Visited Endocrinologist...

Hair Removal Methods Prescription oral medications
#1

I went to an endocrinologist yesterday… told her about my excessive hair (fine, long vellus ALL over body- coarse in some areas)… she said that everything seemed fine- that I do seem to have above-average hair growth for a woman but that it doesn’t look like a male type or pattern. Nonetheless she said she will send me for some testing… this is what she sent me for:

-Basic Metabolic Panel
-Lipid Panel
-Thyroid Profile, Basic

Then she wrote down: “testosterone, DHEA-sulfate, LH-FSH, 17Hydroxy - Progesterone, Insulin…”

Are these enough to explain my excess hair problem.
It seems like she is only testing my hormones right?

I read that the enzymes “5-alpha reductase” and “21-hydroxylase” are the ones that convert one hormone to another- problems with this conversion can cause excess hair - is this true?

I didn’t want to say anything to my doctor but shouldn’t hse have sent me for that test as well?

Thanks…

#2

The doctor has to start somewhere. It’s like one of those arrow charts where you start here and do this first, then if that information comes back negative,the arrow points you to the next level of investigation and so on an so forth. Tests are very expensive (depending on the lab)so it’s best to look for the most common and obvious causes and then add on tests later,if necessary.

The best advice I can give is to ask your doctor these “why” questions when in doubt. You are paying them for what they know.
They follow suggested protocols for investigating problems for definite reasons.

Dee

#3

Plus (I know this because that is what my wife does for a living) many things are not testable at every lab (if there is even a truly valid way to test for it) so as dfahey says, they will do the ones that are more common and move on from there.

#4

There are so many things that are now commonplace that effect one’s hormone levels so that even without a genetic problem, one could just be reacting to chemicals and additives and so on. For instance, some people react to artificial sweeteners in such a way that their hormonal leveles react. It is one of the reasons I keep recommending people read The Diet Cure by Julia Ross, as the book discusses many of these reactions for both men and women (yes, men get hormonal imbalances as well) and the salt and water balance in the body can do the same thing.

#5

Thanks. I am reading The Diet Cure right now. It is a great book but the diet changes suggested in it will take some time if at all — it’s hard and expensive to get food that is in it’s simplest form, grown without hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and on non-chemical soil. Plus all these tempting snacks omg lol. Right now, I am avoiding soda pop, candy, and other packaged processed foods. I also started drinking organic milk and eating organic eggs and salads. But I still eat bread, meat form regular stores along with plenty of other foods… when I go for lunch I don’t know what the restaurant uses in that food. It’s really hard… it was much simpler int he day when we did not have all these choices and synthetic ingredients…

#6

Just wanted to ask another question. My doc told me to go get these tests done in the first 2-3 days of my period. My period just finished-- I don’t want to wait an entire month for the tests— is there a difference when I go?

#7

i would ask your doctor how important this is

#8

I got my test results today. My doc told me everything is normal. My DHEA was 411 which she said was a tidbit high but nothing to be concerned about. Everythign else was normal.
What should I do now?
Can I still take Spiro? Will it work for me?
How can I get it without prescription? How much is it? How often should I take and what dosage if so?

#9

Yes you can get it with out a prescription. Nobody can know whether or not it will work.

http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/transgender/spironolactone.html

Normal dose for TG person is 100-200mg per day so I would think a gg should take 50 or so.

#10

Hi:

Whether you take it or not is up to you, but make sure you follow the precautions listed.

If you did order it you are best to get the 100 mg tablets.
Possibly you may want to try splitting a 100mg tablet in two and taking half in the morning and half in the evening for 3 months and checking the physical results after 3 months. If you don’t feel it has helped much you could try 100 mg in the morning and evening.

I would not exceed 200mg/day though.

Alicia

#11

I’m going to put in my $0.02 – I get Spiro from inhouse, and it works. I am a biological female, and I take 200mg/day WITH a meal. I took 250mg a day for awhile and had no side effects (and needed that much at the time, it turns out), but I lowered the dose to save money. The trick is to take it for a few months and then go to an electrologist (while still taking it). Well, you can go earlier but it’s not nearly as cost effective as waiting for the Spiro to kick in. You do have to keep taking the stuff or the hair will come back. You can take it with oral contraceptives, but I don’t like OC’s and don’t need 'em. You don’t want to get pregnant while taking this stuff.

You’ll notice right away that you’ll have no oily hair or face, among other things (just check out my experience in the Prescription Oral Meds forum, starting at the bottom of page 4 and continuing to page 5; I get very detailed http://www.hairtell.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/41836/page/1/fpart/4 ). The insert in the Spiro packages contain outdated, wrong information – many of the “warnings” have been retracted, but have never been removed from the inserts due to the cost. I learned that from a doctor; I’m not making that up.

Also, James said something about artificial sugar… that is completely true. Those fake sugars screw up your insulin–somehow insulin and androgens and aldosterone are connected but I’m not sure just how. Real sugar is a walk in the park compared to fake sweeteners, though I don’t recommend real sugar, either.

Good luck.
P.S. The name brand drug, Aldactone, actually works better than the generics, but it’s much too expensive for ME.

#12

What is your source of info that Aldactone works better that the generics if you don’t mind my asking?

#13

I got my Sprio in the mail yesterday… it came very quickly- I was expecting to wait much longer =)
Anyway, I started taking 50/mg this morning with a meal. Just a few questions/concerns.
I take a multivitamin each day which contains 99mg of Potassium (3% of daily value)… do any of you take multivitamins which contain potassium? Is it better if I stop taking the multi (I really don’t want to because I need all the other stuff in the multi…)?
Also, I love eating bananas, raisens, strawberries, and a bunch of other foods that are listed as high in potassium-- I eat them almost daily-- can I still eat these on a normal basis even when my dose of Sprio goes up to 200/mg per day? Do you all still eat these?

My potassium levels are normal right now (I had a blood test done recently).

#14

Since Spironolactone (Aldactone, Spitonol)is a potassium sparing drug, you got to watch the amount of potassium you ingest and use potassium salt substitutes. A blood test to detect electrolyte levels will reveal how things are going on the inside, meaning what are the potassium levels in your blood. with your description of the foods you like that are rich in potassium, I am concerned for you. This should be monitered even though you are taking a very low dose. I’m thinking you are doing this without physician oversight and I’m thinking that’s too risky.

Be aware of the side effects of this or any drug. I don’t remember all the side effects, but you can google and find this information to print and hang on the refrigerator.

#15

Hi:

I agree with Dee about getting your blood checked at regular intervals.

I switched from a vitamin containing potassium to one containing none. I also cut back on some foods that I considered high in potassium. Whereas potassium is normally excreted at a certain rate normally, the spiro will cause it to build up in your system
at a higher than normal rate.

Alicia

#16

Update: My endocrinologist sent me for another blood test because she suspected the first one was inaccurate. This time I went during my menstrual cycle as she advised and my testosterone came out to be 52 and free testosterone 3.9 which is high. She said she still doesn’t completely trust these results but she didn’t want to send me for a 3rd one so she prescribed “Glucophage XR 500mg” once a day (thats Metformin). She said in 2 months I should get another blood test to see if my testosterone is lowered. From what I read, Metmorfin is prescribed for Type 2 Diabetes and for women with PCOS to help with their ovulation- I have neither and my insulin and glucose is normal. I also read that although This drug may help PCOS women with excess hair, it is not the best choice for that specific worry. So, I am afraid this won’t work for me…
Has anyone had any experience or any knowledge on this drug and what it does for excessive hair growth in women? I don’t see it on hairfacts.com as one of the orals to treat excess hair…

*Also, I already started taking Spiro on my own w eeks ago and don’t want to stop it as I have read much more positive things about Spiro and reducing excess hair --and take this instead if this won’t give results …

#17

You really need to clarify these concerns with your endocrinologist. Does your physician know that you are taking spiro on your own???

Just to become a practicing endocrinologist requires four years of medical school, then 3 years of an internal medicine residency, then 2-3 years of a fellowship followed by, in some circumstances, one year of research. Why are you self-medicating? Ask her why the she perscibed Glucophage. She has been through hell, in my opinion, to become a specialist and knows a lot more than we do here at hairtell about why certain tests and medications are being perscribed for you. You must tell her about the spiro if you haven’t already,as this may seriously interfer with lab results? and her plan for helping you.

Anyone offering you medical advice on this forum has no business doing so especially when you are already doing things right by seeking medical care. Please trust your physician who has had many years of training. Be safe and smart about this hair stuff.

With that said, you can self-study about Glucophage. Just google it and read all you can. This will help you ask good questions when you see your endocronolgist.

#18

Well the blood tests were all done before I started taking spiro so they are not tainted because of that.
She does seem knowledgeable but she seems to be a diabetes expert and at my last visit she was sort of annoyed with me —like i’m wasting her time with extra hair while there’s other people with serious diseases. When I asked her why she prescribed this particular medicine, she said this should lower your testosterone. Then I asked if this will also help reduce acne and she just said annoyingly you should go to a dermatologist.
When I did some research on Glucophage, it is mentioned that it does lower testosterone but that there are much better options for that purpose (Spiro). When I went to pick this up at the pharmacy, the pharmacist said “is this for you? Are you sure? You have high blood sugar at such a young age…?” And I didn’t say anything…

If I tell her that I’m taking Spiro on my own, what will happen?

#19

Just tell her you know someone (support group for hirsutism or something - make it up) who had good luck with that and you want to try it (pretend you have not started yet).

My endo specializes in diabetes, luckily he is open to suggestions - maybe you should try another?

#20

Ask her if you are pre-diabetic (if you dare). Maybe that is the reason for the Glucophage??? It is so annoying when doctors are impatient and uncaring toward people with unwanted hair problems. You would think a female physician would have more heart, but this is not always the case. They are very busy and very stressed, so I will try to understand this from their side of things. Is you weight within a normal range for your height and age???