Hair loss

[Holycow2]

Hi all. Just a quick question. I have PMR and am taking Pred 7mg (had a flare) so went from 1 to 7 which has sorted it. The question I have is can PMR cause hair thinning/loss? I have mentioned this problem to my Dr many times and he is under the belief that it’s probably caused by the menopause. I started the menopause almost 9 years ago and am hoping I’m coming to the end but the hair loss is distressing

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I lost loads of hair with PMR (wasn't any medication to cause it) for the first 5 years. It improved with pred. Others find hair loss occurs with pred. Everyone is different.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Plenty of related posts -and have a look at this -any illness can cause hair loss -

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

More in FAQs as well -

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

[Holycow2 in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you! You really are so helpful I’m amazed!

[jinasc]

Do some research on Folic Acid. It can help but if you do decide to try it - before you do so check with your Pharmacist that it is compatible with any proscribed drugs.

Also any OTC's if you are taking any.

[Holycow2 in reply to jinasc]

athank you! I will definitely look into this! I’m probably luckier than some as I just have thinning on the crown but even so makes me very self conscious

[autumnlass in reply to Holycow2]

My GP said it was ‘ageing’! I think as PMRpro said it’s the PMR - I noticed clumps coming out months before diagnosis of PMR in July 2020. Also on the crown mostly and fringe. I find folic acid halts the shedding. Medication doesn’t help either. Thickening shampoos help confidence I find. 🍀

[Holycow2 in reply to autumnlass]

Yes! Mine was before I even knew I had PMR! I think I will look into the folic acid. Thanks!

[autumnlass in reply to Holycow2]

I also take marine collagen capsules from the A store! I think they help too. The bovine collagen capsules really upset my tummy! Good Luck! 🍀

[Holycow2 in reply to autumnlass]

Thank you! I will certainly try

[SnazzyD]

Hair loss is a common response to a systemic illness and can occur a few months after the main event. Initially my hair was lovely when on high doses of Pred but nearly all fell out 5 months after diagnosis with GCA, then the next big one was due to a bad bout of adrenal insufficiency on low doses. I am well on the way to losing most of it again probably due a very nasty bout of Covid in late July. In between it has been straight, curly, mad scientist, lovely and limp. I keep an open mind now.

[Hunter134]

I am going thru the same thing with hair loss.I was thinking it was due to being on prednisone for over 3 years.I ll need a wig soon.lol

[Holycow2 in reply to Hunter134]

Need a cure 😂

[Hunter134 in reply to Holycow2]

Sure do lol

[DianeMills]

Yes i got hair loss after taking prednisone, that was seven years ago. I wear wigs now.

[autumnlass in reply to DianeMills]

I’ve seen some lovely ones online. Never have a bad hair day! Where do you get your ones from? 👱‍♀️

[Twopies]

yes, it’s wafting through the air as we speak. Part of the problem is scalp dryness caused by the prednisone—overall skin dryness. My hair loss was really bad in the beginning, then not so bad, now bad again. Just part of the autoimmune thing; my curly hair feels like a cloud of fuzz. I read that you can do a pre-shower treatment of olive oil on the scalp,but haven’t tried it yet.

[autumnlass in reply to Twopies]

Sounds like me. ‘Cloud of Fuzz’! Since starting on MTX 7 weeks ago! Bit better now. Found that Tresemme Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner has tamed it a bit. The damp and wet of November fuelled the frizz too. 😂😂

[Holycow2]

I have bought so many even the most expensive and none have helped! I have fine hair as it is and the thinning just makes it look worse😭

[Paperroses]

I always had thick very straight long hair. Several months after I was diagnosed with pmr my hair started falling out in handfulls . A few months later it started to come back in but this time curly . I now have beautiful long curly hair if I control the frizz. I'm currently on 3mg pred.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Paperroses]

How DO you control the frizz?

[Paperroses in reply to PMRpro]

After I shampoo and condition I let hair dry by itself and when still damp I wrap in spongy curlers to keep the hair curled but but smooth. I wear it down a few days and then pull in a pony tail and then I use a curling spray to tame it down and curl the ends. If I get caught in the rain ,Its all over. My advantage is long hair that I can twist and wrap that also tames the frizz.Its harder to control in hot humid summer weather.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Paperroses]

Mine isn't pony tail length (I don't think anyway!). Maybe it is if it were straighter. The top, longer, hair is smooth waves/curls but the nape hair is only just getting to a length with curls rather than frizz. I last had it cut just before the first Covid lockdown. By the time hairdressers reopened I was just past that awful growing it out stage so I persevered.

I used to have long curls many years ago but had superb hairdressers for years who could cut it with curls. Here they can barely cut it if it is straight and you want to blow dry!!! Nightmare! They get 3 tries - the last 2 were better then the one before last, after years, suddenly lost it and insisted on trying to blow dry it as SHE wanted it. Just doesn't work!!! The last one was brilliant for 2 cuts - then no idea what she did! But then came Covid. Saves a fortune now I have embraced the curls ...

[MiniSpec]

My wife lost a lot of hair earlier this year, but we think that was a response to having Covid the previous Autumn. Anyway, as well as buying a couple of wigs to wear for work, she also greatly increased her vit D each day, and added Folic Acid. These two things combined seem to have done the trick, and she now has a full head of thicker hair than she had before.

[Predderman2020 in reply to MiniSpec]

great tip. What is her pred dose now?

[MiniSpec in reply to Predderman2020]

She's not on Pred. She doesn't have PMR, I do.

I was commenting on the fact that my wife lost her hair after having Covid. Apparently a lot of other women have lost theirs as well since having Covid, but because she took lots of Vit D and Folic acid, her hair has returned and is now thicker than ever.

[Predderman2020 in reply to MiniSpec]

thanks !

[Holycow2 in reply to MiniSpec]

Thank you!