Prednisone and hair loss

[remission]

has anyone found anything that will prevent the hair loss, as in, would taking Rogaine or some other hair product work to counter the effects of the prednisone. I have had PMR since June 2019 and on prednisone and my hair keeps falling out, it is so thin now. Thanks for any help

[Hidden]

Hi,

I have had issues with thinning hair while l was on Prednisolone & Methotrexate, l tried adding Biotin alongside Folic Acid.

I did look into Regaine®️(in the UK) but decided against it due to the issues l was having with BP Meds at the time.

Unfortunately for me, thinning hair became academic as l lost all my hair while on Chemo. Sadly my hair has never really recovered even after four years, (Harsh Chemo) l have however tried every shampoo, serum & elixir to no avail.

The best improvement l saw was when my Methotrexate was stopped & l finished off the Folic Acid l had to hand.......

I continue to wear a wig(s) & kind of accept its the least of my priorities however as some of the Forum know l may have NEWS on that topic by the end of the month 🙆🏻 💁🏻‍♀️

MrsN

[remission in reply to Hidden]

thankyou for your response

[HeronNS]

The list of possible side effects from rogaine would be enough, I'd have thought, to deter any of us already on meds with significant side effects.

Try these ideas instead:

allure.com/story/hair-loss-...

And apparently there have been no good studies on whether biotin supplement really helps.

[Hidden]

Be aware that taking minoxidil (Rogaine) is a temporary solution. Once you stop taking it, all the hair you've grown will fall out. Biotin will make your hair stronger and it will grow back once you stop taking the prednisone. Hang in there!

[Dontwannabesick]

I now take 5mg folic acid 6 days per week. The other day is my mtx day. It has stopped the hair loss and my hair has grown back.

[remission in reply to Dontwannabesick]

may I ask when you were diagnosed with PMR and was the 5 mg folic acid a recommendation by ur doctor? How soon did you notice results with the folic acid.

[Dontwannabesick in reply to remission]

I have GCA, diagnosed in July 2018. My rheumatologist prescribed the folic acid. At first I was on 5 mg once a week, but he increased that to 5 mg 6 days a week because of the hair loss. I think it was around a month on the higher dose that I noticed regrowth.

[Galloping]

I was diagnosed in Aug 2019 and started on 15mgs of Predniselone, now down to 5.5mgs

I haven't suffered any hair loss so far and can only put that down to a daily B complex supplement plus taking powdered marine collegen mixed into a drink. I also take VitD3 plus calcium, sometimes VitC and have just this week started taking bee bread, much too early to say if that helps with anything but I'm trying it for general wellbeing rather than a specific problem.

I'd say it's the collegen that's mainly helping and probably the B vitamins too.

I've also noticed that I don't get the purple bruising anymore either though of course that could be due to the lower doses of Pred.

My nails are also stronger and the ridges reduced which I put down to the collegen too.

It's not an overnight cure but I'd definitely say it's worth trying, and give it at least a year of daily use.

There are many brands and types on the market. I started with grass fed organic bovine but felt uneasy with that as I don't eat red meat. I then switched to marine and the effects are the same.

Mine costs about £17 for 400 grams, which, at the date of one scoop a day lasts about five weeks.

Good luck.

[remission in reply to Galloping]

but were you also put on alendronic acid for your bones? Starting to believe it's not

the prednsione that causes the hair to thin, but what they give you to prevent the bone loss

[Galloping in reply to remission]

I had already been on Alendronic Acid as a scan revealed osteoporosis long before I was diagnosed with PMR.

However, I had to come off it when it caused silent reflux, again before PMR.

I now have six monthly infusions for the osteoporosis and was given omeprazole for the reflux. None of those medications made my hair drop out and judging by the many comments on this and other PMR forums it definitely seems to be the Prednisalone and/or Methotrexate that's responsible for that.

As I've already said, I've not had a hair loss or thinning problem, not yet anyway and I credit my use of collegen for that.

[remission in reply to Galloping]

thankyou once again for your response, I absolutley love this forum and I would be loss without it. Going to check with my doctor on tuesday and see if she has any problems with me taking the collagen, from what I've been reading it's very good for the joints/inflammation/hair/nails, so shouldn't have any negative side effects. thanks again.

[remission in reply to remission]

One quick question now that I am viewing them online, what dosage of collagen are you on? Appears to be powders/pills and different strengths

[Galloping in reply to remission]

I use a powdered one that comes with a scoop. The directions say one scoop a day dissolved in a drink (I use milk)

The scoop is about the size of three teaspoons at a guess.

Your doctor should be ok with you having it, after all it's only the same as drinking bone broth made from boiling up bones with carrots, celery etc, just a more convenient way of doing it.

[remission in reply to Galloping]

thanks again, appreciate

[Hellyowl]

Are you on Alendronic Acid ? I believe alendronic acid caused my hair loss because it grew back when I stopped taking it. Doctor doesn't believe me.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Hellyowl]

saveourbones.com/do-osteopo...

patient.info/forums/discuss...

AND it is a listed adverse effect so the manufactures admit it too - so your GP obviously needs to get out more ...

[Reader7]

I've used minoxidil for years... it's been proven to regrow hair. I've had no side effects and the generic version is cheap.

[remission]

I thought of minoxidil/Rogaine, but they say once you stop ur hair starts

falling out again and warn of side effects

[PinkertonCat]

I have been using a supplement called HairForce. It has a mix of vitamins and minerals including Folic Acid and Biotin, My hair loss was alarming... it stopped upon taking the HairForce and my hair has come back quite a bit.

[remission]

May I ask if you have PMR and taking prednisone and also what strength of hairForce are you taking? My hair loss is very alarming and scares me, so need something that will work quickly...thanks for your info, appreciate it so much

[parnelly1]

Hi I had dreadfull hair loss and thinning hair about 18 months ago. I had Pmr for about 18 months at the time and was on pred. Various doses between 5mg and 15mg had a couple bad flairs. I cannot express how upset I was about my hair I looked dreadfull and became to embarrassed to go out. My hairdresser of many years advised me to have a sever cut and it was the best thing I could have done. It grew back beautifully and after maybe 6 months it was as thick and full as befor. Just short. The only other thing I did was up my vitamin c and get vit d check which was low and increase. Hope things get better soon for you.

[Megbird]

I am new on this forum. I lost my hair a while ago. This is the hardest any oerson can face. But i have learnt to live with. December Last year I started taking Biotin. It is early days still. So I won't be able to say anything about Biotin.