Hair Loss

[Grey Hawk]

I never had really thick hair even before crohn's, so hair loss is hitting me hard.

Has anyone found anything to use to slow down hair loss? I use Nixion shampoo, which seems to help give the illusion of thicker hair, but thats about it. Anything else out there? I take Biotin as well, any other vitamins I should take?
Currently on:
-Pentasa
-Imuran(50mg)
And
I just started Prednisone again(60mg) on Jan 17th.

I went to a dermatologist and she said it could be MPB or my medicine. I'm leaning more towards the medicine I'm on, since I don't really have a receding hairline and it seems to have thinned out all over on top.

The other thing that is bugging me, is my eyebrows and eyelashes are falling out too. I hate reading a book only to go turn a page with eyelashes on it lol.

 

[Crohn'sFor Life]

When I was on 80mg of Prednisone, the hair on the top of my head started to thin out. When the Prednisone was tapered down to 20mg it started to grow back!

The hair on my face, and body started to grow like crazy though.

 

[Grey Hawk]

When I was on 80mg of Prednisone, the hair on the top of my head started to thin out. When the Prednisone was tapered down to 20mg it started to grow back!

The hair on my face, and body started to grow like crazy though.

But I have only been on Prednisone for a little less than a month. Could I already be experiencing the hairloss? I do have the moon face and weight gain, 20+ :O.

This is only my second time on Prednisone, and second flare up. I was diagnosed 5 years ago when I was 15, and I can't really remember if Prednisone caused hairloss back then or not. I remember complaining about hairloss, but I stopped Prednisone and cut back on Imuran at the same time back then, so I have no idea what slowed it down/stopped it.

 

[Grey Hawk]

Anyone else find something that works?

 

[AndiGirl]

A friend claims that Pentasa is causing her to lose hair. I haven't heard or experienced that. I think Predisone may cause some hair loss though.

 

[Terriernut]

Going thru it as well! The only treatment that works is Rogaine! It's got to be the one for women if you are a female though! Which is called Regaine in the UK. But you would have to use it for life if you indeed have full alopecia. As you are just experiencing hair loss probably due to meds, you may just need it for awhile?

I think it's the pred personally! Also, lets face it, we dont really get the vitamins we need from food so good as CD patients, so you might ask for advice on vitamins and minerals that you might need for the present time. Hope that helps. As a woman with hair down to my rear, I'm none too pleased with the hair loss and thinning I can tell ya!

Misty

 

[girlygirl]

Hi Grey Hawk,

You might have the dr's check your vit levels... I have really long hair and mine was getting brittle etc.. while i was taking sulfasalazine.. since then I've been mainly taking Apriso.. and found my Vit D levels to be WAY down.. and B12 as well.. it was contributing to the ill feelings.. since then my hair has been doing a lot better! Oh.. and i take the gummy vitamins too.. i figure the body may process them better than the hard ones since CD can cause malabsorbtion.

Best wishes..

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

When I was first on Entocort, I felt like my hair was falling out a bit too. Someone else on the forum recommended that I try Biotin (it's a B vitamin, you can find it at health food stores). Apparently you have to take at least 3,000 mg for it to be effective, and I found a bottle of 5,000 mg capsules so I take one daily. It seems to have helped, I notice less hair loss and less hair breakage since I've been taking it.

Of course as with any supplement, you should check with your doctor or pharmacist to make sure it won't cause harm or interfere with your other meds.

 

[ThanksP]

Definitely try the Biotin! There are also Biotin shampoos that are worth a try. I don't know if it was the Cimzia or Prednisone, but I experienced huge hair loss. I started taking the Biotin after my GI recommmended it. Worked like a champ! As an added benefit, it also helps nails and skin...

 

[Elwood]

help

Help i'm new to this. have been on pentasa for 5 mths and at the moment my left eyebrow is falling out... i feel stupid what;s happening to me? my vitamins are all good and my thyroid is ok, all been tested. doc tells me the med has nothing to do with it. then i googled and got this web page. anyone have the same?

 

[pjmel]

My hair is very thin and falls out quite a lot. My dr's have always put it down to the cd. I am on imuran and humira, but I noticed my hair falling out when I started on imuran. I have started to take a vitamin specifically designed for hair/skin/nails - it has silica in it. Last time I went to my hairdresser she noticed some new growth in spots that had gone bald. My hair has always been thin though, so I don't hold out much hope for it to completely come back.

 

[bwightman]

I experienced hair loss on both Asacol and Pentasa (taken separately), so I think it's a possibility that the Pentasa might be causing it. At one point it seemed like I was leaving a trail of hair everywhere I went....it was all over the place, and everytime I ran my hands through my hair I'd have several strands come out. Once I stopped the 5ASA drugs though, the hair loss stopped.

 

[silvermander]

I have been on both Imuran and 6MP in the past and had serious hair loss from both of those. It got to the point that I almost shaved my head. I did shave it at a later time, but that was my early 30's crisis that I needed a mohawk, but then didn't want it to grow in funny, so I shaved my whole head.

Anyway, t's kind of funny, but when my hair grew back in after the Imuran, it was suddenly curly! I'd always had very, very straight hair, but now it's quite wavy and with a little hair goo I have quite a wild mop of curls.

My hair had been falling out over this past summer and into the fall. We weren't sure if it was the asacol, Humira or the TB meds I was on. (I tested positive for TB, but was asymptomatic. To go on Humira I had to take 9 months of TB meds to be safe.) Once I came off the TB meds, my hair stopped falling out. It was only like a week later and it absolutely stopped. I was so happy I almost cried. I was really hoping it wasn't the Humira!

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I just re-read this and realized I gave the wrong info above. You need at least 3,000 mcg (micrograms) which totals 3 mg (milligrams) of Biotin in order for it to be effective. I had put that you need at least 3,000 mg but that's incorrect. I apologize for my mistake.

 

[Elwood]

it's interesting to see that other people have had hair loss. when i mentioned this to my doc he said it can pos be the meds. when i read the med info it said it was rare but 3% of people had experienced hair loss. new to this forum, feeling not so alone now...

 

[peaceandsmile]

Hello there,
I am sorry you are experiencing hair loss, but unfortunately its from the side effect of the medication you are taking. When I was on Budenfalk, I experienced enormous amount of hair loss, basically cleaning the tub from strands of hair after washing. However when I began Imuran, I had some hair loss as well.
I used multivitamins, and hair loss shampoo to help me.
Good luck!

kisses, Aya

 

[Grey Hawk]

Well today was my last day of prednisone, so lets see if the hairloss stops and it grows back.

 

[TheMrs]

I had the opposite problem, hair loss was an early symptom of my disease process. The derm called it telogen effluvium (sp?) and said it was from the stress of the underlying illness on my body. As my treatments have gotten better I've had a pretty decent regrowth but I'm very sensitive about what i call my " bald spot".

 

[Elwood]

I agree... i believe my hair loss was related to meds but a big part related to the stress of being sick and wanting to be well. my last tests showed a big improvement. have been focused on my diet, and made big lifestyle changes to meditation, meridian tracing and colour therapy. may not be for everyone but it has worked for me. hair now starting to regrow x i'm off meds now!

 

[nomad]

I experienced severe hair loss when I started Imuran back in 1999... before that I had 14 years of Sulphasalazine and Prednisone, and had never noticed any particular changes.
Fortunately, being male, I just went for the shaved head look, and never looked back. I actually love how practical it is