It is no secret that hair loss can be a source of depression. Those of you lucky enough to experience normal depression and are not prone to clinical depression, will pass through this phase much like someone experiencing any other traumatic event in life. However, some of you might be prone to clinical depression, which is a genetic tendency, and hair loss may be the trigger that sets off this nasty malady. Or, perhaps you've experienced deep depression before. All depression can be serious, but anyone prone to clinical depression has an imbalance of chemicals in the brain related to seratonin and synapse receptors. Often, the only way to treat this is through prescription drugs. Just like medicine for diabetics or sufferers of high blood pressure, antidepressant drugs can correct the imbalance. Despite it being 2010, some still feel depression or taking antidepressants is a stigma. It is not.

I myself have been on a daily 150mg dose of Effexor for 12 years. Thank God I found it. I was lucky. I first had to recognize that I had a problem with depression, and then I needed the courage to face it and conquer it. Many, especially men, deny the problem altogether or buy into the fallacy that "only weak people" need drugs or help. Although there are many effective drugs for depression, finding the right one is more of an art than a science, but it can be done.

I have been through hell and back more than a few times in my life and would like to offer any help I can to any of you who are dealing with depression. Feel free to Private Message me if you'd like.

Also, it would be good to hear stories from others on this forum regarding depression.

Thinning, bald, or with a full head of hair, life is meant to be enjoyed! By sharing our collective experiences here and reaching out to others we can help sufferers at any level of depression, especially those suffering from deep, clinical depression.

Panama Jimmy

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My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Charles

I'm on Effexor 75mg, since Sept 2008, when suddenly out of the blue my less than par HT's made me really upset, my bad HT's were not pluggy really, I was able to brush my hair back etc without anyone noticing, they were just really badly angled. Recently I've cut my dose of Effexor down to 75mg every other day, but I cant seem to get it down any lower than that, otherwise I get the feeling of little electric shocks and feel dizzy. My doc says there arent any side effects when you come off them but thats not true, I will wait until my latest and hopefully last repair grows in and then I'm gonna try to get off them, because I dont want to be dependant on too many pills. Just taking proscar is enough for me, but add 2 msm's and a Effexor once a day is silly, I'm only 34 ffs!

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Jim,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on depression and how hair loss can exacerbate and even cause it in some individuals. I sometimes forget how difficult hair loss was for me now that I've come so far in my hair restoration journey. But I wouldn't go out without a hat, even to family functions. Frankly, I was ashamed of my baldness and truthfully, for no good reason. I just didn't like how I looked and it began to affect how I lived. Ironically, I never looked down on anyone else who experienced hair loss and even sometimes wished I could accept and wear it as gracefully as a select few others.

Everyone is distinctly wired and handles hair loss differently. But the vast majority have been through hard times. The rest haven't hit puberty I guess . But on a serious note, while we don't have control over everything in our lives, the ultimate goal is to prevent difficult times from breaking us and becoming stronger individuals as a result.

Anyone else who'd like to share how hair loss made them feel and what they've done about it is encouraged to post on this topic.

Best wishes,

Bill

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To learn about how I restored my hair, view my my hair loss website.

Remember, true beauty radiates from within, not from the skin.

I am not a medical professional and my words should not be taken as medical advice. All opinions and views shared are my own.

Sparky,

75mg every other day is a pretty low dose, but everyone needs a different amount. I'm not sure I'd trust a shrink recommending this low of a dosage or an "every other day" regime. Most people need between 150-300mg daily using the XR pills.
I've found the best way to go off them is by lowering the dose every two weeks until you are done. It's tough to divide them up, but if you have the plastic shells filled with the little balls you can divide them up although it's incredibly tedious work. Try 60mg for two weeks, then 45mg, then 30, then 15, then you're done. This should prevent you from having any of those crazy electric shock things.

Good Luck!

Panama Jimmy

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My Hair Loss Website - Hair Transplant with Dr. Charles

I was a lot more concerned about my hair loss in my early to late twenties. By the time I hit my thirties I'd grown into my hairline and it was still thick enough that it looked pretty good. It wasn't until my mid to late thirties that disaster struck.

When it became apparent that my hair had become too thin to do anything with I started buzzing it down to about a #2 up top and decided that I'd better get used to being bald. I have a great friend who had already been shaving bald for years for the same reason and it looked great on him but I really didn't like the way I looked. I just couldn't reconcile the image I had of myself in my head with the cue ball in the mirror.

What made me feel the worst was that my dad hated the fact that I was buzzing my hair down. He wanted me to "grow it out." Evidently he wanted me to replicate the comb-over he's been sporting for the past four decades. My dad is 78 and he just doesn't get that the horseshoe ring around your head and combing your hair over is just not an option these days. In his mind, only Kojak and Yul Brynner can get away with being bald. He never missed an opportunity to ride me about my latest haircut or tell me how awful it looked on me and we got in many arguments about it. I tried explaining to him that I had no other options short of hair transplantation and that, in this day and age, shaving was the only possible option for balding men to have any hope of still looking cool but he wouldn't have any of it. If it weren't for his continued pestering I would probably have been more comfortable and I may not have pursued my HT. That is not to say that I have any regrets about choosing a transplant but I would have preferred to be comfortable in my own skin and save the money and down time.

Funny thing is that when I had long hair he used to bug me about that too! There’s no pleasing the man! After I got the first HT he kept commenting on the extreme cost. I told him that nothing is more cost effective than being born with quality genes.

I don’t want to pain my dad as a tyrant. He’s a great guy and very generous and supportive in every other way. We are really very close. This was just something he couldn’t understand and I guess he thought he was helping me somehow. Oh yeah, incidentally, he used to be a hairdresser!

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David (TakingThePlunge)
Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant

I am not a medical professional. All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice.

View my Hair Loss Website

I didnt go to a shrink I went to my family doctor, and he prescribed 75mg daily, I managed to get it down to every other day by myself.

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If hairloss depresses you, a bad HT will leave you suicidal. Please, if you are thinking of a HT, pinch yourself if that doesnt wake you up, punch yourself! you're losing hair? why on Earth would you think that you won't lose more? of course you will!! IMO There is no happy ending to a HT, sooner or later you will look like a freak.
I believe that the majority of HT victims will either end up under a wig or under 6 feet of Earth.. many guys have committed suicide.

Slaps,

I'm sorry to hear that you have such a negative take on hair transplantation. While I do agree that there are many people out there who have been disfigured by poorly trained or unscrupulous doctors, by choosing your doctor carefully and planning for the future, there is no reason why modern hair transplantation techniques should not result in aesthetically pleasing results for many years to come.

Those of us who have done our research know that we are playing a numbers game. Take my case for example. I have used a total of 4350 grafts to rebuild by frontal third with an estimated 3000 in reserve to address future loss. I believe my hair loss has been stabilized for the time being with medication but one day I will probably lose my crown. At the age of 41, I'm quite certain that my hair will look good until I'm at least in my early 50's. This is acceptable to me. At that point I may either need another procedure in my crown or perhaps there will be better options on the table.

I can't say I was depressed over hair loss but I definitely spent way too much time thinking about it. Now I don't think about it much at all. My first procedure garnered rave reviews from friends, family and my hairstylist. I have since gone back to lower the hairline and add density and I'm confident that I'll be thrilled when it all grows out.

There are many naysayers out there. Even many guys here will advise a new member to try shaving their head first to see if they like the look. Of course it's the easiest and cheapest way to go. More power to you if it works. It didn't work for me and I'm very happy with the decision I made.

All the best to you,

TTP

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David (TakingThePlunge)
Forum Co-Moderator and Editorial Assistant

I am not a medical professional. All opinions are my own and my advice should not constitute as medical advice.

View my Hair Loss Website

I just posted elsewhere how HTs SHOULD be covered by insurance. This is not just a cosmetic procedure for most men, but much more.

The depression caused by hair loss is similar to that caused by BDD (body dysmorphic disorder), and there's a huge stigma associated with it.

HTs were the only thing to alleviate my adolescent depression caused by severe hair loss.

I've managed to get down to 32.5mg every other day now.

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