Anxiety and Hair Loss

My hair is falling out again. This time, the doctor doesn't think it has anything to do with my beta blockers for high blood pressure, which have caused problems in the past.

The doctor ran all kinds of tests and they came back clear. I have a small ovarian cyst, but not significant enough to cause hair loss (<1.5 cm). So he thinks it is anxiety. Considering that I have recently been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, I would agree it is a possibility, and it is likely exacerbated by the recent trauma of my mother's suicide.

The doctor was mainly concerned that I am not sleeping, which is going to make everything much worse. He prescribed Ativan at night to help me sleep. I have gotten a prescription for Clonazepam before, but I didn't really take it consistently as I don't like the side effects.

The Ativan... is interesting... I am taking only half the prescribed dosage as it is making me very very tired in the daytime. It also makes me irritable throughout the day, though I do not know if that is from the Ativan itself, or the sensation it leaves behind as it is metabolised.

But I have had an unexpected positive effect from it. I noticed that when I took the medicine, I wasn't having little jerks and shocks in my brain and body anymore. So now, you're wondering what jerks and shocks I am talking about. Well... I didn't know about them either until they stopped.

Basically, every time someone talks to me, or a thought occurs to me, or I notice something on the television, or a car drives by, or the dog comes in the room, or an email pops up, or I see a piece of lint out of the corner of my eye, or the wind picks up, or... whatever... I feel a little shock in my brain and body. Almost like those sleep jerks, a.k.a hynagogic myoclonus, but milder. Sometimes my eyebrows or finger or foot will twitch too, but not always. And this happens ALL THE TIME.

I do not want to take these meds for very long as the side effects suck, they are addictive, and the effectiveness decreases with time, but it is definitely something I am going to discuss with my doctor as I do not want the shocks and jerks to come back. Maybe there is a medicine or a treatment that can help long-term.

One thing I am going to try is meditation of some kind. I am looking into the possibility of medical Qi Gong or somesuch, but I am still investigating whether that is available in my city. Also, I may need to look for a less stressful job. Since layoffs are coming, this is the most ideal time...