Loosing hair

[rsheffield62]

My friend has ra and has also been taking methatrexate her hair has thinned and also fell out in blotches. She also has a rash on her chin and her cheeks her doc says it is not from the drug. I find this hard to believe.

[oldtimer]

Well, it could be, but both the hair loss and the rash could also be due to other things. It's good that you are being supportive of your friend but be careful not to let your own feelings influence how she deals with the complex business of balancing the good things about treatment against the side effects.

[rsheffield62 in reply to oldtimer]

I'm just really concerned this stuff just came on her in a matter of weeks several years ago. I had a good friend many years ago with ra so I'm aware of somethings but this hair loss has me puzzled.

[AgedCrone in reply to rsheffield62]

Hair loss from drugs is a relatively common side effect in many conditions.

Mostly it only lasts a few months. ..& the hair usually settles down...however it may grow back differently.

Do you mean your friend has had hair loss for years...or that you knew someone years ago with RA?

But as old timer says RA is a serious complicated Auto Immune disease, & your friend should definitely discuss it with her Rheumatologist.

Maybe you could go along to an Appoinment with her for support.

Two sets of ears are a great benefit with this condition, as so many explanations can be put forward it's hard to take it all in.

[rsheffield62 in reply to AgedCrone]

2 different people. My friend that I speak ok now has only been taking this drug for several months maybe a year.

[AgedCrone in reply to rsheffield62]

Your friend should definitely speak to her Rheumy nurse & let her see how bad the hair loss is......

Sometimes if Methotrexate is controlling the disease it's a trade off & you get your hair cut in the best way to disguise the loss & have no pain or joint damage & hope things settle down.

Or you start changing drugs.....when it could well take ages to get something that controls the disease as well & could have other side effects as wel as pain.

The Rheumy nurse will have dealt with this problem many times & really is the first point of call for your friend....she can then decide which path to follow.

[Hidden]

Its good you are concerned for your friend. I presume the Dr is the GP. Your friend needs to speak to her Rheumatology Dept. Maybe they have a Nurse helpline. GPs are not generally clued up on RA, or thats been my experience and that of many others.

[rsheffield62 in reply to Hidden]

No it was her ra doc.

[Hidden in reply to rsheffield62]

Well.. temporary hair loss is generally listed as one of the non medical common side effects of RA. Maybe the Doc doesn't want her to give up on it too soon because of its potential benefits?

[nomoreheels]

Hair thinning caused by MTX is a common symptom it's true, it is after all used in much higher doses a chemo med, so if it is due to MTX she's experiencing is a little of what a cancer patient could experience. It's most often noticed at the start of treatment or when we have a dose increase, I've had it both early on & when my dose has been increased, having some now as I have had my dose increased recently. But, it's important to know when it was first noticed. A connection is often made to a med understandably but the disease itself can also cause similar symptoms. People with RD can also be more likely to develop other autoimmune diseases of which hair loss can be a symptom. If it came on after months of taking MTX then it's less likely to be the cause. This link from a US site may be interesting reading healthcentral.com/article/h...

Just a thought, how much folic acid has she been prescribed? It's intended to ease side effects, including hair thinning, so if she's only on one or two a week she could request it's increased if it MTX related. I take it 5mg 6 days a week, just not the day I inject. Do let her know that styling products as well as styling her hair will add to the loss.

Whilst it's nice that you're being a good & concerned friend she really should be discussing any possible side effects with either her Rheumy or Nurse Specialist. Does she have a review any time soon or if not does she had a helpline number she could call to discuss it?

[rsheffield62 in reply to nomoreheels]

She just went and they told her it wasn't due to the meds. Idk.

[nomoreheels in reply to rsheffield62]

Then he must be sure it's either disease related or from another source. Has he not started any investigations? If not she needs to go to her GP & ask he does, thyroid tests would be my first request. It sounds as though you're convinced it's a med related problem though so did the hair loss start soon after starting MTX?

In answer to your other post Enbrel can case hair loss in some, it's a listed side effect.

[ISAWAL]

I take methotrexate and about 5 months ago, I noticed my hair was thinning at the back of my head. I also took an itchy skin rash shortly after taking full dose of 8 tablets. It disappeared after about 12 hours. I decided to reduce to 6 tablets, and take 3 in the morning, and 3 about 8 hours later, and I have no reaction whatsoever now. I rarely have a flair up, so this method is working well for me.

[Hidden]

Hi, I was on methotrexate for 3 years and my hair thinned a lot, plus I felt I'll all the time, maybe try something else,🤔

[Mummyola]

Hi, I’m on methotrexate, my hair skin and nails have never been better, I had very dry brittle nails before this and thinning hair, now all the patches of hair have come back and it feels so soft and silky again. All my dry skin has gone. So I’d advise your friend to speak to her Rh nurse about it as it could be something else causing it.