Hi all, I am a 19 year old male concerned with my hair loss. I'm pretty certain that it is related to my medical history in some way or another, but I would love to hear some of your thoughts on this.
As a young child I was diagnosed with precocious puberty (as was my father, & he still has a full head of hair). My testosterone levels were off the charts, and so my parents decided to have me treated with Lupron injections. I received these shots monthly from an endocrinologist for about a year until my T levels were considered normal. I stopped receiving the injections and went on my merry way until I ran in to a truckload of health problems beginning in high school.
I noticed a change in the texture and thickness of my hair when I was about 17, but I paid no attention to it at the time. Later that year I changed from a healthy kid with an average build into a bloated, tired mess with deteriorating health. I had terrible systemic inflammation and visited a bunch of doctors until one finally told me I had mono. I was given a ton of prednisone and instructed to lay low for a while. However all of these symptoms persisted until my periodically-swelling tonsils became worse than ever & nearly blocked off my air passages. An ENT told me I had tonsillitis and after months of showing no improvement, I had them removed. After the recovery period I thought I was feeling slightly better, but still not 100%. Fatigue, acne, inflammation, and thinning hair were my main concerns at this point.
I had a blood test done to determine if I had any allergies… and surprise, I'm allergic to just about everything. Gluten, soy, dairy, and other strange ones like strawberries, tomatoes, and corn. I realized that I was allergic to all of the crops that are conventionally genetically modified. Knowing this, I completely changed my diet from a rather crummy one to a 100% organic, allergen-free and nutrient rich diet that I adamantly stick to. Within the first two weeks I lost 20 lbs, mostly from bloating. I saw that I lost a substantial amount of muscle mass and started exercising almost daily, doing cardio and a lot of weights. I used to be an athlete so I know how to exercise properly, but it is so difficult to put on muscle. It's been a year and half of clean eating and rigorous exercise, and I've been unable to increase weight resistance or put on any muscle. I'm 5'10" and 140 lbs. I also continue to experience mild acne and systemic inflammation, although the diet has helped those tremendously. My hair loss has become somewhat noticeable, mostly at the peaks of the hairline although the temples are still there. My hair is very thin and brittle all over the scalp, with varying density all over. There is also a bald patch near the crown and bald spots above my ears. I started my hair regimen of minoxidil and ketoconazole shampoo 3 months ago and continue with it, although I soon made another discovery...
A few weeks ago I had a blood test done at a holistic doctor to measure my hormone levels, and results came back that I had slightly low thyroid function. I was prescribed Armour Thyroid and it has helped with my eyebrows a little at least. But my testosterone levels were horrifying, it was measured at 80 ng/dl. Eighty. Correct me if I'm wrong but that is incredibly low, especially for a 19 year old. This realization was brutal, I've been living with all the symptoms for years. I got some HCG shots which got my T levels as high as 300, but as soon as I stopped they dropped back to 100. I just started taking the shots again but I'm seeing new doctors soon and still researching other options. Testosterone pellet therapy sounds best at the moment. I feel as weak & tired as ever right now, but I'm so optimistic about the future…I finally know what's been holding me down for years. I believe it has to be a side effect of the Lupron injections years ago. It brought my T levels down and they never went back up, but rather the opposite. Since it all seems to be one big medical side effect, I'm hoping that this hair loss I am experiencing is temporary.
Thank you for reading, what do you all think? All comments, insights, questions, & advice is greatly appreciated. I will continue to update this thread as I treat my Low T and I look forward to participating with the forum members here!
And if anyone has had any similar experiences, please let me know. I've never met anyone else who has been treated with Lupron injections as a child.
As a young child I was diagnosed with precocious puberty (as was my father, & he still has a full head of hair). My testosterone levels were off the charts, and so my parents decided to have me treated with Lupron injections. I received these shots monthly from an endocrinologist for about a year until my T levels were considered normal. I stopped receiving the injections and went on my merry way until I ran in to a truckload of health problems beginning in high school.
I noticed a change in the texture and thickness of my hair when I was about 17, but I paid no attention to it at the time. Later that year I changed from a healthy kid with an average build into a bloated, tired mess with deteriorating health. I had terrible systemic inflammation and visited a bunch of doctors until one finally told me I had mono. I was given a ton of prednisone and instructed to lay low for a while. However all of these symptoms persisted until my periodically-swelling tonsils became worse than ever & nearly blocked off my air passages. An ENT told me I had tonsillitis and after months of showing no improvement, I had them removed. After the recovery period I thought I was feeling slightly better, but still not 100%. Fatigue, acne, inflammation, and thinning hair were my main concerns at this point.
I had a blood test done to determine if I had any allergies… and surprise, I'm allergic to just about everything. Gluten, soy, dairy, and other strange ones like strawberries, tomatoes, and corn. I realized that I was allergic to all of the crops that are conventionally genetically modified. Knowing this, I completely changed my diet from a rather crummy one to a 100% organic, allergen-free and nutrient rich diet that I adamantly stick to. Within the first two weeks I lost 20 lbs, mostly from bloating. I saw that I lost a substantial amount of muscle mass and started exercising almost daily, doing cardio and a lot of weights. I used to be an athlete so I know how to exercise properly, but it is so difficult to put on muscle. It's been a year and half of clean eating and rigorous exercise, and I've been unable to increase weight resistance or put on any muscle. I'm 5'10" and 140 lbs. I also continue to experience mild acne and systemic inflammation, although the diet has helped those tremendously. My hair loss has become somewhat noticeable, mostly at the peaks of the hairline although the temples are still there. My hair is very thin and brittle all over the scalp, with varying density all over. There is also a bald patch near the crown and bald spots above my ears. I started my hair regimen of minoxidil and ketoconazole shampoo 3 months ago and continue with it, although I soon made another discovery...
A few weeks ago I had a blood test done at a holistic doctor to measure my hormone levels, and results came back that I had slightly low thyroid function. I was prescribed Armour Thyroid and it has helped with my eyebrows a little at least. But my testosterone levels were horrifying, it was measured at 80 ng/dl. Eighty. Correct me if I'm wrong but that is incredibly low, especially for a 19 year old. This realization was brutal, I've been living with all the symptoms for years. I got some HCG shots which got my T levels as high as 300, but as soon as I stopped they dropped back to 100. I just started taking the shots again but I'm seeing new doctors soon and still researching other options. Testosterone pellet therapy sounds best at the moment. I feel as weak & tired as ever right now, but I'm so optimistic about the future…I finally know what's been holding me down for years. I believe it has to be a side effect of the Lupron injections years ago. It brought my T levels down and they never went back up, but rather the opposite. Since it all seems to be one big medical side effect, I'm hoping that this hair loss I am experiencing is temporary.
Thank you for reading, what do you all think? All comments, insights, questions, & advice is greatly appreciated. I will continue to update this thread as I treat my Low T and I look forward to participating with the forum members here!
And if anyone has had any similar experiences, please let me know. I've never met anyone else who has been treated with Lupron injections as a child.
