Dosage of hydroxyurea

[K-itty]

I should add a side bar to my previous post...after only being on 500mgs of hydroxyurea for a few weeks. I did experience some hair loss! 😳 It still seems to be more than usual, but thankfully, I have alot of hair. Still, a shocker!

[GK40]

Me too!! Am suffering terrible hair loss, as in , it's coming out in clumps now! 😥

[Michali45]

I have been on hydroxy for nearly a month. My hair has always been a problem, thin and fine and even though I don’t notice any hair loss, it has gone very weird, especially at the front! Not responding to my normal hair products and bending in the wrong direction! Yikes!

[K-itty in reply to Michali45]

I know, right! So frustrating...I know my hair shoukd be the least of my concerns, but seriously 😐

[finlay2106]

Hi,

Looking up a British website (BNF) regarding dosage sizes, although it mentions 100mg, 300mg and 1 gram tablets, the most common form - and cheapest as this website shows the pricing - seems to be the 500mg capsule, available from a number of manufacturers. Thus here in the UK (and probably in the US), the most common appears to be multiples of 500mg capsules. I have PV and take 1 x 500mg or 2 x 500mg capsules on alternate days.

I found when I first started taking it last year that I felt nauseous for a little while after taking it which then disappeared for the rest of the day. This lasted a few weeks but then stopped. I imagine that everyone reacts differently to it and it can take the body a while to adjust. I think some people find it better to take it at a particular time of day - I take mine first thing in the morning. Maybe discuss this with your haematologist and see what they say.

As for side effects, well my hair hasn't fallen out (I'm male and don't have much left anyway) but I do feel that what I have is thinner than it was and doesn't grow as fast since starting on hydroxy. The website I mention above has a long list of common or very common side effects (more than are printed on the information leaflet), the first in the list being alopecia which is hair loss. So I guess we all have to deal with a variety of side effects that vary from person to person.

Good luck anyway and hope things settle down for you.

Paul

[hunter5582]

Alopecia is a common adverse effect of HU. online.epocrates.com/drugs/...

[Wyebird]

Yes that’s something I haven’t got used to. Unfortunately Anagrelide has the same side effect. and Peg it’s supposed to be only temporary. I’m not holding my breath now that I’m just on Peg.