Expert: Melissa - 8/30/2008

Question
Hi. My name is Andrea and i've been recovering from Anorexia/Bulemia for a year now and i'm doing SUPERBLY well now. I still continue to eat healthy but indulge when i feel like it. I eat relatively normal but choose healthier options. I've been losing hair for a year now and for a while it seemed like it was just about done with but lately for the past few weeks it's gotten worse again. I don't understand. I'm happy with my life and have a great relationship with food. The only thing that bothers me about my appearance is my thinning hair and very sparse spots in some areas. I am on birth control and an antidepressant and I understand they can cause loss of hair. I was just curious if there may be some other cause for my problem and if there's something that can be done to "help" the problem. Please let me know.

Answer
Hi Andrea,
First, kudos that you're doing so much better now!! That's fantastic.
Hair loss of this nature is typically from protein loss.
Your protein stores need time to replenish but you can nudge that along by upping your protein intake.
If you think there could be another underlying reason behind the hair loss, or even if you don't, it might be worth getting checked out by your doctor. Other reasons for hair loss might be some kind of hormonal disorder - like a thyroid disorder or iron deficiency anemia.
If it is your birth control and/or antidepressant behind it, you could always try switching to another antidepressant like Prozac that is generally well tolerated without side effects. Talk to your doctor and psychiatrist about your hair loss concerns and if they think it could be from what you're taking, they may switch you to another medication.
Good luck and let me know if I can help any further. I would guess that your hair loss stems from your protein stores being depleted. But if you up your protein and still don't see an improvement, talk to your doctor.