Racer

I'm really curious to hear what your experience with Nioxin products is. I believe that my Nioxin shampoo may be causing my seizures.

Nine years ago I started having what I now know are mild seizures (didn't twitch or lose consciousness; just a bizarre and fascinating semi-conscious state for about thirty seconds that felt like, well, that my mind was going to another place), but only when I vacationed in Hawaii. In April of this year, after not having it my last four trips to Hawaii, I had it for the first time in my home in California. For two months they occurred sporadically, in groups (maybe three or four in a week, then a 1-2-week respite) but almost always in the shower or shortly afterwards. Then I got a most unprecedented string of about eight in a twelve-hour period, after the last of which I told myself, "that's it; I'm going to see a doctor," which is the last thing I remember because right then I had a grand mal seizure. When I got back from the hospital, I researched the heck out of seizures. I realized that the strong smell of my Nioxin shampoo and/or Dial liquid soap in the shower always made me woozy, putting my mind in the "mood" to have one of those mild seizures. After using the same shampoo for about twenty years, it had been discountinued so I'd switched to Nioxin. A check of my Palm Pilot showed that the haircut appointment at which I'd bought the Nioxin was on April 19th; on April 24th I wrote in my journal, "That weird semi-pass-out thing that used to happen to me only in Hawaii (and last happened—what?—three years ago?) happened to me here for the first time"! Coincidence? I think not.

I immediately put away the Nioxin and the Dial liquid soap. A check of their ingredients showed only one common one: sodium laureth sulfate. If you look at MSDSs you'll find that some sodium compounds "may lower seizure threshold" (the MSDS for sodium laureth sulfate doesn't, though).

On Trileptal, I was fine for the following two months until I borrowed my sister's shampoo on a trip for just one shower and felt strange while I was using it. Each of the next two mornings I had two of those mild seizures. I called my sister and asked if the shampoo contained sodium laureth sulfate. It did.

However, you make me wonder if maybe it's not sodium laureth sulfate but something else particular to the Nioxin (I'm still awaiting word from my sister whether hers was Nioxin). After all, I checked at the store and about 95% of liquid soaps contain sodium laureth sulfate, and I've been using a variety of liquid soaps at my home for a decade or more, as well as at every public restroom without a problem.

One wrench in the Nioxin/sodium laureth sulfate theory is that it does not explain my episodes in Hawaii (I always brought my old shampoo from home), and it also doesn't explain another mild seizure I had last week having never gotten near Nioxin or sodium laureth sulfate. Howerver, we had a heat wave last week...maybe I'm susceptible to heat as well--I always spend lots of time in the hot sun in Hawaii.

Anyway, I'm extremely curious to know what your experience (or anybody else's) with Nioxin and/or sodium laureth sulfate is. Thanks for your post.