[Emily94]

My hair falls out in clumps, its not like I have bald spots, but I'm losing enough to make me worry. My hair has become very dull, and I used to get comments on how shiney my hair was... now it just looks dull and gross. I'm assuming I'm lacking a vitamin of some sort... but not quiet sure on which one. Can someone help me with this?

[Wondergirl]

I had a similar problem after a about with severe anemia a year ago. Do any of these fit your situation? --

Hair Loss and Its Causes -- familydoctor.org

Improving my general nutrition, plus taking B12 (Methylcobalamin B12, sublingual tablets) and a product called Viviscal (Balding Finola Hughes Becomes Hairloss Treatment Spokesperson - Starpulse.com) got my hair back in shape. Viviscal is pricey, and it doesn't always work depending on why you're experiencing problems. That should be your first thing to do -- figure out why this is happening. Ask yourself, Has anything changed in my life recently? Maybe you need to add more humidity in your house or maybe you had a serious illness. Your doctor might be able to help you pinpoint a cause.

[Emily94]

I have tried taking B12, my aunt recommended it, but I found out I can't take it. It makes me sick.. almost like I have the flu (I've tried different brands, and at different times, and it is always the same). The site says birth control can cause hair loss... I took birth control September-october and then quit november/december and then I am taking it again (Birth control makes me sick as well so me and my doctor were testing different ones to see if one doesn't make me sick) and maybe that is my problem! Hmm, now how would I find out if that is it? I don't think my doctor would be to happy if I went off birth control...

But I still lost hair november/december, which is when I was off birthcontrol, could I still of had it in my system?

[Wondergirl]

Very possibly you did have traces of it left. How about taking B-complex which would include B12? And the B12, to be most effective, should be Methylcobalamin B12, as sublingual tablets (meaning, it's a form that goes right into your system and doesn't have to be converted into something manageable first, and sublingual means you dissolve them in your mouth before you swallow, so your stomach doesn't get hit hard and then have to work to break down vitamin pills).

Or just look at this link (http://www.health-boundaries-bite.co...ining-B12.html) that mentions foods containing B12, and eat more of those every day.

[Emily94]

Wow, googling the symptoms of B12 deficiency... A lot of them are problems I have that I brushed off (The chest pain (Like an electric shock), the eye twitches the come and go, migraines, fatigue, general not feeling well, and a few more).. Maybe it is a lot more than just losing my hair... I think I'm going to make a doctors appointment!

[Wondergirl]

Please report back on this thread, so we know what happened. You're part of our family!

[Emily94]

I definantly will be reporting back, I'm going to start eating more eggs, and beef, since they seem really high in B12... I just talked to my mom about this, and I guess she has vitamin B12 deficiancy and has B12 to take, and folic acid.. She's going to go get the lozengers for me to try, I can't get into see my family doctor until march, yikes. But until then I'll just try and eat a lot of things containing B12 and see if it helps!

[Wondergirl]

If you make calves' liver for dinner, call me up. I LOVE liver! The Viviscal has some kind of shellfish nutrient in it, so that sounds like a B12 thing, which would make total sense.

Many of the foods on the list are easy to find and taste good, so eating them should certainly help.

And don't expect results next week. It's taken a year for my hair to get back to where it was, although I noticed improvements after about three months.

[kederisk]

Have you tried Viviscal it is a natural supplement that also contains fish proteins, as long as you are not alergic to shell fish you are okau. Check out www.viviscal.com