Hair Loss and Mesalamine

Quick question: Has anyone had experience with hair loss while on mesalamine either oral meds or enemas?  I am on both Lialda  and Rowasa and have been for awhile. (I was on Asacol for many years but changed to Lialda about 4 months ago.) I am noticing a thinning of my hair and presence of more hair on my comb and brush.  I read that this can be a side effect of mesalamine.  Not sure if it is common or rare or how bad it gets if it is indeed really occurring.  Many thanks.

 

diagnosed with UC (proctitis to 15 cm) August 2001

4 tablets daily of Lialda 1.2g

1 Rowasa enema nightly

62, married female

It's one of the side effects that a few have complained about. Some, however, were on Prednisone beforehand...

There are other meds that can also cause hairloss...meds for cholesterol or high blood pressure..as well as being past menopause or low or high thyroid.

Definitely get checked out for thyroid and I suggest you make sure you take B complex.

I do go through periods where it seems I'm losing more hair than normal (about 100 hair daily is the norm)...but my hair is longer at this time and I'm noticing it more. It could also be this time of the year or I'm in a phase of having more hair falling out because of time of year..etc.

I've been on 5ASA meds for over 19 years, and with age, I've noticed some change in the amount of hair I have...but I wouldn't say I'm losing hair.

Do you wash it regularly? brush it regularly?

quincy

malnutrition or lacking or sudden change in certain vitamins and hormones will cause hairloss. Of course, there is an autoimmune hairloss..where the body attacks the hair in the follicle.

q

I wondered about this a few weeks back, too, but my mesalamine is Asacol.  I definitely think that there is a relationship between hair loss and mesalamine, and maybe yours was triggered by the change in your meds. 

But, I also think there are probably other factors involved, like lack of protein, hormone shifts (as quincy mentioned, thyroid, for example), and other nutritional changes that occur when you switch meds.  There are so many factors that could apply.

My best reassurance was from my hair dresser, who told me that I had no bald patches and tons of little hairs growing back in.  They're also growing in thicker and curlier.  What a relief!  You might check with your hairdresser.

  

I take Canasa once per day as my only UP med and have also noticed hair loss, I'm glad you posted on this! Been taking it for about 3 months & I'm shedding like crazy.

I am also currently going through hair loss, which has lasted about five weeks so far.  I pretty much can pull it out by the handful after washing my hair.  I am waiting on blood tests to see if that might shed some light.  If all of your tests checked out, could it be something you have done to your hair lately, like getting a perm?  I got a perm about two weeks before my hair started falling out, and my scalp is still very sore after all of this time (like when you wear your hair differently than the way it naturally falls).  I have read that could be due to scarring from the perm solution.  I have also read that hair tends to fall out three to four months after you have had an illness.  Were you sick a few months back?

Thanks, quincy!  I will definitely find out what perm solution was used.  No sores--but according to my husband, no new hair growing, either.  I will probably take a long vacation from getting my hair permed at all.

I take Asacol and I've never had any hair loss problems.

I just realized my hair loss is due to Lialda--mesalamine.  I went on it in April, 2008 and have always had thick curly wild hair so it took awhile to realize, but it is now very thin, bad texture and I probably lost half my hair.  Blood tests recently taken were all fine.  Since I have never had this problem, am 47, just started taking Lialda and my doctor had an oh my goodness look when I told him of this side effect and told me to go to 2 tablet instead of 4, all signs indicate it is the Lialda.  I have been on 2 tablets for 3 weeks and it doesn't seem like I am losing as much, but my hair isn't getting any thicker or looking any better considering I am eating alot of protein and taking alot of vitamins.  So for some of us the lialda is the reason for the hair loss.

Hair regrowth will take about 3 - 4 months to start showing at the scalp....consider it grows about a half inch a month, so your other hair won't be thicker unless you use some products that can enhance it.

q

I officially am losing hair from Pentasa now... Guess I need to start a Rogaine regimen? I was under the impression that once you started rogaine you couldn't stop using it though as the new "regrowth" would fall out... Any truth to this? Anybody try Propecia?

Mesalamine absolutely causes hair loss-in fact, it says it on the drug insert for Canasa (Mesalamine sups). Also, My GI said all Mesalamine can cause hair loss, sometimes short term, sometimes long term. Unfortunately, I have lost a great deal due to this :-(