hair

I am losing handfuls of hair everytime i comb my hair and it is everywhere in the morning.  I quit having a period naturally at 42.  I also started taking welchol at the same time this started.  could the hairloss be from the welchol?

[Machelle Seibel, MD]

Welchol is a medication for lowering cholesterol. It is not associated with hair loss. However, hair loss in women is not an unusual problem. It can be due to medications, stress, and certain skin diseases or conditions such as thyroid disease, anemia, and inflammation of the scalp among other things. The pattern of hair loss and a careful exam of the skin along with some blood tests can help make the diagnosis. Talk with your doctor about the hair loss. If they are not familiar with this problem, it might be something that you can be referred to a dermatologist or other specialist to discuss.
Machelle M. Seibel, MD