supplement betaine HCL?

[connie]

Hi,
I am on Entocort 9 mg and have been taking 8 pepto pismo. My stomach seems to fill very quickly and then if I eat a small meal I am swollen up for hours afterwards. I have also been shaky and feeling very weak. I read that a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in water will help digest a meal so I tried it last night. It worked pretty good. I further read about a supplement called betaine HCL that will do the same thing. Any one have a problem with betaine HCL and CC? Also could the Pepto be making the digestion issue?
No D problems except once in the past 3 weeks when I tried to cut the Entocort down to 3mg after being on 6mg for about a month. I am on the GF DF and soy free diet for almost 4 weeks.
My hair is still thinning. Had new blood tests for thyroid, low iron and the autoimmune disease that attacks hair. So far the blood work shows nothing. Internist said a dermatologist is the next step. I don't think it's the Entocort because it started before I started taking that but who knows.
Feel like I am going backwards. Any ideas?
Thanks, Connie

[tex]

Hi Connie,

If the shaky and weak symptoms began after you started taking Pepto, you might be having an adverse reaction to it.

Here are the possible nervous system side effects of bismuth subsalicylate:

Nervous system side effects have included weakness, fatigue, depression, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, unsteady gait, motor incoordination, loss of memory, jerky movements, mental confusion, disorientation, difficulty in walking and speaking, tremor, myoclonic jerks, and incontinence. Myoclonic encephalopathy has occurred rarely. It should be noted that nervous system side effects have been the most common feature of bismuth toxicity.

From:

http://www.drugs.com/sfx/bismuth-subsal ... fects.html

I took Betaine HCL for a while, when I was healing, in order to increase the acidity of my stomach, and I had no adverse effects from it. It did seem to help the digestive process. If I were in your shoes, though, and those symptoms began after I started taking the Pepto, I would stop taking the Pepto, and see if that eliminates the digestion issues, before taking any betaine HCL.

Most hair loss in women, is caused by meds. There are a lot of drugs that can cause hair loss. Were you taking any meds before you started taking the Entocort?

Tex

[connie]

Dear Tex,
Thank you for the information on the Pepto Bismo. I had thought it was a pretty well tolerated treatment but maybe not for everybody. I will stop taking the Pepto Bismo and see how I feel once it is out of my system.
I was not on any prescription medicine prior to the Entocort. The medicine I used the most prior to Entocort was Advil but of course I have not taken it since I found out I had CC.
I have had a hard time cutting back the Entocort and as I recall when I stopped taking it completely after the first two months I had even more hair loss.
My internist tells me that the cure for my hair loss will probably be a steriod. That doesn't bring me any comfort.
I am considering seeing a Naturopathic Doctor to get my vitamins figured out. Has there been any success with that kind of Doctor? I would of course continue to see my internist.
Thanks so much. You are so knowledgeable and I know you give alot of yourself to helping others on this site.
All the best, Connie

[Gloria]

Hi Connie,

Both Polly and I had an adverse reaction to Pepto Bismol. My reaction was bad enough that I've listed it as one of my intolerances. My GI was pretty surprised when I told him I reacted to it. I think it's rare for it to cause problems, but still possible.

Gloria

[tex]

Connie,

There's a good chance that the hair loss problem might be diet related, since your intestines may not have healed yet, so you're probably malabsorbing many vitamins. Be sure that you're getting enough protein, and vitamins. I believe that a zinc deficiency can also cause hair loss, also, but before you start taking a zinc supplement, read this:

http://www.nutritional-supplements-heal ... -loss.html

Yes, IMO, a naturopathic doctor could be helpful for something like this, since it might involve properly balancing various vitamins and minerals in your diet. Most mainstream doctors don't seem to be very well trained in dietary matters. I believe that quite a few members have found naturopathic doctors to be helpful for similar issues, in the past.

You're most welcome, and I appreciate the kind words,
Te

[connie]

Thanks Gloria for letting me know I'm not alone in putting the Pepto on the no-no list.
Thank you Tex again for the good information. I had just started taking Citra Cal and it has Zinc in it so after reading the link you had posted I guess I better get some help before I embark on taking more. I hope I can find a fix through diet and vitamins. I'm sure I'm not eating as well as I should. Thanks so very much. Connie

[ant]

Hi Connie

I recently had a mineral analysis done by taking a hair sample. It measured the minerals in my body with a time lag of about three months. It showed, amongst other things, that I am low in Zinc (I took a similar test about 3 years ago before my MC symptoms and the Zinc level was fine). You might want to ask your doctors about this sort of test.

By-the-way, the same test also showed Bismuth was very highly elevated - again not an issue 3 years ago. I put that down to two and a half months of Pepto Bismal at the end of last year. But apart from that measurement I am lucky enough not to have an adverse reaction to Pepto Bismal. But, as we know after reading so many case studies in this forum, none of us have exactly the same reactions.

All the best in your continued quest to find the best treatment for you, Ant

[adelie]

For the hair loss, I know a lot of people who have had good results with biotin supplements. As this WebMD article notes (see second page), biotin is so effective it's often prescribed along with other treatments like Rogaine:

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and- ... -naturally

Karen

[tex]

That's a good article. I notice that it mentions vitamin B-12 deficiency, as a common cause for hair loss. B-12 deficiency is very common among people with MC, because of the malabsorption problem that usually goes with the disease. Also, B-12 cannot be utilized, without sufficient Folic acid, which is another B vitamin, (B-9), that can be malabsorbed because of MC.

A combination of B vitamins and biotin, might do wonders for your hair. You can't overdose on B-12, but it's possible to take too much B-9. The best way to utilize B-12, is to buy it in the form of sublingual lozenges, designed to be dissolved under the tongue. That way it is absorbed directly into the bloodstream, so the intestinal malabsorption problem will not affect it.

Tex

[JLH]

Connie, I don't know if you ever saw any posts about www.spectracell.com If you are "lucky enough" to be of a certain age, Medicare may pay all but $62 for the complete test.

DH tried to get the test with a different doc (DO) and she didn't take Medicare and wanted $1200 for him to become her patient and get the test!!!!!!!!So he will go the the doctor I saw.

[JLH]

BTW, my hair loss is really getting me down.

[connie]

Ant, Adelie, Karen, Tex and Joan,
Thank for all the good information. I was really hurting after work yesterday and couldn't sit at the computer.

I saw my internist today. She said get back on the Pepto Bismo because the only people that might be affected by it are elderly people who take too much. She said I am having anxiety and that is the reason for the symptoms. She will continue the 9 Entocort until I get better and then try to get me off. I did take 4 Pepto today because of the pain.

My hairloss she attributes to menopause. She did refer me to a dermitoligist. Joan, if I find out anything there I will let you know. She did say the blood test they use for Lupus was a bit abnormal but she attributes that to my autoimmune disease. (she did say that could be a clue to my hair loss) Any way she said hair loss doesn't bother alot of people but since I was concerned, see the dermitologist.
Joan, please know that I completely understand the heart break of hair loss. I know it isn't life threatening but my self esteem is in the dumper (along with my hair). We will get through this.

I am taking Biotine, Zinc, and the B-12 that dissolves in your mouth. I know if that is going to help I need to be patient. Thanks again for everything. Connie