Hair loss help

clarelouise1

Hi all, does anyone else find their medication causes them to lose hair? what do you do to help? I was on Methotrexate and they took me off cos I was losing hair. I'm now on sulphasalasine and hydroxychloroquine and am losing hair again, especially around the hairline and on top. Does anyone suffer this way - help I'm only 35 and have long hair :0( xx

dreamdaisy

Hi. No, I don't have that problem but I read somewhere just recently that you can buy something - a supplement or somesuch- from the chemist to counteract this - the name Fentanyl (sp?) is in my mind, but I am feeling old, menopausal and fat so that is probably totally wrong. I'm sure others with more expert info will reply when they spot the post. Dreamdaisy

skezier

Hi Clarelouise,

I can't help but just wanted to drop you in a ((( ))) and a hope your medical team can help with this. Fingers crossed they will be able to. Cris x

clarelouise1

dreamdaisy wrote:

Hi. No, I don't have that problem but I read somewhere just recently that you can buy something - a supplement or somesuch- from the chemist to counteract this - the name Fentanyl (sp?) is in my mind, but I am feeling old, menopausal and fat so that is probably totally wrong. I'm sure others with more expert info will reply when they spot the post. Dreamdaisy

Ha ha thanks dream daisy - let me know if you think of its name, I will google it, anything to help - hate loosing my hair :0( xx

clarelouise1

skezier wrote:

Hi Clarelouise,

I can't help but just wanted to drop you in a ((( ))) and a hope your medical team can help with this. Fingers crossed they will be able to. Cris x

Aaw thanks Cris, I hope they can too, as if the RA isn't bad enough - its awful and I don't want to lose anymore. x

scattered

Are they sure it's a side-effect of the medication and not related to the RA itself? I lose hair when my RA is out of control - it calms down when I've got enough good medication to keep it under control. My rheumatologist said that it was just part of having an autoimmune disease.

clarelouise1

scattered wrote:

Are they sure it's a side-effect of the medication and not related to the RA itself? I lose hair when my RA is out of control - it calms down when I've got enough good medication to keep it under control. My rheumatologist said that it was just part of having an autoimmune disease.

I'm not sure scattered, it seems to have got worse lately although my RA is better (but still active) If it was just thinner I could cope but I'm getting bald patches and I am scared it will get worse? Did yours? x

scattered

Once my RA was under control it got much better. My RD said that a large part of it was down to active disease, then some side-effects from drugs. I've noticed a bit of thinning now I'm back on MTX but nothing like how it was. I hope it gets better for you.

clarelouise1

scattered wrote:

Once my RA was under control it got much better. My RD said that a large part of it was down to active disease, then some side-effects from drugs. I've noticed a bit of thinning now I'm back on MTX but nothing like how it was. I hope it gets better for you.

Ok thanks - they didn't say anything could help? I'm going back to the hospital on 25th so going to discuss it then. Just don't know what to do for the best x

wibberley

Hi Claire, sorry to hear about the hair. I too suffered hairloss around the hairline and temples - had to have it cut short after having long hair since the age of 8. I thought it was caused by the celebrex I was taking as hairloss was listed as a possible side effect.

It's growing back in now and I'm taking a supplement formulated for healthy hair from Holland & Barratt which contains folic acid amongst others in the ingredients.

Perhaps it wasn't the Celebrex that caused it after all? However, I'm now on Sulpha with a good esr and crp rating, and my hair is now looking a lot better. I've even decided to keep the shorter hairstyle as it takes a lot less time to blowdry it in the mornings!

I hope you get to the bottom of it soon, as I know how distressing it is.

Lois x

clarelouise1

wibberley wrote:

Hi Claire, sorry to hear about the hair. I too suffered hairloss around the hairline and temples - had to have it cut short after having long hair since the age of 8. I thought it was caused by the celebrex I was taking as hairloss was listed as a possible side effect.

It's growing back in now and I'm taking a supplement formulated for healthy hair from Holland & Barratt which contains folic acid amongst others in the ingredients.

Perhaps it wasn't the Celebrex that caused it after all? However, I'm now on Sulpha with a good esr and crp rating, and my hair is now looking a lot better. I've even decided to keep the shorter hairstyle as it takes a lot less time to blowdry it in the mornings!

I hope you get to the bottom of it soon, as I know how distressing it is.

Lois x

Hi Lois, thanks, glad you're hair is growing back, it is very distressing and hard to know what to do, I have started taking something called viviscal as this is meant to help with hair loss and am considering going back on the folic acid I took when I was taking the MTX so see if that helps, going to see what the Rheumy Nurses say. I don't feel confident enough to hair my hair short so I am starting to panick as I have bald patches here and there that I keep trying to hide with a number of hair thickening styling products!! x

page35

Hi Claire
my hair started to thin when i first started Mtx and my rhuemy put me on 4 folic acid tabs a week instead of 1 (i had other side effects as well) this really improved the hair thinning.

also my friends daughter has patches of hair that fall out (shes only 13 ) she uses steroid lotion and it has worked for her although she does get bald patches from time to time.

i hope you get something to help, I'm 34 with RA.

dreamdaisy

Hair and nail supplements can and do work. My 86 year old mum gets hers from Healthspan, who are based in the Channel Islands. Their supplements are usually better quality than H&B and much cheaper. Mum's pleased that her hair is coming back - it's a slow process but age is agin her! Her thinning is a side effect of BP tablets, I think. Dreamdaisy

psyart

Hi - I'm on methx injec and my hair did stopped growing and went really thin!! I was really upset about it. I have a very good hairdresser and she offered some good advice!! Keep it well conditioned, brush it lots, not hard but this helps!! All my body hair stopped growing, legs and underarms needed less shaving!!!! I increased my folic acid to 2 tablets 6 days a week, and with the reduction of methx, my hair is getting better slowly!!! But think I will try others advice as well!!!

Hope this helps??

Louise xx

bailey27

Hi
I am on pred, sulpha, arcoxia and a few others. I have found that my hair has thinned out but my hairline is rgadually creeping towards my eyebrows!!

lindalegs

Folic acid should help counteract your hairloss. I would check with your GP/Pharmacist before taking any health supplements especially if they contain folic acid too ....in case of over dosing :shock:

Stress can also make you lose hair as can hormone inbalance - have you talked to your GP?

Luv Legs

clarelouise1

psyart wrote:

Hi - I'm on methx injec and my hair did stopped growing and went really thin!! I was really upset about it. I have a very good hairdresser and she offered some good advice!! Keep it well conditioned, brush it lots, not hard but this helps!! All my body hair stopped growing, legs and underarms needed less shaving!!!! I increased my folic acid to 2 tablets 6 days a week, and with the reduction of methx, my hair is getting better slowly!!! But think I will try others advice as well!!!

Hope this helps??

Louise xx

Thanks Louise, its good to know I'm not the only one - I wonder why my rheumy didn't suggest that rather than taking me off methotrexate. Anyway, I go back in a couple of weeks so I'm going to speak to them properly then about it all - and try the folic acid in the meantime and frequent soft brushing as you recommend. Its so upsetting isn't it. xx

clarelouise1

page35 wrote:

Hi Claire
my hair started to thin when i first started Mtx and my rhuemy put me on 4 folic acid tabs a week instead of 1 (i had other side effects as well) this really improved the hair thinning.

also my friends daughter has patches of hair that fall out (shes only 13 ) she uses steroid lotion and it has worked for her although she does get bald patches from time to time.

i hope you get something to help, I'm 34 with RA.

Thanks for all your help, its not easy to manage is it I hope my rheumy can sort something out. The Methotrxate really helped with my symptoms so I'm not sure why they took me off it instead of upping my folic acid intake, the sulphasalasine and hydroxy are no where near as good as the methotrexate but obviously cause the hair loss too. although I did find not being able to drink a pain on the MTX! xx

carolanivey

psyart wrote:

All my body hair stopped growing, legs and underarms needed less shaving!!!!

Hey, I want that side effect! LOL Unfortunately, whatever's going on on top of my head doesn't "translate" to the rest of me! I should by stock in a razor company.

I inherited baby-fine hair from my father's side of the family - both he and my grandMOTHER eventually went bald! (Though grandma probably went bald because she always wore wigs).

I tried for years to keep my hair long, but the mtx made it even more fragile and I couldn't do anything with it without it breaking off. Perming was a disaster. Finally, a few years ago I had it cut off super short and I haven't looked back. My husband pouted, but hey, he's not the one who had to deal with it for an hour every day just to make it look presentable (which, of course, did "wonders" for my shoulders and elbows...not!).

For me, the less I touch it, the better. I carefully lift it with my fingers while blow-drying on slow speed/low heat, spritz it with a little spray, and that's it.

Conditioning just makes my baby fine hair more limp - I never touch it with conditioner. Occasional highlighting gives it some extra body, temporarily.

I take 5 mg of prescription folic acid once a week, plus an over-the-counter, 800 mcg capsule every day (except my mtx day), plus whatever's in my multivitamin. I've heard that gelatin supplements are really good for skin and nails.