Hair loss

[Anna21]

Diagnosed with PMR 3 years ago. Taken Pred since then. The last 6 months I have noticed a lot of hair loss from my head, also lost the hair under my arms. Presume it was due to taking Pred. Is this correct or is there anything else which could be causing it?

[Annodomini]

It's easy to blame everything on PMR/pred. However, I lost most of my body hair - and half my eyebrows - due to hypothyroidism, long before I was diagnosed with PMR. If you haven't already had a test for this, it might be worth investigating.

[Anna21]

Thank you I will look into it

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I had nothing like that with the first sort of pred I was on but I heard others mention it. With the second sort of pred my hair went hairwire and a lot of body hair became thin. With the current sort of pred my hair is back to normal - and I'm just starting to need to shave my legs! Underarms are still OK. I'm enjoying it to be honest!

[caz3333]

Hi, Sorry to hear of your hair loss and I have to say I have also been suffering the same. I have been taking pred for over a year now and currently on 5mg. The hair loss from my head and under arms started about 8 mths ago and I went to see the gp about it. They were quite surprised and said that pred would have the opposite effect and that it was possibly the risedronate and to stop taking that. they said it could also be my hair shampoo or having it dyed? I have stopped taking the risedronate and only have my hair highlighted now and again and use a shampoo that hasn't got a certain chemical in it (can't remember the name off hand) but its expensive from Soap and Glory and my hair is still falling out !! so I honestly think that its the pred even though I am on a low dose. I am desperate to reduce the pred even more and have tried to drop to 4mg but I am crippled in the morning when I lower it to 4mg so have to stay on 5mg for now. I am only telling you all this as you could be the same as me and be having the opposite effect of the pred when everyone keeps telling me I should be hairy !! I wish. Good luck and I suppose you could experiment like I have been to see if it is anything else causing the hair loss.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to caz3333]

For me the only thing it could have been was pred - I have never taken any of the other stuff.

I also wonder where your GP learnt his pharmacology. Pred commonly causes hair loss - and if there is to be excessive hair growth it is usually on your face. That happened to me with Medrol: a lovely dark beard (I've been totally white since I was 40) whereas leg and underarm hair became finer and finer and head hair went frizzy and almost stopped growing. I was also one of the 10% with a line of hair down my stomach (like you often find in pregnancy) and for the first time in my life that has gone altogether.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Anna21,

As has been said on this forum many times, different people react differently to Pred. Before I was diagnosed with GCA my hair was beginning to become thin, very upsetting when you've had a lifetime of long curly locks! However, a few months in it began to look better again, and now two & half years it is almost back to its former self, however, like PMRPro I no longer have to shave my legs and armpits! Crazy when you think about it. Have you talked to either your pharmacist and/or your hairdresser about the problem? DorsetLady

[Anna21]

Thank you for your comments. I have stopped dying my hair for 2 years, (no chemicals). I now have curly hair again which I like. So it is also probably better than having too much body hair.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

See my latest reply to caz!

[caz3333]

Many thanks for the replies. I do think its the pred that's causing the hair loss and i guess at the end of the day we are all different so will react differently to these drugs. I am wondering if I have an under active thyroid due to hair loss, weight gain, fatigue/tired and slightly depressed? but have always put this down to PMR but I am having doubts about this now after reading all the other posts.

[shoib]

Hair fall can be caused by many different reason which may or may no have any relation to Pred. Like Annodomini I too suffer from hypothyroid and have always had weight and hair fall issues. Before i was diagnosed with with thyroid I blamed my lifestyle and everything under the sun but never thought this could be because of a medical condition. It was only after my thyroid levels really shot up and I became depressed did i consult a doctor who recommended medicines for thyroid and hair loss pills like justdoc.com/medicine/beplex... that I started recovering steadily. So, my advice is instead of taking guesses about why you are suffering from hair loss, it is better to get a professional opinion. Hair loss can be a symptom for other diseases too. In very rare cases is it just the hair loss which is the problem. I hope I made my point.