Eyelashes thinning!

[Fluffontoast]

Hi, I was on Methotrexate for about 5 months but my hair was falling out so my rheumatologist prescribed sulfasalasine which I started today. Anyway, I noticed a few weeks ago that my eyelashes have gone very thin too. I get quite dry sticky eyes sometimes so I'm not sure if that's the cause or whether it was the Methotrexate and whether they'll grow back now I've come off it. So sad because I liked having eyelashes! I feel like a plucked chicken!

[Gramma3]

I am on methotrexate and I have noticed eye lash loss too. I didn't have many to start with.

[mogs231 in reply to Gramma3]

I was on mtx for months ...hair thinning /eyelashes gone only to be told I dont have RA!! so it was all stopped but still no difference only taking pain killers now as I have oesteo in my spine and fibromyalgia!!! what next???

/

[LitChief]

Methotrexate has so many side effects, I'm sorry this is happening to you! I was on it, with sulfalazine, and then with folic acid (as my skin got very loose and chunks of it would come out, leaving me with deep wounds, if I knocked off something) but had to come off it as my liver enzymes went up. I am not on meds now as I can control the psoriatic arthritis with diet luckily, but thought I'd let you know I use castor oil on my eyelashes and eyebrows at night as they were thinning due to age and they have both grown back. Its v cheap and has no side effects that i know about, bar staining my pillowcase! Good luck with your meds.

[MJSlide1958 in reply to LitChief]

Gosh! How is your skin problem now? Did you use a special cream to get better and manage to normal?

[LitChief in reply to MJSlide1958]

No they increased my folic acid which helped. I then had to come off methotrexate anyway as it was affecting my liver

[MJSlide1958 in reply to LitChief]

Thank you, reassuring to know that folic acid helped with skin problem. I hope your liver readings are back to normal and meds are working.

[lilyak]

Are you saying you stopped medications because your eyelashes are thinning?

I am doing a research project, so I am interested.

[Fluffontoast in reply to lilyak]

No, they changed my meds due to hair loss on my head

[MistyDay]

No woman wants hair loss or thinning but it seems to be a common side effect of many RA meds. I could not tolerate methotrexate. I was on sulphazalazine for decades and my hairdresser commented on my excess hair loss when she washed my hair. She suggested I saw my GP. My GP tested my vit d levels. They were low. I have been taking vit d ever since but I do have short breaks in the summer.The hair on my head is much thicker now. My eyelashes have not recovered to what they once were. I now take benepali and my rheumatologist stopped the SZ as taking both together is not recommended.

[medway-lady]

I had extreme hair loss and the MTX was stopped for Lefludamide which was great. Then dur to an AKI it’s AZA and Etanercept which still don’t work as well as LEF did.

[CagneysMum]

I started using Marine Collagen Powder when I lost a lot of hair on methotrexate but noticed after a while that my eyebrows started to grow back thicker also. Maybe it would work on eye lashes ? I just stir/mix a heaped teaspoon into a cup of coffee once a day. Purchased through Amazon. Good luck

[cyberbarn]

While there is no doubt that some medications cause hair loss, it is also worth remembering that other conditions can cause hair loss such as hypothyroidism which is another autoimmune disease. Once someone has one autoimmune condition they are more likely to have another. My eyelashes were sparse due to hypothyroidism before I started MTX and and a year after stopping they are still in the same condition.

[hazelcats in reply to cyberbarn]

Yes my eyebrows have almost gone completely. I have to use eye crayon every day. Have had underactive thyroid for many years. Just had to up thyroxine to 150. Cant see them growing back at all. The loss has been happening for years.

Only been on mtx ( and now hydroxy too) for 9months so for me I think its thyroid related.

[Sebastian247]

Sorry to hear that. As a chap who was already losing his hair....I can't be certain the MTX contributed, but I did lose significantly more hair over the time I was on MTX. As I was losing it anyway it doesn't make any difference to me, but I can believe MTX increased the speed of hair loss. But hair loss is such a significant issue, and rarer for women it must be incredibly distressing. Hopefully things will revert back to normal for you. Best wishes.

[Vixen2]

Hi. I think we can all empathise. I have an infusion of Infliximab every 6 weeks. (Been on it for 21 yrs). At the beginning, i would have steroids with the infusion. But i started to notice people on the street, staring at my crown. I heard them say i was losing my hair. I shouldn’t care what rude strangers say. But my pride was bruised. So i asked them to stop the steroids. It grew back straight away. I go on them when i have a flare. Just not everytime i have an infusion. I’m 53. When i was younger, i had really thick, long eyelashes. They’re still long, just not quite as thick. I think it’s the joys of ‘maturing’. There are some really good mascaras out there. (Thank God!) Good luck with your hair. It’s very important for us to feel at least one part of our body’s ‘working’. When you have a chronic condition, it’s like you’re ‘under attack’ all the time. Plus it might be a bit of vanity too. But i don’t care. Hair’s extra important to a woman. Good luck. X

[PCStrawberry]

Dry eyes, thinning lashes and RA ... it's quite possible you have a hitchhiker causing it. Ask your MD about Sjögren's syndrome.

[TexasKelly in reply to PCStrawberry]

I have Sjogrens - but I didn't think losing lashes was a side effect. I'm almost positive I looked it up. Is it?

[PCStrawberry in reply to TexasKelly]

Yes. SJS often generates anterior blepharitis which can result in the loss of eyelashes.

[Blackberrywine]

Could it be you have blepheritis? I had this for a while and it caused eyelash issues.

[Fluffontoast]

Thanks for all your comments

[Jesnaskah]

You can try an eyelash growth serum. I like Scorolash because it isn't the medicated kind of lash serum (like Latisse) it doesn't have any prostaglandin analogues and no bimatoprost. It helped my lashes get darker, thicker, and longer. It takes some ppl a lot of time, for me it took around 3-4 months to realize, wow! My lashes look amazing. Some people see results much quicker. I'm in the US, hopefully wherever you are, you can get your hands on something similar, if you want to give it a try. Now if I can only stop hair loss. I've tried it all. I mean ALL.

RA itself can affect hair follicles so no matter what I do, I can't get control over it.

[Mabelove]

I was losing hair and lashes. However, for the last 6 months I have been using collagen ( Peptide) my hair is thicker, shinier and eyelashes are actually longer than I ever had them. I am also on Methotrexate , Salazopyrin and Amgevita (sorry for spelling) my iron levels were very low too which apparently contributed to hair loss. Rheumotology gave me all clear to start collagen which has also improved stiffness .

Hope it improves for you 😘

[jackNruby2]

I don'y know about your eyelashes but I assume it's part of the decease, but I would get your eyes checked in case it's bleapharitis or sjogrens syndrome which is often a component of Inflammatory Arthritis

[L8kside]

I was on methotrexate for about. Month and my hair started falling out (I have fine hair). So I called dr he took me off and started sulfsalazine- my hair kept falling out! I was like nope. Not gonna lose all my for these drugs! So I quit the Skyrizi that had helped my skin psoriasis but not my joints. Here’s hoping I keep my hair(it is growing back)! And my joints feel better. I’d have a hard time staying on the meds with hair loss while on them. I’m sorry your lashes are thinning and hope you find the right meds But I’d guess the Mxt and Sulfzalazine both caused your lashes to thin..

[Ashley1014]

I’m on mtx and my hair, eyelashes, and eye brows have thinned. I only wear mascara maybe a day or two a week to give my eyelashes a break. I haven’t plucked or waxed my brows in years. My hair has bald spots and is so thin that I use thickening sprays and shampoos and have quit coloring it. I’m also on enbrel and I assume it also has an affect on my hair. I take folic acid and biotin for hair health but I don’t believe it does much.