Hair

I'm on sulph and mtx together . Feel ok most of time but ankles get very sore and swollen. Any advice for thinning hair

[Hidden]

DMARD medication can support hair loss, although given time and not taking of this medication should slow this down.

You could approach your RA Nurse and explain above to her, She may be able to give a different cock tail from the DMARD group. There may be a result there. Has your Specialist offered -TNF for your condition??

I am loosing my hair without these medications as I am now sixty five, My hair loss is like a well worn carpet with noticeable holes like a monk I even suffer sunburn on my naked pate. and get bitten from the Scottish Midge. So personally I am at a loss on ways to stop hair loss in my situation LOL.

Sad to say I suppose we have to look at the positive, negative problems of these drugs and make informed choices when it come to RA treatments.

Good Luck

BOB

[nomoreheels]

I suppose much depends on how much hair you're losing Coiscuain. When I first started on MTX I had some hair loss but having it cut shorter & not needing to style it so much helped a lot. Gentle shampoos, even baby shampoo & a good conditioner may be a help too & the less product used the better as the hair can become brittle I found The longer I've been taking MTX the better it's been, in fact the regrowth is a better texture & definitely wavy. Sulfasalazine is one DMARD I've not had so sorry can't help so much there. I think maybe an increase in folic acid has also helped me, 6 x 5mg weekly each day except injection day.

Have you been prescribed an NSAID to help with inflammation? You don't say how long you've been taking this combination but if it's fairly recently it might be a case of waiting a little longer as neither are particularly quick working, they do need some time to build up. If you've been on them some time maybe you need a review.

Hope this helps?

[Livingston]

Are your blood counts OK? Anaemia can cause hair loss.

[allanah]

I has it but it slowed down after a month or two x

[angel-delight]

Hi,

I had some hair loss when taking MTX, I am no longer on that medication but I have a lot more of a problem with prednisilone 20mg a day. I get my hair cut short every 5-6 weeks and my hairdressers gives me a treatment each time which has really helped. I also use Fibrology shampoo and conditioner which I feel personally helps. I have been told that once I have stopped taking the steroid my hair will grow back. I do think that having my hair cut and keeping it short has helped the most. My hair seems to look frizzy and it is definitely more curly, going back to when I was a baby, I am 66 now.

Good luck, take care, S x

[Mall]

Go have been on both these drugs and still take methotrexate. Sulpha didn't cause hair loss but metho did / does. I have a shorter hairstyle and have my hair layered which gives it more body. My hair is also finer now but that could be an age thing as I am now 60. I've never had any bald areas but I am aware that it is thinner. My family say they haven't noticed the difference. I am on the max does of 25 mgs metho per week and have been for over 20 years. I take folic acid 6 days a week and this certainly helps to offset metho side effects. I don't use harsh products like dyes bleaches perms etc and my hair although slightly thinner is quite healthy and looks ok.

You could discuss with your rhuemy team altering your drug regime if this becomes a serious problem for you. I found that metho was such a good drug for me that I was happy to put up with a bit of hair thinning. Best wishes, hope it settles soon. Mall

[jinirules]

I have 3 hairs left sometimes it is the condition itself usually when you are ill the first thing to go is hair loss ...... And sadly I used to have very beautiful hair and now you can see my skull