I am currently taking 200mg of Topamax and I am experiencing significant shedding from the root and paper thin nails. I really do not want to stop taking this medicine because it has been so incrediblly effective, I feel like I have a life again. However I can't justify all of this shedding, is it possible that I am missing some nutrient or vitamin from taking the Topamax and that is affecting my hair and nails so badly. If anyone has any insight into this problem I would welcome your thoughts. This is the only prescription drug I am on and aside from the hair and nails I feel great. Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you!
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1/30/10 9:23pm
I didn't notice the paper thin nails, though mine seemed to break more easily and I suffered the same hair loss, so I spoke to my doctor and started taked a prenatal vitamin over the counter. You might ask your doctor if this would be an idea for you. It really helped me.
1/31/10 8:10pm
The prenatal vitamins did help. I was losing handfuls daily until I was literally considering rogaine I was so afraid I was going be be bald. I'm still losing some, but maybe 2-3 dozen strands daily. I can live with that. I also take a multi vitamin and 1600 mg of calcium daily. Like you, the topamax has helped me enough that I really wasn't willing to give it up I just wanted to find a solution to the hair loss. Good luck in your search.
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By strawberry— Last Modified: 09/12/10, First Published: 01/29/10
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Thank you for your reply I currently am taking two multivitamins one just for hair, skin and nails. Then a womens centrum multivitamin. In addition to that biotin 5mg, liquid vitamin D, liquid calcium, magnezium, and zinc. Plus high potency fish oil. Also and iron supplement. I am running out of vitamin options so the issue of malabsorption is up for discussion at this point. I still can't help but wonder what is my hair and nails missing that is causing this problem if I am not absorbing something correctly. I have had so many labs it is embarressing. All are normal but something is not right when you loose all this hair and your nails look like mine. This med works so well for me I hope to find an answer I will consider the prenatal in place of the other two multi's thank you for your time. Good luck with your hair loss and my question to you is did the prenatal vitamins cure your hair loss and how much were you loosing?
Thanks.