Mark Millick
Appearances
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
My wife and I were talking about this within the past two or three weeks. And she said, do you feel like you learned anything about vanity? And I actually said, no, I don't feel like I did because I don't have an issue with people wanting to take care of themselves and wanting to look their best.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
The issue is that I just think they do everything in their power to market this medication to get as many people to take it because it's about profit. At the end of the day, it is about profit for not just HIMSS, but all these other telehealth companies as well. If you had told me I would deal with one-tenth of what I'm dealing with, I would have never, ever would have taken that medication.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
I can't see a situation where I wouldn't have taken this medication if unless doctors had told me directly, this is a risk.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
And I was actually bringing my girlfriend over to introduce her to the family. And I walked into the bathroom and I noticed there was some very harsh overhead lighting. And I happened to notice I could see right down into the back of my scalp. And I panicked, to be honest with you. I'm like, oh, that's not good.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
I went through the process in a matter of about five minutes in the bathroom.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
In the bathroom. It took no time at all. That's how quick it was. It was actually pretty incredible.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
I think there was sort of a denial phase. You know, you don't want to go to a doctor and have them directly tell me to my face. You're losing your hair. So you kind of get to avoid confronting the issue while still confronting the issue, if that makes sense, right?
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
By starting Keeps now, I can keep the hair I have and get my treatment without leaving the couch.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
So I got to a point, I'm like, you know what? It's something that, everything else in my life is going great. You know, I've got a great job, I'm making great money, I got this beautiful girlfriend, but it's like, hair loss is bothersome, you know? Hair loss sucks, to put it bluntly. Especially when you're in your 20s, it's not something fun to deal with.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
So it's like, if I just take this medication, I don't have to worry about it. I can carry on with my life without having to worry about this again.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
What I recall is that they talked about how side effects were rare. I think it was 1.2% was the statistic I had read. But the side effects only included sexual issues and I think maybe some depression issues, right, that would go away upon cessation of the drug. So that was it. It's like I don't really have anything to lose.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
If I deal with side effects, I come off the drug and I just carry on with life. And that's kind of the end of it right there.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
I do a lot of presentations, right? So I mentioned I do safety trainings, things like that. And I was just having a tougher time getting through my presentations, which is something I never struggled with before.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
The transition came, and this was very notable. It was in June of 2021. I woke up that morning. It was a Monday morning, and it felt like I'd been lobotomized. Everything changed. I had developed, at the time, permanent slurred speech, anhedonia, couldn't feel any emotions, felt very foggy. It was like the worst hangover of my life.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
And I went to work that morning, that Monday morning, to do a new higher orientation. And information I'd been teaching at that point for several years, I completely forgot. It's like the first time I'd ever read it before.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
It was horrifying, and that was around the time when I realized I have to go to a doctor, you know, specifically a neurologist, because these are neurological issues.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
I also developed severe muscle twitching, muscle twitching all over my body, my hands, my feet, my face, my arms, my back, my stomach, everywhere.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
During that period, when I'm going to the doctors, my mom even brought up, she said, hey, could this be the hair loss medication you're taking? Because I had mentioned it to her at that point. I was taking this hair loss medication kind of just in passing. And I almost got oddly defensive about it because I said, mom, this, it would make no sense.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
This medication doesn't have anything to do with the brain. So I completely kind of blocked that out of my mind, to be honest with you.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
There was one day, I just reached my wit's end. I'm like, what could this be? Because this wasn't just a subtle, like, every now and then I'm tripping over words. It's like, I can't enunciate. You know, I can't do anything. I'm a vegetable here.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
And, you know, I just, I freaked out. I'm like, okay. There's no evidence. There's no reason to believe this. This is all anecdotal. But let me just stop the medication just to see. Maybe things will improve if I come off the medication.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
It was like a complete nuking of my endocrine system. In six weeks, I lost 20 pounds. I developed loose skin. My face started to change. I developed lipoatrophy on my face. My voice became higher pitched. My cognitive impairment continued to get worse. I developed joint issues. It was difficult to walk. I'd go to the gym and try to work out. My body would be shaking.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
My muscles became squishy, like they lost density in some sense. My beard started to fall out. Also, when I came off, that's when I developed the sexual issues, low libido, erectile dysfunction issues. I probably developed somewhere between 25 and 30 symptoms in that timeframe. And that was the scary thing. That didn't make sense. It's like, I'm off the medication.
The Journal.
A Quick Fix for Hair Loss Is Making Some Men Sick
Why am I now developing all these side effects?