That is the first thingyou need to do >>> relax!!

My daughter who has extremely thick waist length hair went through a similar experience late last year (we couldn't move- in the house or car - in fact anywhere she'd been- without finding tonnes of it!!) as soon as she relaxed it started to stop.

It won't happen instantly as your body takes time to adjust to changes - you may not even realize that you're stressed - & it may be the new pill (you may or may not have to change to a different one) affecting your hormones etc.

What helped my daughter relax was (on drs orders) taking a 30-60 minute walk at around sunrise everyday (she now hates it if she has to miss her walk) & taking 50mg (now 100) of 5htp (tryptophan) our bodies get tryptophan via foods & then convert it to 5htp& it goes to the brain & balances the serotonin levels - serotonin regulates/affects stress levels etc, if our system isn't working properly to do this or if we're overstressed or of course affected adversely by certain meds (pill could do it) then this system breaks down & needs help.

So, walk around dawn, eat foods high in tryptophan (google to get a list of these) & take some 5htp , also yoga, meditation & relaxation exercises should help.

Thanks so much for the advice. I think I am quite prone to stress, so will try the relaxation methods you suggest.

How long did it take for your daughter to recover? And did her hair grow back as it was before?

Once she started taking the morning walks, the 5htp, the yoga combined with meditation & ensuring that she ate healthily (to cover all bases!!) her hair stopped falling out slowly but quite noticeably over a couple of weeks & it is as long & think as ever.

Note though that she isn't on the pill on any other non-natural prescibed meds so didn't have to worry about side effects from anything like this being a cause or partial cause. So keep in mind that you may need (may!) to change your pill or even stop taking it for awhile & see whether that has any impact >> here i'm thinking ahead for if the relaxing etc doesn't work or doesn't work enough.

About a year ago, I watched in horror as, over a period of about 4 months, globs of hair clung to my hands each time I took a shower. I began to dread the bathing process (not to mention the working out process as brushing my hair into a ponytail left bunches of hair in the brush and also the sleeping process, to wake up each morning to strands of hair on my pillow instead of my head, etc etc etc). I took more vitamins (including hair-specific supplements), ate more protein and good fats, cut out aspartame, got more sleep and even began yoga to relax, thinking it could be stress (which definately can be the case in many instances). But for me, none of these things worked - the hair kept coming out and it got to the point where upon wearing it down, my hair had thinned so much you could see my neck through my hair if looking from behind.

I did some searching on the internet and came across a couple places where it said low iron levels can be to blame. I went to the doctor to have my blood iron levels checked and I was at a 19 count. Normal is somewhere around 30 if I remember what the Dr. Said correctly. As soon as I started taking more iron, my hair quit falling out.

Have you had your iron levels checked recently? If not, I would definately reccommend it. Its super easy to fix and its a very common reason for a lot of women to lose their hair.

By the way :
let us know what works!

I agree, let us know, it could be both! And the pill change.

Sincerely,
sandy

These are just a few things that I know can cause hair loss:
vitamin deficiency/stress/pregnancy/certain medications including some birth control.
That is all I can think of right now. Although it is very possible and likely that it is just stress, you should probably talk to your doctor anyway. Just to make sure, in case there is a serious problem.

I agree!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sincerely,
sandy

Thanks for all your messages.

Well, a few months on and I feel like my hair is still falling out - although not as much. I did have my iron levels checked and they came back fairly low so I have been on iron supplements for some time now. I have also been drinking a protein drink every morning for the last few weeks and really watching my diet (i now eat lots of nuts/seeds/fruit/veg/lean meat). I certainly feel better for it and my skin is lovely and clear. I am remaining positive and getting on with my life. I know it'll stop at some point and i'm pretty sure its due to low iron levels and lots of changing of my birth control pill.

If any of you have any other suggestions though, I would be very grateful.

Xxx

By the way amy27 and lou are the same person! My name is amy, but all my friends call me lou...(just in case there was any confusion!)
x