Hello, I have recently joined the site and found all the comments helpful and interesting. I was diagnosed with GCA last September, started on 60mg of pred and just after Christmas was on 15mg, however the pains returned in my head and now back on 25mg. I have experienced the fatigue/insomnia from the onset and got servere acne just before Christmas but what surprises me is my hair has started to go thin and straggley but only in the last 3 weeks. Why would this happen now and not 3 months ago when I first started pred? I have had the Pfizer vaccination and all went well.
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Lagoon2
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Hi Lagoon2.I and others have experienced similar. Pred has caused my hair to thin significantly.
It takes approximately 10 to 16wks for any change in circumstances to manifest in things like hair condition, skin condition or nail condition. So anything like illness or dietary changes (for good or bad) won't show any visible difference for approximately 3months. This is because of the natural duration of cellular regrowth and the length of time that new cells are reproduced and then shed from the body. I think I'm correct in saying that this is the normal pattern of behaviour,so as distressing as it is to be suffering some hair loss, the time scale for it manifesting is probably what you'd expect.
The hair loss could well be down to the stress your body is under from the autoimmune disease itself rather than Pred or maybe a combination of the disease and the steroids. It happened to me a few years back with PMR. My hairdresser was really helpful and knowledgable. She gave me a clever layer cut and introduced me to a good range of natural products ( Kevin Murphy). In the end, even I could make my hair look decent. The condition was self limiting and in spite of a further diagnosis of GCA, the hair loss hasn’t returned.The fatigue and insomnia are difficult side effects to deal with. I was prescribed 10 mgs of Amitriptyline to be taken one hour before bed and this really helped my body to relax and become comfortable enough to sleep. It is an on- going problem though and 5 years on I still have nights without quality sleep and nod off as soon as I sit down, downstairs. The days that I have managed a good walk go much better.
As Kendrew explains, it often does take a few months for the effect of illness to show in your hair - and it could well be the GCA rather than the pred, especially you had any scalp symptoms.
The ends of mine is straglly - but that has more to do with it being exactly a year since it was cut!!!!!!
It is not unknown uncommon to get a 'flare' at the six months level with GCA and sometimes a second one. My first was exactly 6 months down the line, I had to go back to 60mg and start again. The second came along later on.
As 25mg seems to be working for you, please do not rush to get further down and when you do start reducing, no more than 10% at a time and take at least 3 or 4 weeks before you start another reduction. On the right hand side of this page, you will see pinned posts, click on Tapering Steroids. Knowledge is Power and I hope that is your only flare.
Always remember that both PMR and GCA come when they like and go when they like into remission. The aim with the pred is to keep that inflammation under control. Especially with GCA.
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