Hairloss

[Guest guest]

I have off of arava for about 6 months now. I just hope it gets better. I

know it takes forever to get out of the system.

Funny how some hair comes back curly. I would like that too. lol it can

come back in stripes as long as it comes back.

HUgs..paula

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

I experienced hair loss several years ago while taking methotrexate. It had

gotten so bad that I washed my hair one day, gathered up the handfuls that fell

out in the sink as I was very gently detangling it, which filled a quart ziplock

bag and took it in to my rheumy at my appointment that afternoon. I informed her

that this was happening every single day. I was also having gum and mouth

problems. She took me off the metho and within a few weeks the hair loss and gum

problems started clearing up. I was taking the folic acid as instructed and a

multi vitamin. At that time all we could figure out was it was the metho.

Recently I have started to lose more hair than normal again. Most notably where

I part my hair in the middle right at the hairline. My PCP asked me about stress

levels (like we don't have anything to stress about with this disease LOL),

vitamin supplements (which I take so routinely that if I miss it I realize it

within an hour), changes in shampoo, etc. Nothing is different.

While watching a show on HGTV a couple of months ago there was a decorator in

NYC and she was completely bald. I looked her up on the internet and found out

she has an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss! It is called alopecia

areata. I can't remember what she said triggered it but it comes and goes. I am

wondering if that might not be what many of us experiencing hair loss have going

on. It is worth checking into.

Pamela, is your thyroid problem under control now? Thyroid disease itself causes

hair loss. See if your doctor will do a test for that. I know doctors can be a

pain, but there are some good ones out there. Eventually you will come across

one who will listen to you. I had a problem when I lived in Fort Worth finding a

PCP that would listen but my rheumy made up for it. Now I live in Oklahoma and

my rheumy leaves a lot to be desired but my PCP is awesome! My rule of thumb is

if on the initial visit the doctor doesn't seem to want to listen to me I move

on to another doctor. After all it is my body and I have to live with it so I

figure I should be kind of an expert on what is going on with it! LOL Also any

doctor that dismisses something that is psychologically important to someone

such as hair loss as insignificant, well they aren't really concerned about a

persons overall health. Half of our battle is dealing with this disease on a

psychological level. Learning to live with PsA is difficult enough without

adding something that distresses us on top of it. Feel free to write me off the

list if you would like Pamela. I can't treat your hair loss but I can listen and

offer support!

Big gentle hugs!

Dalene

[Guest guest]

Thanks so much Dalene. NO methotrexate at all for me. My thyroid levels are

finally balanced. My iron and vitamin D levels are improving. BUT the hairloss

keeps getting worse. I have had 5 scalp biopsies that ruled out alopeica areata.

I have spent 7 years now exhausting myself looking for answers, doctors, meds,

to no avail. I have stopped all my meds but the Armour because nothing was

helping me. My hair had fallen out for years, but once I started taking Humira

is when it got this bad. I have been off for a month now. I am unable to work,

money is tight, I can't drive because I can't turn my neck, so things are tough

to say the least. And yeah, I continue to fill up that ziplock bag every day. My

new rheumy told me he sees hairloss all the time and there's nothing that can be

done about it. So I went to an alternative dr who disagreed and said " your body

is in trauma, something is going on and your hair is showing it. " Thank

you...that's what I have been saying for 7 years Mam. I just hope she can figure

it out before I completely lose my mind. My whole life has been turned upside

down and even with my strong faith I don't know how much more I can take.

Thanks for listening.

[Guest guest]

Thyroid issues alone can cause that though. I hope you find a way to get it

under control.

Gareeth

[Guest guest]

Hi Pamela,

Have you had your B vitamin levels checked? And I think E and K also affect hair

growth. I have an aunt who is in her late 70s who takes a certain B vitamin for

her hair. And she has thick, healthy hair!

Also my ex-husband (whom I have remained good friends with) reminded me last

night about a time in my early 20s when I was having a lot of hair loss. In my

early 20s my hair was so thick I couldn't buy ponytail holders big enough to

hold my hair! I had to use ribbons tied real tight LOL. With two young children

and only his income to live on I was cutting corners by buying cheap shampoos.

My doctor at that time ran all kinds of tests and checked all my vitamin levels

and could find nothing. He asked me about my shampoo so I took it to him. He

read the label of ingredients and told me right away to throw that shampoo away.

He explained the when they list ingredients the first ingredient is what is used

the most in it and then the second ingredient and on down. The second ingredient

listed was formaldehyde. Eek! He told me formaldehyde kills the hair follicles!

So ever since then I have looked at the list and if I even see formaldehyde

listed I don't buy it.

On the vitamin issue, I had a boyfriend in the early 90s whose kids were losing

their hair and finger nails. I finally convinced him that wasn't normal and took

them to a doctor. He didn't even run any tests but told me all three kids were

low in vitamins. Come to find out their mother had always just fed them fried

meats, mashed or fried potatoes and spaghetti made with just tomato sauce. And

since they wouldn't eat anything else their dad went with that diet too. He

wrote a prescription for a childrens strong multivitamin and told me to get as

much veggies and fruits in them as I could, even if I had to disguise it in the

foods they would eat. It took about 6 months but gradually their hair quit

falling out in clumps and their nails grew back.

And for anyone who reads this that is having a problem getting kids to eat

veggies, you can disguise a LOT of pureed veggies in spaghetti sauce! Grated

cabbage or sauerkraut can be hidden in hashbrowns. Corn, grated carrots, grated

squashes and any other white, yellow or pale orange veggies can be hidden in

hush puppies and breads or cakes. Just a parenting or grandparenting tip for

those who need that extra bit of help LOL. I also found the kids would eat fresh

fruit if I made a 'dessert' pizza with a cream cheese sauce and that spray on

whipped topping!

Big gentle hugs,

Dalene

[Guest guest]

Drs. have tried for years...nothing yet. Thanks for the well wishes!

[Guest guest]

Hi Pamela,

Oh how I can relate to this problem! For years I took my full head of hair for

granted BUT when places became almost bald, I asked my rheumy. She advised

B-complex and Folic acid 800 mcg. Within a month there was a definite change for

the better; two months and there is lots of new hair about 1/2 inch long! Oh

VANITY!

The number of my supplements now almost outnumber my drugs! Potassium and

magnesium for muscle cramping; calcium plus minerals and Vit D for osteopenia,

fish oil for inflammation and multi-vitamin w/ added vitamins and minerals. Most

of the latter part of the list replaces what PA, IBS and fibro rob from my body.

Try B complex and folic acid and in a month, let us know if you see a

difference.

patty in a thundering Pineywoods of East Texas

[Guest guest]

Thanks for your response. I am had all my vitamin levels checked and then

checked again. I was taking 13 vitamins and the new holistic dr. cut me down to

just a few. She told me to eat more protein with every meal. Since this I have

gained 5 lbs! I was also having severe constipation from taking iron and she

told me to take molasses instead and it had really helped with that problem. I

also take biotin and folic acid (RX) strength. But nothing is changing. It

continues to fall out and my scalp hurts. Hugs back!

[Guest guest]

yes, I got a free case of yogurt and was eating lots of dairy this summer and

found it eased my psa symptoms a lot! Vitamin D is very good for us.

Marcus Tribbles