Tag Archives: Biotin

Biotin Side Effects

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If you are considering taking biotin, you may be wondering about biotin side effects. After all, taking a vitamin to help your hair and nails grow almost sounds too easy. Is there a catch? Here we will look at the side effects of biotin.

First of all, keep in mind that biotin is a substance that is produced naturally in your body. Therefore, when you take biotin, you are not introducing a foreign substance into your body. You are simply adding more of something it already makes. That being said, you might worry about having too much of a good thing. Here are a few things to look out for regarding biotin side effects:

Biotin Dosage
Side effects of biotin taken in normal amounts are extremely rare. The adequate intake of biotin for adults is 30 mcg, whereas the recommended daily intake is 300 mcg. Many people use doses of up to 2500 mcg safely. However, the best approach is to start with a smaller dose and then increase slowly as necessary. If you do encounter side effects of taking biotin at higher doses, reducing your intake is usually enough to make these effects go away. Because it is water soluble, excess amounts are secreted by your body through urination so biotin levels do not build up inside of your body.

Biotin Interactions
If you are taking any other medications or supplements, it is important to be aware of potential biotin interactions. While there aren’t any known interactions between biotin and prescription medications, it’s always a good idea to discuss vitamin use with your doctor if you are taking other drugs.

In some cases, your medication may actually interfere with your body’s absorption of biotin and cause you to require more. If you are taking estrogen or sulfa drugs, this is something to bring up with your doctor. Likewise, if you take antibiotics over a long period of time, you might need more biotin due to the effect of antibiotics on the digestive system.
Raw egg whites contain a protein called avidin that actually prevents your body from absorbing biotin. Some people consume raw egg whites daily, like bodybuilders. In that case, your body will not receive the good effects of biotin taken at the same time.

In one documented case, an individual who took high amounts of biotin and Vitamin B5 at the same time developed a potentially life-threatening condition called eosinophilic pleuropericardial effusion. This is the only known case and the condition disappeared once vitamin use was stopped.

Biotin and Pregnancy
Biotin deficiency can sometimes occur in pregnant women. For this reason, most prenatal vitamins contain biotin. It is very important not to overdo any one vitamin while pregnant or breastfeeding, so try to avoid taking amounts in excess of that provided by your doctor-approved prenatal vitamins. Instead, try to get extra biotin from dietary sources such as peanuts, salmon, sweet potato, banana, beans, brewer’s yeast, and avocado. Pregnancy is not a good time to begin taking vitamins for hair loss anyway because most women report fuller and thicker hair during their pregnancies.

Some of the best dietary sources of biotin, such as raw egg yolks and liver, should be avoided by pregnant women for other reasons. Raw egg yolks can lead to salmonella and liver contains very high amounts of Vitamin A from animal sources, which has been associated with birth defects when consumed excessively during pregnancy.

Summary of Biotin Side Effects
The bottom line is that although biotin is considered harmless and there are no side effects, it is a good idea to stick to acceptable doses as outlined above. If you take biotin and start to notice some side effects, stop using it right away and visit your doctor. If you are taking biotin for hair loss, start out by taking smaller doses and then adjust it slowly upward if you don’t see the results you want. You can also get the same biotin benefits from consuming plenty of foods rich in this vitamins. If biotin hair growth supplements don’t seem to have an effect on your hair over a long period of time, it’s possible that your hair loss has a different cause and therefore requires a different course of treatment.

Female Hair Loss Treatment

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There are many good methods of female hair loss treatment available. How do you know which one will work for you? The best way to decide among the available options is to choose based on the suspected cause of your hair loss. Some women prefer to start with a mild and natural hair loss treatment and then work their way up to stronger treatments only if necessary. If you’re low on patience, you might start directly with the most dramatic options, although these can sometimes be expensive or painful. Here is a look at the different methods of female hair loss treatment.

• Vitamins. Using vitamins for hair loss is the first option many people try. This is a popular female hair loss treatment because it is very inexpensive and doesn’t have any side effects. If you don’t take any vitamins at all, you should look into a good multivitamin. If you already take one, switch to organic vitamins because they are more easily absorbed by the body. One of the most important hair growth vitamins is biotin so look out for biotin on the ingredients lists. You might also want to take a biotin hair growth supplement.
• Hair growth shampoo. This is another popular option because it isn’t too harsh and it’s fairly easy to obtain. It also doesn’t require any additional effort on your part since you probably already wash your hair regularly. All you need to do is switch out your regular shampoo for a shampoo that is specially formulated to promote hair growth. Shampoo that contains biotin is one popular female hair loss treatment. Not all hair growth shampoo formulas are created equally, however so do some research before buying. Some of these shampoos can be quite expensive but you can usually find cheap hair growth shampoo online.
• Topical Solutions. Some topical solutions such as minoxidil can really help turn around a hair loss problem. These products need to be applied daily to see results but over time you can see a pretty noticeable difference when you use these products. Some people don’t like to use too many chemicals so this option is usually reserved when other options like hair loss vitamins don’t seem to do enough. It can also be a bit expensive. Some popular topical solutions are Rogaine for Women and Nioxin. Some of these solutions are not recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, however.
• Hair transplants. Hair transplants are perhaps the most extreme option when it comes to female hair loss treatment. Nonetheless, hair loss can be devastating to women who take pride in their appearance so some women are willing to give transplants a try when all other solutions have failed. Not all women are suitable candidates for female hair transplants. Hair transplants in women are most successful if you have a type of hair loss called androgenetic alopecia. You also need a good donor area somewhere on your head to provide the hair to be used in the transplant. This option is very expensive and also painful so this is truly a last resort when it comes to female hair loss.

It’s important to determine the cause of your hair loss so that you can treat it properly. Here are a few common causes of female hair loss:
• Medication. If you are taking any medication, the solution could be as simple as discontinuing use or switching to a different medication so talk to your doctor if you suspect medicine could be causing your hair loss.
• Post-partum hair loss. If you have recently given birth, significant hair loss is actually very common. This generally begins a few months after the baby is born and can last throughout the entire first year of your baby’s life. Rest assured this is quite normal. During pregnancy your scalp retains more hair than usual and post-partum all this extra hair falls out, eventually leaving your hair approximately as full as it was before you got pregnant.
• Vitamin deficiencies. If you don’t eat a well-rounded diet, you could have a vitamin deficiency that is causing hair loss. Multivitamins can help your body get the nutrients your diet is missing. Anemia is one such example. A lack of iron can lead to hair loss in women.
• Menopause. Menopause is another common culprit of hair loss. Since menopause affects aging women, this type of hair loss can easily be mistaken for the hair loss that accompanies aging. However, hair loss caused by menopause will usually improve once hormones start to level out.
• PCOS. Polycystic ovarian syndrome and the excess androgen associated with this condition can lead to hair loss. Talk to your gynecologist about possible hormonal solutions to PCOS hair loss.
• Weight problems. Being overweight can cause your hair to fall out. Having an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia can also cause hair loss in women.

You should also avoid irritating ingredients in your hair products such as sulfates. Check out our sulfate free shampoo list for more information.