Losing my hair?

[temp69]

I have noticed my hair thinning since I've been on Coumadin! My god, I'm wondering why the doctors didn't warn me about this! It sure would have influenced my decision! Anyone else experience this problem? I'm only three months post op and I'm pretty sure my hair is going thinner! Damn! This makes me mad as a hornet.

 

[aussigal]

Temp...
I remember my hair falling out lots in the first 3 or so months post-op...it stopped happening eventually and its all normal again now. I thought it was due to the anaesthetic after-effects not the coumadin.

 

[geebee]

Temp,

There are a number of blogs out there about the possibility of coumadin causing hair loss including this one:

http://www.clotcare.com/clotcare/faq_warfarinhairloss.aspx

Most of them (as this one does) talk about the hair loss being possibly due to hospitalization, etc. connected to the start of coumadin and not necessarily the coumadin itself.

I have not had a problem with hair loss due to coumadin.

 

[Yaps]

Oh yes..its been mentioned here..lol..
http://www.valvereplacement.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7487&highlight=losing+crowning+glory

I am still losing, not as much but a definite difference.. BUT..I have severe arteriosclerosis and due to lack of blood , it may be different for me.
My legs do not have hair nor underarms havent for more than a year. , no fear of nicking myself on coumadin..I think my situation is unusual though, as Dr Buckley said he had never seen the underarm loss.. lol..I had to say something, I felt so odd..guess I am a freak..lol

 

[Kathleen]

I have taken coumadin for 21 years and only had hair loss after surgery. A window of 3-6 months after surgery of hair loss can be expected. I was a hairdresser for 18 years and always told my clients to expect hair loss after surgeries. Also we do lose more hair in the fall of the year.
Kathleen

 

[Nancy]

Joe has had hair loss after every one of his serious medical problems, especially when hospitalized. This has happened with and without surgery. It does come back after a few months, so don't lose hope. By the way, he's been on Coumadin for almost 29 years, so that is not the issue, it is the physical stress on the body from being ill.

I would bet you will see some new growth in a few months.

 

[Cooker]

Mine got thicker

 

[Turkey Hunter]

I lost so much hair after my RP, that I decided to shave my head completely.
Six years later, still shave it and won't let it grow out. Did once and saw way too much gray for a guy my age.
Weird thing with the hair loss, was is fell out in patches. If I let me hair grow, I would look like a dog with mange.

And none of it was from ACT.

 

[Guest]

Hair loss from warfarin is probably the most common non-blood related) side effect of warfarin. It is rarely total and almost always grows back. It happens in many people who have blood clots without surgery. Please look at my web page http://warfarinfo.com/hair-loss.htm for several people's experiences.

 

[Sunshine susan]

A good shampoo/conditioner will help

A good shampoo/conditioner will help

After being on coumadin since 1999, I think my hair was also getting somewhat thinner. I used to have really lush thick hair. I started using Pantene Thickining hair products and have seen a real difference. It volumizes it right up--doesn't add hair but makes the most of what you have. Not real expensive, but Aveda has good products also--just more $$. Your hairdresser may have alternative choices as well. Good luck!

 

[maka]

Well, I also believe I'm loosing lots of hair and I'm NOT in caumedin, however I take Atenolol. A friend of mine told me she also was taking Atenolol and the doctor changed medication because she was loosing her hair.
Are any of you taking Atenolol also? I'll be interested to you whether it may be the Atenolol rather than the Coumedin

 

[geebee]

I do have some thinning of my hair in the past couple of years but I attribute it to getting older. Prior to 2003 or so, I did not have any problems (actually had very thick hair) and I have been on coumadin since 1980.

However, everyone is different.

BTW - agree about the Pantene - great product.

 

[scrappy47]

hair loss vytorin or other statin drugs

hair loss vytorin or other statin drugs

I have been on coumadin since my 1988 AVR and never noticed hair loss or thinning. I just had a second heart surgery on May 2, 2007 for an ascending aortic aneurysm and am experiencing hair loss now. I was put on vytorin, norvasc, toporol and baby aspirin which are new meds for me. I read that vytorin and statin drugs can cause hair loss-but one of my doctors said it may be the aftermath stress of a seven hour surgery. God knows but I want to figure this one out soon.

 

[Guest]

The drugs probably can cause hair loss, but so could the stress of the surgery. So I don't see how you could figure it out. Either way it will probably grow back in a few months.

 

[gijanet]

Temp..........

Temp..........

Katie did. Last year I noticed a severe thinning............shoot! It was worse than that. She downright had bald spots right on the top of her head. I was too depressed to post about it, but did check Al's site - was really disappointed to read that it is a fairly common side effect of coumadin. I thought, God, does this kid not have enough to deal with in her life without having to deal with kids teasing her about her hair, too? It was too far out from her last surgery - one year ++ - for it to have been post-op stress related. I toyed with the idea of taking her to a dermatologist, but never did cuz I really didnt think there was anything they could do - plus, I didn't want to get Katie overly concerned about it. At six, she didn't pay any attention to it, so I didn't want to make her self-conscious about it by showing my concern and drawing attention to it. I also considered using Rogaine, but didn't do that either cuz I wasn't sure it was safe for kids.

I'm not sure why, but it started growing back this summer...............dunno if the good old Texas heat and lots of swimming had anything to do with it or not, but she has some strange little tufts of inch long hair now mixed in with the rest. I'm just thankful that it is growing back in. It looks like she just took a pair of scissors to her hair in spots. I know it is just cosmetic, but it was just one more thing, ya know? I'm not sure this is of much help, but just wanted to assure you that someone else has experienced this humiliating side effect and, thankfully, as Al said, it is growing back. I hope yours does the same. Hugs. Janet

 

[Curtsmum]

My son got a bald patch after his open heart surgery at 18 months old, he will be 10 in december and he still has it now, he is not on warfarin/coumadin. It was put down to the stress of surgery. As some people have mentioned that their hair as started to grow back, i hope it is just a passing phase and it starts to get thicker soon, best of luck.

 

[catwoman]

Scrappy:

I had hair loss at age 17 with a lower jaw reconstruction surgery for a severe underbite. Surgery was 4-5 hours.
Got a huge, quarter-size bald spot on the hair part on the left side of my scalp. I have one photo that shows wisps of hair growing back there.
This was pre-Coumadin.
I also had some hair loss after other surgeries.
The hair always grew back.
FWIW, I have thick hair.

 

[Marguerite53]

I have noticed my hair thinning since I've been on Coumadin! My god, I'm wondering why the doctors didn't warn me about this! It sure would have influenced my decision! Anyone else experience this problem? I'm only three months post op and I'm pretty sure my hair is going thinner! Damn! This makes me mad as a hornet.

Perhaps it just has a lot to do with the s*t*r*e*s*s you have been under recently....not to mention your surgery!

Be patient and kind to yourself. Eat well. Be refreshed with lots of liquids. It will probably resolve itself to normal soon enough.

Marguerite

 

[Bina]

This is an older thread, but its worth repeating info for the newbies.
I also lost hair post op and had a bald spot, it grew back.