it is extremely rare for us to eat out. If we eat at someone else's house I usually just bring their food. When we have play dates we bring all the snacks, etc. I try to be really careful since they're still growing. They also, of course, catch kids viruses all the time so I  want to make sure I know whether they're just sick or they've had gluten. It can be pretty confusing when they're pretty young to even be explaining their symptoms! 
    • Scott Adams
      That is interesting, and it's the first time I heard about the umbilical cord beings used for that test. Thanks for sharing!
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.