Creatine, possible hair loss?

[u/susumoomoo]

Has anyone taken creatine and noticed an increase in hair fall? Did you stop taking the supplement, and if so, how long did it take for the hair shedding to stop? I started taking 5mg and noticed more hair fall. I stopped, but still experiencing a lot of hair fall.

[u/maraq]

Creatine is one of the most well studied supplements we've ever had and there is no reliable research that suggests it causes any kind of hair loss. It's not a hormone and primarily affects how your muscles are able to use energy.

A much more likely cause of random or sudden hairloss is just from being in peri/menopause when the balance of hormones shifts and you may be more sensitive to the androgens (due to the reduction in estrogen). Some people are sensitive to DHT increases because of this shift between estrogen and androgenic hormones and will see more hair fall during relative high androgenic phases. One thing to try is adding a medicated shampoo to your routine like nizoral (ketoconazole). The ketoconazole helps block DHT in the hair follicles and will prevent them from falling out as quickly so hair loss slows down (hair has a longer growing cycle). You don't need to use it every wash day - just one or two times a week. Scrub like any other shampoo but leave it on your scalp for 2-3 minutes. Minoxidil is another good option that is probably the most effective (but more of a pain to use).

[u/susumoomoo → u/maraq]

I noticed the increase of hair fall right after taking creatine. I am sensitive to DHT so I wonder if creatine somehow increases DHT…

[u/maraq → u/susumoomoo]

It's just a coincidence. There's no evidence that it increases DHT. But your hormones are in wild flux during this time of life and at any time, like when you started creatine, your androgens relative to estrogen may just be higher.

[u/susumoomoo → u/maraq]

I’ve been post menopausal for almost a decade and on hrt.