Hi there! I'm new to the forum, and am very glad to have found it.

Before I begin, let me preface with this. I'm 23 yrs. old, and none of the men in my family are bald. My grandfather(mom's side) is almost 80, and has a full/thick head of hair. So genetics shouldn't factor in here...

I was diagnosed with add about 5 months ago. My doctor subscribed dextroamphetamine, and I was amazed by the difference it made. Every aspect of my life was changing for the better. I was doing much better at work (not visiting message boards :rolleyes: or playing computer games), and gained momentum with my graduate school endeavors.

Unfortunately, while all of these positive changes were happening, my hair started to fall out. I've always had very thick, healthy, fast growing hair. After a month of taking dex, my hair started coming out at a disturbing rate. My doctor told me it was male pattern baldness or stress, so I went to all the health food stores and starting eating better. Apparently it's extremely rare that this type of thing is related to an ADD medication, so he refused to acknowledge that it was even a possibility. I had all kinds of blood work done, thyroid tests, etc. Nothing came up abnormal.

The only thing that changed in my life, was the medication. So, I stopped taking the dex, and after a few weeks noticed that my hair wasn't falling out, and was slowly getting back to it's usual strength and fullness.

My dilemma is that I've tried all of the different medications hoping something would help, but not cause hair loss, with no luck. My doctor said he is stumped, and feels like at this point, I might just have to tough it out.

I definitely DO NOT want to tough it out. I've struggled my whole life with add, and now that I'm aware of the problem, and know that the meds help, it almost seems unfair that I have such an adverse side effect.

I've been off medication for over a month, and my add is catching up with me again. My work has declined, I'm losing my interest/focus on returning to graduate school, and am back to my usual add antics. You know, things like folding my clean clothes, but not putting them in the drawers. More importantly, I'm finding that almost every night, I go home and sit in front of the TV for at least 4 hours before I realize that my evening is gone.

Basically, I'm desperate for help, advice, and looking for anyone who's gone through a similar situation and found a way to beat this hair loss issue. I was only taking 5 mg of dextroamphetamine, 3 times a day. I've tried Add. RX, Methylphenidate, etc. Everything yields the same result.

If anyone has gone through anything similar or knows someone that has, I would greatly appreciate your advice, because my doctor has basically given up.

Thanks so much in advance.

What's wrong with watching TV for 4 hours? I f-ked around yesterday playing Madden '06 for nearly as long after my baby went to bed. I got five hours of sleep as a result, and am somehow staying awake today. Stop beating yourself up, there's nothing wrong with it, regardless of the nonsense you hear from shrinks, parents, teachers, or anyone else.

Also, you folded clothes! I couldn't fold a shirt neatly and put it in a drawer if my life depended on it. You seem to be way ahead of me, and you're younger than I am.

I've got a good job, all the usual ADHD symptoms, and refuse to medicate. Key to survivial for me is being in a job that requires tremendous creativity. You might be in grad school for the wrong thing, I once did that, and changed my course of study to get into something less rigid. Once I shifted, my motivation soared, and I still managed to find a few hours here and there to waste playing video games.

Welcome to the forums, Iceman!

I'm sorry you had such a severe side effect from the dexadrine. No one your age wants to lose their hair and it almost makes me wonder what other less obvious reactions you might be having that are potentially more harmful. I know nothing about this, so have no practical advice to offer on that front.

On the non medication front, I did manage to get through grad school with good grades and med free (they didn't know much about ADHD in adults when I was in University). I'm on meds now so I'm definately not an anti med person, but until you figure out what is going on, I would really encourage you to stick with your healthful eating plan (staying away from processed foods as much as possible), having some relaxing/focusing activity you do (mine was music), and get lots of exercise -- multiple times a day. There is research out there that indicates if you get enough Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet and exercise it will convert that to dopamine. Hallowell and Ratey (Drive to Distraction, Answers to Distraction, and Delivered from Distraction) say that vigorous exercise can act for up to four hours like a dose of Ritalin and Prozac. I was out either jogging, walking briskly, working out or pacing the dorm halls at least 4 times a day and got through okay. Everybody is different and I'm in no way trying to minimize you difficulties -- just suggest some things that might help, since it sounds like you're pretty fond of your hair and haven't found the answers you seek yet. An ADHD coach might also be helpful. Even finding a way to limit your assess to electronic media -- back when I was in school thankfully that wasn't an issue -- radios were all that were allowed in the dorm rooms. The books I mentioned above also have useful suggestions for non medication approaches. Good luck to you!

Scattered

talk to your doctor about welbutrin it won't make yopur hair fall out and is not so hard to get as dextroamphetamine...

You know, it could be stress that is making your hair fall out. Even thought the meds make you feel better, you are still stressed by your environment... I take a b complex every morning to help my body cope with the stress.

Me :D

Iceman,

easy choice man....take the medication if it is working... shave the head! a lot of people have shaved heads now(I do, but I'm a lot older than you). I'm still told by some woman I look like a "model", even with a shaved head. Sometimes not having hair makes some guys better looking....