Methotrexate and Hair loss..... My RA Experience.....giving Methotrexate Injections

Hello, I decided to write about hair loss and Methotrexate because I keep reading about people who are having great difficulty dealing with this and who are scared to take their medication. I will give a detailed full account about what happened to me and my experience with hair loss and methotrexate. Keep in mind everyone reacts differently to the drug. At the end I will give my experience with Methotrexate injections.

I just started taking Methotrexate two months ago. I started on 15mg (6 pills) for first 2 weeks, then went up to 20mg/week (8 pills). I also take 5mg Folic Acid. The first few times I took Methotrexate were the worst, the day after taking the methotrexate I had bad nausea, but once I ate something I felt better (weird eating when you feel nausea). I also had extreme fatigue, it felt like I had run a marathon and was exhausted to the core, kind of like I was out of breath, like there wasn't enough oxygen in my blood to get a good breath, basically I felt like I was hit with a truck! I also had burning stomach pains.... On my second week of methotrexate (at the lower dose) I started to lose hair, it came out in my hands as I was washing it, some were full strands, other places my hair just broke off part way, mostly all in the front-top and sides of my head. As I brushed it, I could feel it breaking off. I got pretty scared. I told my doctor. He said a few people do lose all their hair and that losing hair will not harm my health, most people just lose some, and very few don't lose any. He also reminded me that my RA needs to be treated, and the benefits outweigh the side effects. I have very long hair and as a woman, its the one part of my 'physical' self that I feel gives me beauty, but I had to agree with my doctor that the benefits of the drug, outweigh the side effects, as hair can grow back. I asked for more Folic Acid, because I read in chat that it will stop hair loss. I was told that taking more Folic Acid will not stop your hair from falling out, but it will help with other side effects like nausea and fatigue. I continued taking what I was prescribed. My hair continued to fall out during the 3rd, and 4th week of taking Meth., then it stopped. In total my hair loss happened over a 3 week period during my 2nd, 3rd and 4th week on methotrexate.

I have been down a long path to get a diagnosis, over 5 long years with my family physician fiddling to find what was wrong with me, by the time I was referred to a Rheumy, I was already advanced into the disease with bone erosion in my feet and hands. I am happy to say that the Methotrexate is working good for me, the flaming-burning fire in my hands, wrists, feet and knees has greatly improved!

After the 4th week of methrexate (at the higher dose) my hair has stopped falling out. I have very thick hair to begin with and I could afford to lose some, and I wear it in such a style, what did fall out can be covered, except for where it broke off, those hairs are shorter than all the rest and stick straight up! haha it looks sort of like I have static cling. I remedy this by using lots of hairspray. The hair that fell out happened within the first month of taking Methotrexate and equaled to filling two sandwich baggies worth of hair (remember I have long and thick hair)

I have recently switched to the Methotrexate injections and my stomach pains are completely gone. I am happily taking Methotrexate because it is slowing down the progression of my RA, and will hopefully one day put me into remission.

For those contemplating injections......
Its not bad at all. You will be given a prescription for your vials of yellow liquid Methotrexate. You will also have an appointment either with a nurse (mine was my Rheumys nurse) or with your family physician, to be trained to give injections. The first time, the nurse will walk you through it, and she will inject you. You will be sent home with a few syringes and a vial of salt water and some alcohol wipes to practice. Once you inject yourself one time...you are a pro. Its just the initial first time that is hard (it doesn't hurt one bit) you may hesitate thinking it will hurt....It wont. The needle is so razor sharp, it slides in and you don't feel it.
The next week you go back, and this time you inject yourself in front of the nurse, if you 'Graduate' you are then on your own....if you don't then they will ask you to come back again for more training.

The needles used to inject Methotrexate are very short, they are the same needles diabetics use, the orange capped ones (insulin needles). The injections do not go down into the muscle (intramuscular), they go only under the skin (subcutaneously).

I hope this post can help someone by answering their questions or just to let them know they are not alone out there.

Thanks for replying Chartreux!

Im sorry to hear you also had a bad doctor who wouldn't listen and you are right, the damage is done.

Thank you for mentioning Biotin, I will give it a try. Although the hair loss seems to have stopped, I worry it may start again.

I currently just pinch and inch on my belly and inject there, alternating sides each week.

I was told by my Rhuemy that a long time ago (maybe not that long ago) that these injections were given by a doctor and given intramuscular, but as science advanced they learned it is just as effective given subcutaneously.

Thank you again Chartruex for responding!