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Hair loss after stroke?

I had a stroke  a month ago due to a dissection in my right carotid.  I was fortunate that I caught my stroke early enough that I was able to get tPA and have the MERCI procedure.  Within a week of coming home from the hospital, my hair started falling out in clumps.  About 1/4 of my head is completely bald and it's located in the back on the right side - same side as the clot.  While in the hospital, I have had CTA's and MRI/MRA's.  My neuro says it's from the stress of what happened.  I was wondering if anyone else out there had any hair loss issues and if your Dr may have thought it was from meds?  Also, did the hair grow back.  I'm a 35 year old female and this hair loss really bothers me.
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Avatar universal
I had a stroke and fortunately I was also a candidate for TPA.. I Imidiatley started physical therapy for walking loss sensation in my left side of my face immediately my hair started falling out in chunks.. I went from hair down my back to literally s few long strands left ..then I cut the one strand left..  My primary care Dr. Said it was from the stress.  Praise God My Hair grew back to the same length but it took One year.. I was planning my daughters wedding had the stroke ..lost all my hair and wondered if I'd have hair a year later.. it grew back fully in 12 months...  I always wondered if the TPA had anything to do with it but I do know it saved my life from a blood clot in my brain.. I went from feeling fine at work at a Bank and my customer noticed the drooping I assumed it just another migraine suddenly I felt confused my ears rang loud the room started  spinning then I fell ..
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Avatar universal
Hello, I was “googling” about my hair loss and came across your post. I was also 35 with a right carotid artery dissection. My hair has continued to fall out for several months now. The Drs all say different things are the cause. Mine was a “spontaneous dissection” that caused issues with kidneys and then I got Covid right after. I have since then had many medical issues and it’s been 9 mos. I’ve had a ton of CTs, MRIs, and CTAs along with angiograms and other testing. Now they think I have FMD and/or vasculitis. I constantly have issues on the left side, confusion and memory loss, and severe migraines that no one can control. I just realized how old this post was, but if anyone has any suggestions- please let me know. Thank you.
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3 Comments
Hi there, I was diagnosed with left carotid arterial dissection. I am an otherwise healthy, active 45 yo female although it was discovered my TIA’s date back to my late teens (doctors had dismissed my symptoms back then). My condition was (thankfully) caught in Summer 2019 during routine tests. Fast forward to September 2020 where, after being told by numerous docs that they didn’t know what was causing my mini-strokes (by this point, they were happening frequently), I found an amazing neuro who diagnosed me with late stage Moyamoya. I was brought into surgery early October for an arterial bypass and to date, am no longer experiencing the migraines/dizziness/overall symptoms that I’ve lived with pretty well my entire life. As for my hair, I had experienced significant loss on the left side which, again, was misdiagnosed as being hereditary, despite it being localized. It was suggested by a dermatologist that I being using a hair loss shampoo. Fast forward again and, 4 months post-surgery, my hair is finally growing back. I attribute it to the returned blood flow to the area as it is only now, after a number of years, that I see a significant difference.
Anyhow, not sure if any of that helped (lol) but sharing experiences can sometimes be helpful....and hopeful!
Thank you, yes- it helps to share. I was recently informed that all the medication I have been on for almost a year, has triggered a lot of the symptoms and that steroids can cause hair loss. I have been on them off and on for 10 mos due to trying to open up the arteries. They were going to do the arterial bypass on me at first, but 7 other arteries started failing after the stroke. I now have some arteries opening, so maybe that will now be an option. I am glad you are doing better :)
Arteries opening - that’s great news!!  Let’s hope the bypass will very soon be an option.
As for the hair loss, knowing the potential cause...well, I would think that would bring some hope that once you’re able to eliminate your meds, things will return :)
Avatar universal
I had jad a disection of my carotid. Srtery 10 weeks ago Now I am experiencing hair loss and s bald spot in bsck of my head.
I’m curious to see how long it took for your hair to grow back
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Avatar universal
I am interested in what your symptoms were after your stroke and any continued disabilites now.  Only 5% of total strokes are carotid artery dissections which both of us had--mine over 3 years ago.  I still have weakness on one side of my body, some difficulty with words and still battling headaches and have had a whole crop of other medical difficulties since my stroke.  
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Avatar universal
I am interested in what your symptoms were after your stroke and any continued disabilites now.  Only 5% of total strokes are carotid artery dissections which both of us had--mine over 3 years ago.  I still have weakness on one side of my body, some difficulty with words and still battling headaches and have had a whole crop of other medical difficulties since my stroke.  
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Avatar universal
I had a carotid artery dissection stroke 3 years ago.  I also had a lot of CT scans with tons of radiation (I found out later) as well as MRI/MRAs.  I didn't get the tPA or MERCI.  But it wasn't until a few months later that i had gobs of hair falling out.  My specialist doctor gave me a whole bunch of blood tests to find out why, but they came out okay.  

Then my regular internal medicine doctor said that extreme emotional or physical stress can cause the hair to fall out.  Sure enough when my 24/7 migraines got better, the hair loss stopped and the hair grew back.  And when the migraines got worse, the hair loss came back.  
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Avatar universal
hi, i just had my 2nd stroke about a month ago, i was lucky because i didn't get any side effects such as paralysis, memory loss etc. I underwent the coiling procedure. now 2 weeks later i have started losing all my hair on the left side of my head (same side as the bleeding). Why did this happen? and will he hair grow back? im very worried because i will have to go back for another surgery to correct another stroke i had apparently had last oct in the right side of my brain.  i have also been looking for answers online but have found nothing!  did u manage to get any answers?
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Avatar universal
hi, i just had my 2nd stroke about a month ago, i was lucky because i didn't get any side effects such as paralysis, memory loss etc. I underwent the coiling procedure. now 2 weeks later i have started losing all my hair on the left side of my head (same side as the bleeding). Why did this happen? and will he hair grow back? im very worried because i will have to go back for another surgery to correct another stroke i had apparently had last oct in the right side of my brain.  i have also been looking for answers online but have found nothing!  did u manage to get any answers?
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Avatar universal
I have been searching for information on the web about hair loss after a stroke. I had a subarachnoid hemorrhagic stroke from a brain aneurysm in January of 2010. I had an endovascular coiling treatment to stop the bleeding, and I have since had a repeat coiling procedure (in April) when it reopened. I did struggle with depression for a while (feeling better now, after much work), I still have headaches on and off, I am taking iron for the way my body responded to being on Plavix for a while, I had some other strange hearing and smell issues which have mellowed somewhat, and a few other things. The most disturbing thing now, though, is the hair loss.

At first I thought the hair loss was from radiation from all the CT scans and the arteriogram/angiogram, but that would have only been temporary. It is now September, and my hair (which is now very short) keep thinning. If it gets worse, I may just go Sinead (buzz cut). Has anyone found anything out about this? Are the coils in my head causing this? Is it just a typical brain trauma reaction?

Commiserating....
Joy
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Avatar universal
I, too, had a stroke due to carotid arterial dissection in my neck on the right side, causing loss of left motor function, etc.  I am 35, and it was delayed, but I lost a lot of hair around the forth month after the stroke.  My anti-coag Doc said "that's expected around three to four months after" having a stroke....well thanks for the heads' up, Doc!  My hair was long and healthy and thick....
Now, over a year later I am still struggling with unmanageable hair, thinner and less of it.  I still am losing a lot of hair.  It's hard to know if it was due also to the medication (warfarin) I was on, or stress to my body, neurologically or all of the above.  I know it seems shallow to worry about hair after surviving near-death, etc, but the change has become frustratingly noticable for me and caused some insecurity.  The last thing I want to worry about is going bald!
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Avatar universal
Hi

Since I posted this question, I had a follow up appt with my stroke doc (not the neuro).  Apparently my hair loss is a radiation injury caused from the MERCI retriver thing I had done in my brain.  Did you also have the MERCI?  My hair loss is quite significant and luckily I have been able to flip over my hair from the top to hide it.  I really wish my stroke doc would have given me the heads up so I would have been prepared.
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Avatar universal
My stroke was in aug.of 2007. I had a bleed on the right side of my brain although I didnt have any lingering effects ..my hair has become really unmanageableand I have a hard time making it look presentable.I had MRI's and CAT scans could they have caused this?
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Avatar universal
My stroke was in aug.of 2007. I had a bleed on the right side of my brain although I didnt have any lingering effects ..my hair has become really unmanageableand I have a hard time making it look presentable.I had MRI's and CAT scans could they have caused this?
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Avatar universal
i am experiencing rapid hair loss and im depressed because doctors are confused about my symptoms.i had the stroke when i was 23 and now im 28 and i feel like a old lady. for the past 5 years i have been in pain everyday all day symptoms include tender spots that are sore,stiffness,severe hair loss, unrestful sleep, fatigue, deep depression,loss of libido, numbness, burning, pins and needles, dizziness, confusion, blank stares, almost complete loss of appetite, cahing, severe stabbing and shooting pains, more tired after sleep, piercing noises in ear, vision problems, pelvic pain, nausea, trouble controling urine, i really need a neuro doctor to asess my condition. i want a doctor who has a passion for helping patients with surviving stroke and has time to donate because it is alot i don't know about my condition and i need someone who understands my illness and that wants to help me. please help me.  elizabeth
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Hi, I realize that this post is years old… But I just came across it and I am experiencing the exact same things. Pelvic pain, confusion and memory loss… I just responded to this post with more information, but I am wondering if you ever received any answers to the issues you were dealing with and if you have any advice. I have been tested for every blood disorder/disease and it is very frustrating.
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