Hair loss?

[yipper]

Hello.  I have only had RA for about 2 years.  I have only been taking antibiotics for about 2 months (minocycline 100 mg twice a day, 1 IV every other week).  The only other medication I am currently on is Meloxicam 15 mg a day.  I do take saccharomyces boulardii, also. 

Within the last week, I have started feeling almost normal.  I am still sore in my worst joints (feet, knees, elbow, wrist), but it is not painful anymore.  Unfortunately, now that I am feeling so much better I have noticed that my hair has thinned a lot.  It seems as if I have had a lot of stray long blond hair everywhere for awhile, but I was too fatigued and in pain to notice.

I am wondering if anyone else has had this happen, and whether it has anything to do with previous medications I took (methotrexate, cimzia, prednisone, cortisone shots, and neproxene), or if this is due to having RA, or if it is completely unrelated.  I didn't find any mention of hair loss when taking antibiotics or the nsaid that I am on, but I was wondering if this is possibly a part of the herx.

I have read that extreme stress can cause hair to fall out or thin, and I suppose that my body was extremely stressed over the last few years.  There were many months where I could barely walk, and even sitting and laying down were extremely painful.  I suppose that losing my hair is a small price to pay to be able to move this well again, but I would so like to be completely normal again with my hair.  I am also concerned that this may be a sign of something that I should not ignore, although I cannot imagine having something wrong when I am feeling so good.  Perhaps I am just deficient in some vitamin?

Thanks for any feedback.  ~Tiffany

[Fran]

Tiffany-  I had a period of hair loss a few weeks after doing IV clindy back in August of 2007.  At the time I attributed it to the IV clindy and my hair thinned dramatically and I found it very distressing.  If I even touched my hair large amounts would fall out.  A few months later it started to grow back (and it looked weird and wiry as it grew back) but it did grow back.  Since that time I've done another round of IV clindy and did not experience the hair loss so I think at the time it was due to stress or to the disease itself. 

It is distressing.  I had a ton of bloodwork done at the time of my hair loss to check for thyroid, etc……anything that could be attributed to the hair loss.  Everything was normal.  I would smear coconut oil on my scalp too.  It made for a greasy mess and I'm not sure it helped at all.  I took supplements geared towards hair loss.  I'm not sure they were any help either.  I'm sorry this is happening to you and I understand how distressing it is.  Hopefully it lessens for you as it did for me and your hair will start to grow back. 

[Steve201]

before the big hit of SD back 10 yrs ago…I had thick…dark hair..with nice grey splashed in for good measures….well……while on cytoxan…my hair fell out in groves…then my hair got really thin…well…my hair has come back but it's still thin….the physical hair itself is thinner..lighter…if it weren't for hair spray..I'd look like a whisk broom in the morning..

chemicals will cause hair loss and thinning first…you can slow it down by taking iron…(I think it's iron that helps hair growth.)…:shock:

Steve

[Parisa]

My husband's hair texture changed while he was really ill from curly to straight and it also thinned out some.  As he recovered, his curl also returned.  We've had a few laughs about him being so sick that even his hair didn't have the energy to curl.  Also while he was sick the pesky hairs that would grow out of his ears disappeared.  They have also made a reappearance.  You know your world has taken a strange twist when you are happy to see hair growing out of the ears!  The primary said this was due to improvement in circulation.  Who knows?  Between the disease process and the drugs it's sometimes very difficult to figure out what is causing what. 

[anno]

My hair was really falling out a lot too;  I started taking biotin (a vitamin) & it really seems to make a difference.

[Velouria138]

[Kim]

Hi yipper,

Hair loss can be related to so many things it's really hard to pin down…..thyroid, circulation, meds, any number of things.

I also take Biotin and my hair has quit falling out and I have lots of new hair that's visible around my hairline, now if it starts growing out of my ears, I will stop. 😯

Take care…..kim

[Maz]

[user=2041]yipper[/user] wrote:

I have read that extreme stress can cause hair to fall out or thin, and I suppose that my body was extremely stressed over the last few years.  There were many months where I could barely walk, and even sitting and laying down were extremely painful.  I suppose that losing my hair is a small price to pay to be able to move this well again, but I would so like to be completely normal again with my hair.  I am also concerned that this may be a sign of something that I should not ignore, although I cannot imagine having something wrong when I am feeling so good.  Perhaps I am just deficient in some vitamin?

Hi Tiffany,

I also went through periods of hair loss, especially right at the beginning, but have also had hair loss seasonally, too, kind of like a horse who gets a winter coat and sheds in summer! :roll-laugh: 

I think when we're really unwell, we're probably not getting the nutrients we need and this is part of the picture…but also because 70% or so of the immune system is in the gut any many of us have some degree of malabsorption…as Kim mentioned, could be due to meds we've taken and imbalances in the gut (flora/fauna), but also thyroid can do a number on hair, which is very common as a disease overlap with RA. Have you had your thyroid tested lately?

Another consideration is that the tetracyclines, wonderful as they are for rheumatic disease, are highly chelative and they bind to minerals in our body….minerals that may be being sequestered in our bid to get well, but removing these nutrients from less important parts of the body, like hair growth. My hair did come out in bundles in the beginning, but as I improved, my hair started to return to normal and now I only get seasonal shedding (fall and spring, like clockwork).

Only a thought, but perhaps a naturopath would be able to help with measures to heal your gut. This might be a good start…

Peace, Maz

[yipper]

Thank you everyone.  I am going to look into the biotin first, but I suppose that I should have my thyroid checked again.  It was low before, but my previous doctor insisted that it wasn't low enough to be a problem or require intervention, so I will check with my current doctor.

I am glad to hear that many of you have experienced this, and that it improved.  I am really not svelte enough to pull off a bald look.  Of course, I suppose that I could always invest in a nice wig.  Still, it is so disappointing to me to lose hair, since I have always been so careful with it (as in no hairspray, no perms or coloring, no hair dryer, etc.).

Still, I need to look on the bright side.  I am so pleased to be able to move so well again.  It is so odd to be doing things without thinking about it, like throwing things across the room into the trash or getting up from a sitting position or walking across pavement (or walking in general).  I really felt kinda silly posting my concern, but I told myself that it could be a sign of a larger problem.  Hopefully it is only temporary, but I will speak with my doctor tomorrow.

Thank you again everyone.  ~Tiffany

[jaminhealth]

Just a thought, I took Doxy for about 3 months and at one point had a clump of hair come out.  I stopped the Doxy as I just didn't feel right about it in the first place.  I deal with FM and OA issues. 

You might consider Grapeseed Extract, it's a powerful antioxidant that mainly works on our circulatory system.   Then everything else too.  There is tons of info online re:  GE.  I'm on it 15 yrs soon.   I have a pretty thick head of hair for 72.   I don't take many meds.   Mostly supps for my health issues.   

 
Just did some googling on GE and Hair Loss and many say it accelerates hair growth.   Also, a lot of  products now have GE in it like shampoos, etc.   Taking it internally works on the inside to help the outside of our bodies. 

[Peach73]

I had hair thinning after I started taking Synthroid for hypothyroidism.  Biotin really worked for me!  It is cheap too 🙂

[APbeliever]

My hair started thinning and falling due to Minocycline use. I was very surprised since everyone told me Minocycline does not make your hair fall. I stopped Minocycline last year (briefly)due to liver pains and the hair really grew thick again. Now I am only using 100 mgs of Mino a day and using natural shampoos without sodium sulfate and Rogaine. I am waiting to try Enbrel soon. From what I have read about it, it makes the hair fall faster too :crying:

[jaminhealth]

Synthroid NEVER worked for me and I know it doesn't for many.   Consider Armour or Nature-Throid as they have the T4 and T3 and “S” only T4.   Many do not convert in their bodies and get the T3 they need.     The thyroid issue is so huge and complex and SO MANY docs don't have the knowledge. 

a great board for support is  realthyroidhelp.com

 

[Peach73]

Synthroid works great for me.

[Author]

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