Anyone take biotin?

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ace175
ace175 Posts: 518 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was just wondering if anyone out here takes biotin for hair/skin/nails. Through some research, I found that it can help with growth, but I keep finding different responses as to how much to take? I used to take 3, which was 3000 mg I believe and I have recently dropped it down to 2. Over the summer after a crash diet and getting very sick my hair started falling out/thinning, so I started to take biotin to help fix it. Does anyone recommend anything else to help with this issue? I've also read that folic acid might help. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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  • irishbelle345
    irishbelle345 Posts: 34
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    i take biotin usually 2 a day. i know that some doctors give it to cancer patients....and after working in a salon i have seen it work......also prenatal vitamins
  • celtickarasu
    celtickarasu Posts: 76
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    My brother's a licensed cosmetician, and he was told by a doctor that taking 5000mg of biotin a day would help. I have noticed my fingernails growing like crazy. I have to keep biting them off.
  • emilex
    emilex Posts: 95 Member
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    I have always heard prenatal vitamins will cause your hair to grow/become stronger and more healthy. They make me barf, but for lots of people they work. Good luck :)
  • CallejaFairey
    CallejaFairey Posts: 391 Member
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    i do, well i did (i ran out and am waiting to get more tomorrow) take biotin. my mom actually did research on it, as she, like i, have/had an anemia problem which can cause thinning hair and weak nails. she also found out that it can help boost your metabolism like many of the other b vitamins. so both her and i take 5000mg a day. she has been taking it longer than i, and we both have notcied a difference in her hair. she has a lot of little short pieces growing back where it had been thinner, and weirdly enough, it's coming in brown, even though all the hair there is white, and has been for some time. go figure. she could not find any down sides for taking it, and when i was ordering in some from the pharmacist yesterday, she wanted to know if i wanted it for my hair and nails, so she obviously knows it's something to take for that.. Omega fatty acids would be another good thing to take, as they are excellent for skin, hair and nails.

    i haven't done much research in it, as i have remedied my anemia and my hair and nails are fixing themselves.
  • ace175
    ace175 Posts: 518 Member
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    i do, well i did (i ran out and am waiting to get more tomorrow) take biotin. my mom actually did research on it, as she, like i, have/had an anemia problem which can cause thinning hair and weak nails. she also found out that it can help boost your metabolism like many of the other b vitamins. so both her and i take 5000mg a day. she has been taking it longer than i, and we both have notcied a difference in her hair. she has a lot of little short pieces growing back where it had been thinner, and weirdly enough, it's coming in brown, even though all the hair there is white, and has been for some time. go figure. she could not find any down sides for taking it, and when i was ordering in some from the pharmacist yesterday, she wanted to know if i wanted it for my hair and nails, so she obviously knows it's something to take for that.. Omega fatty acids would be another good thing to take, as they are excellent for skin, hair and nails.

    i haven't done much research in it, as i have remedied my anemia and my hair and nails are fixing themselves.

    Thanks! I also have anemia (beta thalasseia minor), so I can relate to what you're saying!
  • AngelicaDulas
    AngelicaDulas Posts: 196
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    Vitamin E and Omega 3 is a great thing too!
  • Paiche
    Paiche Posts: 92
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    I take one purvana pill a day. Idk if it is actually helping or not though.lol
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
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    for the record. *L* i am callejafairey's mum

    the best info i could find suggested 5000 to 8000 mg biotin a day for hair/nails

    i also have difficulty with low iron..but traditionally iron has always upset my stomach and caused constipation *L* .. and though i know low iron can also affect hair/nails.. i opted for biotin first.
    another benefit for biotin apparently is that it also acts as a metabolism booster, and since that was the only side effect of it i could find, and you cannot take too much as it is water soluble so what you don't use gets flushed, literally *L*.. i figured it was worth a try!

    Indeed as calleja mentioned, i've noticed alot of additional new (revived) growth in areas where i really was starting to get worried as almost looked like my hair was receding and since i've always prided myself on having thick full hair, that was distressing!

    more recently i also did find a plant based iron supplement (feel free to check my diary if you want) and amazingly it does NOT upset my stomach... but i've not been taking the iron for long enough yet for that to have been a factor in the changes i've seen in my hair... and have been taking the biotin since January/11 so is long enough now to see results from it if there were going to be any..and i can say for sure i am definitely seeing a difference!
  • marci355
    marci355 Posts: 292
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    I used to take 5000 mcg, after my RNY surgery many years ago. (I can't remember if it's mg's or mcg's, it will say on the bottle.) You can get the higher dosage at any vitamin store. Yes, it really does help. I lost half the hair on my head after my RNY. Hope this helps!
  • marci355
    marci355 Posts: 292
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    Also, you can "shed" hair after any trauma, any surgery (from the anesthesia). Hair thats sheds goes in a cycle. You will lose all you're going to lose in few months, then you start to see little nubbins, poking out all over your head! The good news? When my hair grew back in, it was gorgeous!! It's now my pride and joy. No worries! It grows back!!!

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