What went wrong ? 65 days of continuous hairloss after Progesterone (men), need help

[DeadCatBounce]

After reading a bit about progesterone and its ability to remove Estrogen from the cells as well as help with hair/skin and make ones look younger overall, decided to try out and experiment (worst experiment I've ever done so far in my life and I highly regret it).

Took 100mgs orally for 4 days followed by 20-30mg for another 3 days. Noticed slight hairloss, but very slight (normally I don't lose any hairs while showering, but noticed a few strands). Then I received DHEA and the final time I took Progesterone(Progest-e) around 20mg I took it with a tiny dose of DHEA (2mg). On the next day a massive shedding started June 16th. And It still haven't stopped today August 20th even though I haven't taken anything since then.

For the first time I am getting BALD guys. I have a nice long thick hair normally. But now it is looking not so good. Had to cut my hair short as the left side was getting hard to comb, super dry and sick. Right side looks better.

In just 65 days the thickness is probably 30-40% less and this does not seem it wants to stop. Every time I run my hand through my hair about 5 strands will fall out. In the morning - maybe 5-10. This continues everyday whole day and probably at least 200-300 fall out. It gets a lot worse when taking a shower.

What did go wrong ? Any ideas what to do ? If anyone has any idea what issue I might have caused, please let me know. As I am unable to find the answer in the medical literature or forums. Let me know any ideas, will go make some blood tests to confirm any hypothesis that might arise here in this thread.

Was thinking about going on a tiny dose of TRT for 4-5 weeks to shutdown the system and force a restart. Hopefully when the restart occurs the hormones adjust themselves in a different ratios/manner. Do you think it is a good idea ?

Was on TRT before without hairloss for 3 years. With T well above the reference range and didn't have any hair issues. When I got into recovery mode though with less androgens in the system my hair got thicker. Then balanced out. Then I recovered and had no issues until this unfortunate decision to experiment with Progesterone (and only 2mg of DHEA??).

I am super healthy btw and look 10 years younger than my age (35), zero wrinkles, baby skin etc. Feel super good and my body functions perfectly well. No issues with my thyroid , TSH below 1, good T3 levels. My diet is OCD like on point, haven't changed a thing in the last 4-5 years except the hormones. Getting enough sun, magnesium bicarbonate with super pure structured water, collagen everyday, the best raw milk one can buy, eggs from pasture raised chickens, meat from young animals etc etc etc Practically taking a very good care of my body since I was 19yo. Stress is close to zero except the one caused by the hairloss.

Hope this post acts as a caution to others not to take hormones even progesterone and dhea lightly. Its a bit of a gamble and in some cases the body reacts badly.

Any ideas and suggestions are welcome !

 

[Pablo Cruise]

I certainly could not analyze the reasons for your loss but I definitely would get on some products, ie, Fin and maybe some topicals. I would think your hair will grow back in time with or without adding meds as long as that was your destiny.

 

[74one]

After reading a bit about progesterone and its ability to remove Estrogen from the cells as well as help with hair/skin and make ones look younger overall, decided to try out and experiment (worst experiment I've ever done so far in my life and I highly regret it).

Took 100mgs orally for 4 days followed by 20-30mg for another 3 days. Noticed slight hairloss, but very slight (normally I don't lose any hairs while showering, but noticed a few strands). Then I received DHEA and the final time I took Progesterone(Progest-e) around 20mg I took it with a tiny dose of DHEA (2mg). On the next day a massive shedding started June 16th. And It still haven't stopped today August 20th even though I haven't taken anything since then.

For the first time I am getting BALD guys. I have a nice long thick hair normally. But now it is looking not so good. Had to cut my hair short as the left side was getting hard to comb, super dry and sick. Right side looks better.

In just 65 days the thickness is probably 30-40% less and this does not seem it wants to stop. Every time I run my hand through my hair about 5 strands will fall out. In the morning - maybe 5-10. This continues everyday whole day and probably at least 200-300 fall out. It gets a lot worse when taking a shower.

What did go wrong ? Any ideas what to do ? If anyone has any idea what issue I might have caused, please let me know. As I am unable to find the answer in the medical literature or forums. Let me know any ideas, will go make some blood tests to confirm any hypothesis that might arise here in this thread.

Was thinking about going on a tiny dose of TRT for 4-5 weeks to shutdown the system and force a restart. Hopefully when the restart occurs the hormones adjust themselves in a different ratios/manner. Do you think it is a good idea ?

Was on TRT before without hairloss for 3 years. With T well above the reference range and didn't have any hair issues. When I got into recovery mode though with less androgens in the system my hair got thicker. Then balanced out. Then I recovered and had no issues until this unfortunate decision to experiment with Progesterone (and only 2mg of DHEA??).

I am super healthy btw and look 10 years younger than my age (35), zero wrinkles, baby skin etc. Feel super good and my body functions perfectly well. No issues with my thyroid , TSH below 1, good T3 levels. My diet is OCD like on point, haven't changed a thing in the last 4-5 years except the hormones. Getting enough sun, magnesium bicarbonate with super pure structured water, collagen everyday, the best raw milk one can buy, eggs from pasture raised chickens, meat from young animals etc etc etc Practically taking a very good care of my body since I was 19yo. Stress is close to zero except the one caused by the hairloss.

Hope this post acts as a caution to others not to take hormones even progesterone and dhea lightly. Its a bit of a gamble and in some cases the body reacts badly.

Any ideas and suggestions are welcome !

RP cushioned that progesterone supplementation may unpredictably interfere with testosterone level in men and that is why he recommends pregnenolone vs progesterone for men. However your experience with the hair loss after taking such a small dose sounds unusual and I would look in to another possible causes too. BTW niacinamide is good for removing excess estrogen

 

[catharsis]

I have read that progesterone and pregnenolone can turn into cortisol downstream (and related stress hormones like mineralocorticoids). It seems that you took very large doses of progesterone without titrating up; your metabolism ramped up like crazy because of it and you did not fuel properly. When you took the DHEA, you were already in an estrogenized, stressed state and the DHEA rapidly converted into estrogen. Any kind of negative emotion or thoughts were probably amplified and you hyperfocusing on your hair increased your stress as well.

"My hair is falling out!"->brush/comb to confirm->small strands->"IT REALLY IS FALLING OUT"->stress out over it-> brush more vigorously to confirm again->even more strands

Any kind of psychological stress can easily affect the system. You didn't really mention any carb sources in your original post; have you tried salting some ice-cream with some honey? These can help reduce your stress:

Grounding and a walk in a forest
Focusing on having gratitude for the things in your life you have
Buteyko/nose breathing
Getting some sun (outside of midday) with a carb source (I like dried fruit)
Listening to calming music
Not brushing your hair like crazy/Gentle scalp massages (think of a wet toothbrush on a cat)
Niacinamide
A bit of Aspirin
Getting a least 8hrs of sleep a night, cold and dark, no phone, etc.

I was having hair-loss concerns earlier in the year due to work/school/social stress in combination with very little sleep. I had to isolate myself a bit to reset. I have let go of things I cannot control and I try to focus on anabolic activities (not just physically but socially or professionally). My hair is thicker than it was during the new-year and I am calmer and more accepting (not submitting but redirecting). Focus on lowering stress and don't worry so much about optimizing your supplements.

 

[DeadCatBounce]

I have read that progesterone and pregnenolone can turn into cortisol downstream (and related stress hormones like mineralocorticoids). It seems that you took very large doses of progesterone without titrating up; your metabolism ramped up like crazy because of it and you did not fuel properly. When you took the DHEA, you were already in an estrogenized, stressed state and the DHEA rapidly converted into estrogen. Any kind of negative emotion or thoughts were probably amplified and you hyperfocusing on your hair increased your stress as well.

"My hair is falling out!"->brush/comb to confirm->small strands->"IT REALLY IS FALLING OUT"->stress out over it-> brush more vigorously to confirm again->even more strands

Any kind of psychological stress can easily affect the system. You didn't really mention any carb sources in your original post; have you tried salting some ice-cream with some honey? These can help reduce your stress:

Grounding and a walk in a forest
Focusing on having gratitude for the things in your life you have
Buteyko/nose breathing
Getting some sun (outside of midday) with a carb source (I like dried fruit)
Listening to calming music
Not brushing your hair like crazy/Gentle scalp massages (think of a wet toothbrush on a cat)
Niacinamide
A bit of Aspirin
Getting a least 8hrs of sleep a night, cold and dark, no phone, etc.

I was having hair-loss concerns earlier in the year due to work/school/social stress in combination with very little sleep. I had to isolate myself a bit to reset. I have let go of things I cannot control and I try to focus on anabolic activities (not just physically but socially or professionally). My hair is thicker than it was during the new-year and I am calmer and more accepting (not submitting but redirecting). Focus on lowering stress and don't worry so much about optimizing your supplements.

Thank you for the ideas.

I do all of the above except the buteyko method and aspirin. I am very stress free, I did grounding laying down on the beach with my legs and arms in burried in the sand with the whole body naked on the ground, also go to a park that is emf free for some grounding when in the city , I am very grateful to the Source for the life I have and the body I got, thank Him everyday almost, lots of fruit and early morning sun bathing for many months, using shampoo once once every 3-4 days that has no harsh chemicals, no harsh brushing, niacinamide in small 5 doses ED and I sleep 7 hours during the night and 2 during the day for overall 9 hours.

After 45 days of doing this and other stuff - I removed the niacinamide and the fruit/sugar that were part of my regimen for a long time and I thought they might have contributed to the issue. Reverted back to my old diet with less fruit ( mainly berries) and most of my carbs come from the 2 liters of raw milk I drink , about 115 grams of lactose. When the issue started and the following 45 days of hairloss I did consume large amounts of very selected carbs - usually fruit and some Coke as well as sugar in the milk+ coffee. Stopped coffee too. Those didnt help one bit.

 

[DeadCatBounce]

I certainly could not analyze the reasons for your loss but I definitely would get on some products, ie, Fin and maybe some topicals. I would think your hair will grow back in time with or without adding meds as long as that was your destiny.

Looked into topical tiny dose of Fin which is against my and RP views on this topic and health in general as a way to mitigate some of the systemic effects while effecting the scalp levels. DHT must not be the issue here as I was on TRT with super high T for 3 years, I think my DHT was through the roof at that time with zero hair issues. Ofc will try it IF things continue this way. Maybe my body increased 5ar enzyme in the system in response to the Progesterone lowering it as a protective mechanism ? Maybe I flushed too much estrogen from the system ? ( I think there is such thing as too low E, though in this case I doubt this is the issue). I am a bit confused as there is little info on Progesterone causing hair loss.

 

[catharsis]

Thank you for the ideas.

I do all of the above except the buteyko method and aspirin. I am very stress free, I did grounding laying down on the beach with my legs and arms in burried in the sand with the whole body naked on the ground, also go to a park that is emf free for some grounding when in the city , I am very grateful to the Source for the life I have and the body I got, thank Him everyday almost, lots of fruit and early morning sun bathing for many months, using shampoo once once every 3-4 days that has no harsh chemicals, no harsh brushing, niacinamide in small 5 doses ED and I sleep 7 hours during the night and 2 during the day for overall 9 hours.

After 45 days of doing this and other stuff - I removed the niacinamide and the fruit/sugar that were part of my regimen for a long time and I thought they might have contributed to the issue. Reverted back to my old diet with less fruit ( mainly berries) and most of my carbs come from the 2 liters of raw milk I drink , about 115 grams of lactose. When the issue started and the following 45 days of hairloss I did consume large amounts of very selected carbs - usually fruit and some Coke as well as sugar in the milk+ coffee. Stopped coffee too. Those didnt help one bit.

How's your digestion and BMs? I find lactose to be a bit hard on the system and doesn't increase my metabolism as much as sucrose. I am glad you are grounding and getting less EMF in your daily life. Same with the sun. I don't think niacinamide is contributing to your hairloss but if you push your metabolism too much, it can. An elimination diet or eliminating some supplements could help, inflammation (especially from the GI tract) can increase hairloss.

 

[Sila]

Same thing happened to my hair when I used progesterone or try any anti-androgens. My hair shedding has now stopped by going low vitamin A -- following Garrett Smith's principles. (I don't have androgenic alopecia).

Excess hormones are eliminated through bile or glucuronidation. Maybe consider combining soluble fiber with activated charcoal, former to cause bile dumping and latter to bind and eliminate the bile.

 

[GreekDemiGod]

Liar.

 

[Old Irenaeus]

Liar.

?

 

[RealNeat]

RP cushioned that progesterone supplementation may unpredictably interfere with testosterone level in men and that is why he recommends pregnenolone vs progesterone for men. However your experience with the hair loss after taking such a small dose sounds unusual and I would look in to another possible causes too. BTW niacinamide is good for removing excess estrogen

A small dose you say...? Those don't sound like small doses to me. I use 6mg-12mg in acute stress situations, that's small. I just want to take the edge off not completely sabotage androgens.

 

[74one]

A small dose you say...? Those don't sound like small doses to me. I use 6mg-12mg in acute stress situations, that's small. I just want to take the edge off not completely sabotage androgens.

People getting progesterone prescriptions in dosages 200mg, 400mg/day and I never saw a hair loss reported as a side effect, here is a reference table from the study as an example The role of exogenous progesterone in the treatment of males and females with substance use disorders: A narrative review
Also, RP mentioned that when person is healthy then a small dose of progesterone supplement will be enough to take care of local inflammation, but in case of chronic condition dosage has to be increased to make a difference

 

[RealNeat]

People getting progesterone prescriptions in dosages 200mg, 400mg/day and I never saw a hair loss reported as a side effect, here is a reference table from the study as an example The role of exogenous progesterone in the treatment of males and females with substance use disorders: A narrative review
Also, RP mentioned that when person is healthy then a small dose of progesterone supplement will be enough to take care of local inflammation, but in case of chronic condition dosage has to be increased to make a difference

I understand, but OPs description does not match that scenario, and hence his dose should not be considered small.

 

[74one]

I understand, but OPs description does not match that scenario, and hence his dose should not be considered small.

The dosage in this case is irrelevant though 500 mg in a week is to small to cause any problem not to mention hair loss which by itself is unheard of in relation to the progesterone

 

[GodsHound]

Have u measured the rate of hair growth? Progesterone can make hair grow faster which can mean more shedding and if the increased nutritional requirements are not met it could effect the integrity of each hair.

 

[DeadCatBounce]

Have u measured the rate of hair growth? Progesterone can make hair grow faster which can mean more shedding and if the increased nutritional requirements are not met it could effect the integrity of each hair.

Nope I haven't. It seems to grow in a normal fashion, just getting less density on scalp. Especially on the left side.

The dosage in this case is irrelevant though 500 mg in a week is to small to cause any problem not to mention hair loss which by itself is unheard of in relation to the progesterone

I have read some other very rare reports on the net from people like me who look for any information on this issue but no one responds as its quite rare - hairloss due to progesterone which is almost always self diagnosed like in my case and may not be 100% reliable. And mostly females.

Maybe the hair loss in those reports coincided with the Progesterone use timing. In my case I am 99% certain the Progesterone DHEA experiment was what triggered/caused this process to begin but cannot be 100% sure about anything these days. It seems there is some hope of this ending in 3-6 months from the beginning and have complete re-growth IF this is an acute reaction to an extreme hormonal imbalance situation and not some chronic condition. Which many people experience with all sorts of hormones they happen to use.

100mg of Progesterone feels very sedating to me , while even tiny 1-3-5mg doses have a very strong anxiety causing effect which Haidut and others talk about and advice to "overcome" using minimum 30-50mg dosages for at least a short while. If on 2 consecutive days I take say 3-5mgs in the morning, I get in a very strong headspace of anxiety and irritability that lasts 16-24 hours or so. So I cannot argue that 100mg is a small dose if tiny doses do something inside the body that can be easily perceived. Like in your face strong.

I am starting to get very cautious from now on with all sorts of hormones. The more I think the more I believe we must understand why hormones go down IN THE FIRST PLACE during the aging process instead of trying to put them in ratios and quantity that we "believe" they should be unless some emergency situation is at hand. This is I think creating some sort of mismatch and miscalculations by our central nervous system that is managing everything and suddenly 1 specific hormone/system is getting younger while many other systems are still "aging" and things get out of whack.

Same thing happened to my hair when I used progesterone or try any anti-androgens. My hair shedding has now stopped by going low vitamin A -- following Garrett Smith's principles. (I don't have androgenic alopecia).

Excess hormones are eliminated through bile or glucuronidation. Maybe consider combining soluble fiber with activated charcoal, former to cause bile dumping and latter to bind and eliminate the bile.

Not sure about the Vit A toxic trend. Keeping an open mind but for now I've seen no real evidence that milk eggs and liver are bad for us cause they have vit A.

How long were the episodes of the hair loss you experienced ?

 

[RealNeat]

Nope I haven't. It seems to grow in a normal fashion, just getting less density on scalp. Especially on the left side.

I have read some other very rare reports on the net from people like me who look for any information on this issue but no one responds as its quite rare - hairloss due to progesterone which is almost always self diagnosed like in my case and may not be 100% reliable. And mostly females.

Maybe the hair loss in those reports coincided with the Progesterone use timing. In my case I am 99% certain the Progesterone DHEA experiment was what triggered/caused this process to begin but cannot be 100% sure about anything these days. It seems there is some hope of this ending in 3-6 months from the beginning and have complete re-growth IF this is an acute reaction to an extreme hormonal imbalance situation and not some chronic condition. Which many people experience with all sorts of hormones they happen to use.

100mg of Progesterone feels very sedating to me , while even tiny 1-3-5mg doses have a very strong anxiety causing effect which Haidut and others talk about and advice to "overcome" using minimum 30-50mg dosages for at least a short while. If on 2 consecutive days I take say 3-5mgs in the morning, I get in a very strong headspace of anxiety and irritability that lasts 16-24 hours or so. So I cannot argue that 100mg is a small dose if tiny doses do something inside the body that can be easily perceived. Like in your face strong.

I am starting to get very cautious from now on with all sorts of hormones. The more I think the more I believe we must understand why hormones go down IN THE FIRST PLACE during the aging process instead of trying to put them in ratios and quantity that we "believe" they should be unless some emergency situation is at hand. This is I think creating some sort of mismatch and miscalculations by our central nervous system that is managing everything and suddenly 1 specific hormone/system is getting younger while many other systems are still "aging" and things get out of whack.

Not sure about the Vit A toxic trend. Keeping an open mind but for now I've seen no real evidence that milk eggs and liver are bad for us cause they have vit A.

How long were the episodes of the hair loss you experienced ?

You could have aromatized the T from before and now the progesterone is liberating the estrogen. Try the same things women should do when suffering from this, increase protein, support liver glycogen and liver glucuronidation.

 

[74one]

... 100mg of Progesterone feels very sedating to me , while even tiny 1-3-5mg doses have a very strong anxiety causing effect

A few years ago I had a bad reaction to liposomal vitamin C from LivOn labs, it turned out to be a bad batch from the famous company... I would try different brand of Progesterone or choose different supplier if you are intend to continue experimenting with it

 

[DeadCatBounce]

A few years ago I had a bad reaction to liposomal vitamin C from LivOn labs, it turned out to be a bad batch from the famous company... I would try different brand of Progesterone or choose different supplier if you are intend to continue experimenting with it

Got Progest-E. Aint touching it anytime soon.

 

[74one]

Got Progest-E. Aint touching it anytime soon.

I used one-two drops Progest-E topical on accidental burns or tooth inflammations - always good results, good product!