There is no evidence to suggest that metformin will cause hair loss.Does Metformin cause hair loss? Taking it for PCOS.?
No. Through all of the clinical trials performed on this drug both for original application as well as off label application in PCOS, no evidence surfaced to point to unwanted hair loss or hair growth in any patients.
Most likely it is just a result of your condition. Possibly the reason that you are noticing more hair loss now, is due to the fact that your condition is not being managed as well as before, or is possibly worsening, or maybe in better words you are just having more hormone disruptions or spikes than usual.
Sometimes the explaination can be even more simplistic (the whole idea of when you hear hoof beats think horses and not zebras), and by that I mean, it is possible that fluctuations in weather change could be impacting your hair loss. Possibly you have been wearing hats more often, which could lead to loosing more hair. Possibly you have been wearing your hair up in a ponytail or a bun or braids, etc. Then there is also the possibility that you had one or two spikes in your hormone levels that caused you to notice a bit more hair comming out when you were brusing it or showering it, and since then you have been paying much closer attention to it, and therefore it seems worse than it really is. It is kind of like when you are worried about something, say for example a woman being worried she is pregnant. Well, all of that worrying causes her to be much more aware of everthing than before. So she notices all kinds of TV commrcials for home pregnancy tests or contraceptives, stories about babies, She pays more attention to her body, so what normally she may not notice (like some small ripples in the stomach from gas) she now is keenly aware of, and it seems ten times more noticable. You get the idea.
I would suggest of course speaking with your doctor, as there are always anomalies or exceptionsto everything. Nothing in medicine in science is 100% absolute. So, just because there was no significant amount of evidence to support that metformin could lead to hair loss or exacerbate hair loss in women with your condition, does not mean it is impossible.
I would also suggest keeping a log for a month or so. Record things like the amount of hair that you notice falling out and when you notice it (time), record the times in which you take the meds as well as any other information pertaining to your PCOS, like pain, hormone spikes (many times you can tell these by changes in the way you feel...like feeling really hot all of a sudden, etc.). If you keep a log of all of that stuff, with the times and dates. Then you can take that to the doctor and that can help he or she to better design your treatment plan. I can also email you an excel spreadsheet to record the data in, which has the calculations already in it to tell you if there are any correlations present. Knowing if any correlations are present are key to identifying the root cause to why you are experiencing more hair loss than usual. Even if you have difficulties with understanding it, I can help you, and so can your doctor.
icpmslabrat@yahoo.com
good luck to you.
PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)
often involves excess secretion of male sex hormones (androgens).
Genes for baldness are not expressed well in women as those genes require androgens for full expression. If you have PCOS then this might play a factor in your hair loss.
That said, 7% of people who take metformin have a decreased absorption from the gut of vitamine B12. B12 is essential for growth, I have not run accross a specific mention regarding hair loss with a B12 deficit in my biochemistry text or in the Merck Manual.
If metformin induced B12 deficiency is adding to or causing your hair loss problem, then a B12 shot would be needed, oral products would not work.
Metformin has not been approved by the FDA to treat PCOS but is commonly prescribed.
What I suggest is that you make certain your diagnosis of PCOS is correct, the below link from the Merck Manual tells of tests that can be done to help pin down the diagnosis as well therapy options for the disease. Metformin won't directly treat the disease it just takes care of a side show metabolic issue.
http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec18/ch244/ch/a>
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda/a>
Extremely unlikely. No hair loss was reported in randomized control trials for multiple formulations from Facts and Comparisons Online (The main reference that most pharmacists, including myself use). Anything is possible, but it is most like attributed to something else.
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