Hair loss, scalp pain, drug side effects, painful menses, acidity

Patient ID: Sex: Female Age: 25 yrs

Please answer the following questions in a descriptive manner after careful analysis and recollection of previous experiences and happenings.

1. Describe your main suffering?
Hair loss and scalp pain, acne, severe throat pain


2. What other physical sufferings do you have in your body?
Painful menstruation, anxiety, acidity and acidic indigestion


3. What mental sufferings / feelings do you have associated with your physical sufferings?
Since suffering, I have always felt extremely helpless about what is happening, inability to control situations, negativity, anxiety

4. What exactly do you feel when you are at your worst?
Usually I'm anxious to try something,
but if mentally depressed I'd go in a corner and feel complete drain of energy

5. When did it all start? Can you connect it to any past event or disease?
Mental stresses. Family and other stresses.


6. Which time of the day you are worst?
Scalp pain and hairloss -throughout the day.
Acidity-Mornings and night

7. What are the things which aggravate your suffering and which are those which ameliorate the same?
Scalp pain better with cool packs, but only for the moment.
Acidity, temporarily better with cold milk.


8. Do your think your sufferings have relation to any external stimuli (like, change of place) or any internal biological changes in the body, like, menses (in females)?
Cannot say. Generally slightly better when not in stressful situations.


9. When do you feel better, during hot weather or cold weather, humid or dry weather?
I feel cold easier and tolerate heat better, but my acne and hair symptoms improves marginally in cool dry weather.

10. Describe your general mental set up? Are you Moody, Arrogant, Mild, Agreeable Changeable, Nervous, Suspicious, Easily offended, Quiet, Arguing, Irritating, Lazy etc.
Generally agreeable, sensitive, quiet, moody, anxious,idealistic

- How do you feel before or during a thunderstorm?
It's beautiful and scary at the same time. I feel a bit awed.

- Do you like being consoled during your tough times?
Lately, yes.

- Are you sensitive to external stimuli like smell, noise, light etc?
Yes, slightly more than others, not peculiarly.

- Do you have any typical habit or gesture like nail biting, causeless
weeping, talking to one self etc?
No

- How do you feel about your friends, family, your children and especially your husband / wife?
I usually feel secure by my family, have very few friends, I'm decently close to them.
I'm not married.

11. What are your fears and do you dream of any situation repeatedly?
My fears are of letting myself and close ones down, falling short. No repetitive dreams anymore (since few years).

12. What do you crave for in food items and what are your aversions?
I don't really crave for anything. Maybe a light snack in evenings occasionally. No such aversions.

13. How is your thirst: Less, Normal or Excessive?
Less

14. How if your hunger: Less, Normal or Excessive?
Normal, but I'm generally a light eater.

15. Is there any kind of food which your body can’t stand?
I break out into cystic rash on face and back with high protein, except soy and some lentils.

16. Is your sweat normal or less or more? Where does it sweat more: Head, Trunk or Limbs?
Normal, upper part of chest, neck and above upper lips, brows.

17. How is your bowel movement and stool type?
Bowel movt normal, stool type is also normal.

18. How well do you sleep? Do you have a particular posture of sleeping?
Not very well rested after sleep, generally, may feel groggy.I generally sleep sideways or prone on stomach.

19. Do you think you are able to satisfy your sexual desires in general?
Yes.

20. How do you think you are different from others, if at all?
I feel I have more capacity but fall terribly short in certain things I can't pinpoint.

21. What medications have been taken earlier by you to treat the diseases and do you have any particular symptom surfacing after the medication?
Isotretinoin was given for acne - have not yet healed from sore painful throat, joint pains, dry eyes (since 6 months).
anti inflammatory analgesics for joint pains, cramps. Tranexamic acid to reduce menstrual flow.

22. What major diseases are running in your family?
Father has hypertension.

23. Describe, how do you look like? Describe your overall appearance.
I'm of Indian origin, fair, short 5' 3', slim, dark hair and eyes.

1.scalp pain - Stress, definitely, and all the medications.

2.acne - stress, poor routine, lack of sleep etc

3.severe throat pain - only after isotretinoin (sotret/generic accutane)

4.Painful menstruation - Always had it, no idea why.

5.anxiety - I get extremely anxious since 10-15 years, get stressed. I would really want my anxiety to go down, as it would help a lot with my symptoms.

6.acidity and acidic indigestion - Medications, then aggravated by stress and poor routine.

7(a).joint pains - Medication (isotretinoin)
7(b) Which joints? Major, mainly knees.

8.What kind of throat pain you have? Feels like cuts in my throat, painful, difficult to speak. Feels better when I am swallowing water, only for the moment.

9.Please give details of menstruation? copious, late, absent, clotted, black, PMS etc.
Regular, copious.

10. Tell me about dry eyes? Any dryness of mouth, throat and skin?
Dryness of eyes started only after isotretinoin, no dryness of mouth, throat or skin.
Throat is scratchy and painful, but cannot really understand if it is dry.
Sometimes dry itching on top of head - at the crown, feels slightly, temporarily better with water.

how and when did the scalp pain start? Was it this severe from the beginning?
It possibly started few years ago, off and on. Wasn't so severe then, and more in connection to stress. Now it's more or less constant, but varies throughout the day, or alternates between days.

please describe your knee pain? Is it better by movement or better by rest, etc?
Not better or worse by movt,neither relieved by rest. Feels better when I pop it. Muscles around the knee, and the tendon insertions near knee feel sore, stretched.
Knee pain has progressivly reduced, but muscles still feel stretched... possibly after sitting for longer periods with knees bent.

Throw more light on the accident part?
Had fallen from a height, fracture.

Why are you still continuing with isotretion when it is aggravation your condition?
I stopped the medication 6 months ago, but symptoms have persisted.
[message edited by greoqi on Sat, 01 Jun 2013 10:03:14 BST]

Where was the fracture?
Side of face

Has scalp pain got any relation with accident?
No, hair loss started much earlier, scalp pain much later.

What exactly is meant by 'popping', in terms of knee pain becoming better by it
I have to jerk it a few times, to release something which pops and eases my pain. I went to an orthopaedic doc, he just said it will improve over time.

How intense are these emotions in you?
Jealosy-
Hatred-
Couldn't care much about other people to feel jealous or hatred, but I feel bad for myself when surrounded by hostile people.
As for jealousy, I feel I should do something to improve myself,or I could wish I have something what another has, but never has it been any burning jealousy. Basically, if I were at my best (healthwise and otherwise) I wouldn't really bother about anyone else around.

Can you tolerate tight fitting clothes, turtle necks etc, around your neck?
I can, but I live in hot and humid conditions, so don't really wear those.

Another thing I forgot to mention is, when I was under major periods of stress, I developed something liek claustrophobia. Don't know if it's exactly that, but I would start hyperventilating in closed places, even if they were huge. Sometimes get it now too.

so scalp pain and throat pain are 6 months old, while accident happened 4 years back?

Throat pain - 6 months old.
Scalp pain - off and on since past few years, more severe since 2-2.5 years year. Aggravated even more since 6 months.
(I have been given isotretinoin under different names twice - each for 3 weeks - in 2009 and 2012. First time, can't correlate any effects, but might have started scalp pain. Although then would settle in between.

What was the impact of accident on you in emotional and physical terms?
emotional - Was stressed around that point, may still have subconscious worry about it. I think less about it though.
Physical - Physically, I have some residual pain and effects, but gives me more mental stress than physical.


How long you have been feeling claustrophobic?
Started in period of major stress, 2006-2007, sometimes, felt I was having a panic attack.
Mostly, during a claustrophobic incident, would just feel sweaty, sinking feeling in the stomach, unable to concentrate, can't describe all symptoms, but more aggravated by stress.

Do you crave for salty things? a repeat question
I don't really crave for anything, neither sweet, salty nor sour.
I may eat a bite or two of sweet or salty things if it's around, but no cravings as such.

I would start hyperventilating in closed places, even if they were huge'.
In closed places, like hospitals (non air conditioned), large rooms, where other people were normally carrying about their activities, I would suddenly find it difficult to breathe, feel sinking in stomach, loss of concentration.
Even now, in the car, if air conditioner is set to internal circulation(even if I don't know about it)I start hyperventilating, even as others are sitting normally.
Maybe I'm more sensitive to O2-CO2 changes, I don't have a clue. But didn't have these problems before stresses.

Do you feel coldness in the legs/feet?
No, sometimes late nights, I might feel my feet giving off heat.

Do u weep or feel weepy when telling your problems?
Earlier, yes. Now, too... kind of. Not so much though.

Do you feel cold overall?
Yes, I feel cold easily, but many times do feel warm as temperatures here are 35 degrees C and above.

Do you desire to be fanned at any time?
No.

Do you have a bloated abdomen?
Yes, sort of.
abdomen pain, obstructed flatus (gas) ?
Abdominal pain after eating, more like acid reflux, indigestion.
Not much of the gas problem.

Which homeopathic remedies have you taken so far, and in what potencies?
7-8 years ago, once given Sepia 1M, but hair loss and anxiety didn't reduce.
After that, the homeopaths I've visited don't give out the name of the medicine, just nameless bottles.
Since scalp pain and hair loss is a lot, and nothing has been done about it, I'm giving this a chance and stopping other treatments.

Thank you so much. Shall get back!

I would also like to add, if it's of any use:
I have ongoing stresses. I have issues at work and family and try to deal with them.
When dealing with family issues, I'm So upset, stressed, depressed, I have feelings of 'punishing myself '. Of course I know they misunderstand and try to sort out, but the pain I go through is extreme and my emotions 'punish me'. Like being extremely upset 'makes' me feel drained and causes problems, hair fall, skin problems, sleep problem.
But it's distinctly clear to me that my emotional punish me as I have masochistic thoughts.

Also, I'm almost sure my body is in a state of hyper reactiveness as all tests are normal and my body is just over reacting to external things, products etc.

I may be having apathy to few things which may lead to misdiagnosis.

I believe all my problems begin from my mind and if something is done to calm anxiety and stress, while helping it to reduce its hyper reactive response (I have been told scalp micro inflammation and inflammation of hair follicles ), that would be the solution.

For now I already started carbo veg 30, but just thought of providing additional info if it may help.

Hi Zady,
Your treatment has helped improve energy levels.
Scalp pain still present, but increases a lot after shampoo, oil etc. Reduces with anti histamines.
I believe it is local scalp hypersensitivity.
I had not mentioned use of topical steroids earlier. was given beclomethasone dipropionate 0.025% for over few months (had hairfall prior,don't know why I was given a steroid ). Maybe that's what caused the problem.

Breathing is difficult in relatively closed spaces.
Throat pain and dryness present, less but increases on speaking over 15 min, eating oranges and having anything with preservatives.

Stomach acidity is OK, but I still have difficult times sometimes. Can't digest multivitamin capsule, need half a glass milk at nights to help with reflux. I also take enzyme to aid digestion otherwise end up with stomach pain. Symptoms swerve up and down, some days better, some worse.
Eyes get dry easily with some reading. But I've put dryness of throat and mouth to isotretinoin, as it's a known side effect, and one which I'll have to eventually come out of.
Acne well, as usual. My skin just isn't good and clear anymore, like the way it used to be, few years ago.
Energy wise, I'm better, still not up to the level I used to once be.
Emotionally, I try to be happy... maybe because I'm resting at home, away from work for some time, I'm relaxed.

Dear Dr.Shaikh Waseem,
I already started with Dr. Zady's treatment as he had responded earlier.
I shall first undertake his treatment for now and see how it works out for me.
Thank you.

Scalp pain started few times a month, some years back. Now that I connect it, could have resulted due to occasional topical steroid use prescribed by dermatologist.
Scalp pain mainly on crown, and now since some time, involving areas more anterior to top of head. (I can connect to steroid as lotion used to flow ahead,down.)

Aggravated by pulling of hair, hair styles, maximum after shampoo, conditioner,oil, and also the scum which collects after days of not washing. I have tried hypersensitive shampoos too, no help.
Have started washing with multani mitti (Fuller's earth), leaves hair dry but scalp less reactive.
Even pure aloe gel doesn't really help.

Feels better with ice pack (momentarily only), anti histamines make me better over 1-2 hours.
Hair fall is extreme.

No major head injury.

Type of pain is sharp and burning.

Scalp pain was off and on since past 3 years (approximately) and throat pain only started past Nov. So they didn't start together, can relate throat pain sharply to isotretinoin, but Scalp pain has occurred over longer time and off and on, increasing only lately, concurrent with increase in frequency of topical steroid use.

Scalp pain does not seem to have any connection to accident.

I like the really juicy dark trufle cakes, pani puri and iced tea.

Thank you.
I've ordered the medicine, it will take 1-2 days to procure.
Shall update you within the time period you mentioned, after starting the medicine.

On another note, I've developed severe eye strain - pain, redness And dryness.