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asacol and hair loss

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Posted 9/20/2011 7:08 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, you need to let the process slow down..continue the meds and the supplements.

You won't notice any changes for at least a few months.
Micromanaging will only have you more distressed.

Yes, check for the "sprouts"....

Patience and don't freak out!!!

Purchase the Nioxin system...#4 if you have coloured fine hair, #6 if you have non-coloured or coloured med/coarse hair, #2 if you have natural hair fine hair.

Hang tough....LivingAgain's post is what you should take to heart/mind.

q
Posted 9/20/2011 7:09 PM (GMT 0)
oh fortot to add....this is to stress, not to yell...
THE HAIR FALLING OUT MEANS A NEW ONE HAS PUSHED IT OUT....SO IT'S ON ITS WAY!

Q
Posted 10/3/2011 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hi again all,

So I am down to 4 Asacol twice a day and my hair is still falling out. I googled "TE" and found out that it's usually triggered by an event three months earlier, and on my timeline that's when I started the Asacol. My flare was really bad and I was really sick about six months before the hair loss.

I've read in some other threads that the loss slowed down and hair came back even while staying on the Asacol...if that's the case, how many more months of hair loss will I experience (I'm at almost two months now with no change, no new sprouts popping up, even weirder is when I go a few days without shampooing I don't get the greasy buildup I usually do)?

Do I dare to go off the meds and see if it stops?

I am in despair once again over this and that's probably making it worse, I know. Just wanted some more thoughts on what to do going forward.
Posted 10/3/2011 5:08 PM (GMT 0)
Were you taking prednisone before the Asacol? Prednisone made my hair come in really thick when I was sick, then the withdrawal made it fall out. I was on Asacol the whole time. I was blaming it and I was panicking.

Is your hair thin at the crown or everywhere?

Please don't go off your meds to stop hair loss.

It took a year and a half for my hair to come back. So much of sickness is having patience. I do believe your hair will come back.
Posted 10/3/2011 8:37 PM (GMT 0)
Hi journey2health,

I was on prednisone from the end of April until the second week of August. I started the Asacol at the beginning of June. What would your theory be?

Since I cut my hair shorter (like a chin length bob) I can't really tell where the loss is...basically I lose a lot in the shower and while blow-drying and then if I run my hands through it during the day I almost always lose a hair or two. It's probably a bit worse at the crown.

I appreciate the advice and reassurance. I guess there's never really a guarantee of anything (news flash) but hair loss is really so mortifying, especially for a middle-aged woman...hair was the one thing I feel like I still had going for myself!
Posted 10/3/2011 8:49 PM (GMT 0)
All I know is you had to be really, really sick to have to go on pred. Sickness and Pred withdrawal will cause hair loss and it takes a long time to bounce back. If you have missing patches of hair you are balding. If it's overall thinning it should come back. In middle age, we will never have the thickness of hair we did when we were younger. I was exactly where you were. In an extreme panic over it on this board and feeling bad that I just wasn't thankful enough that i had my health, or that asacol was giving me my health back. My doc told me the asacol hair loss was a trade off. So it's associated with hair loss but that doesn't mean it won't come back. I am on 8 asacol a day, and I'm staying put. I was on 12, but I don't think the larger dose caused any more ill effects than the smaller dose.

Try to calm down and not overthink the timing of your start of asacol. I'll bet you'll see the sprouts, but even after then it will take a long time.
Posted 10/4/2011 9:44 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks, journey2health.

Last night we got six inches of rain in two hours and our basement had four feet of water in it this morning. No coverage for flash flood on homeowners. Lost photographs, possible permanent damage to furnace and electrical box.

Woke up with blood on stool and hair falling out like crazy.

I am going to be bankrupt and bald (and possibly moldy).

Trying to maintain a sense of perspective but am having trouble. Local news broadcast just now from my driveway.
Posted 10/4/2011 10:33 PM (GMT 0)
I can totally relate to your hair loss situation. I have had UC for 15 years and in March, I had the second worst flare I have ever had. My doc had me using 2 Cortenemas daily and suppositories in addition to my daily 8 Pentasa pills. I started to feel better the first week of July and all bleeding stopped...Praise God! Well, since the middle of August, I have been losing clumps of hair. I have only had hair loss this severe one other time and it was not this severe. I have so much thinning and balding areas that you can see my entire scalp on the top and sides of my head. I may have about 30% of my hair left.
My hair was shoulder length and very fine but I had LOTS of hair. I had it cut short and it continues to fall out at the same rate. I went and got fitted for a wig 2 weeks ago and purchased an awesome wig that I now wear daily to work. As a teacher, I did not want to scare my students with my massive hair loss. I KNOW that my hair will grow back...it did before and it will again. Yes, it will take time but remember that being healthy is the key and that is so much more important than hair. This is just our bodies reaction to the stress of the illness and all the meds. I still have my moments when I feel a little down about it but I am so grateful to be well.
I do take herbs and vitamins for hair growth and I use a natural topical shampoo, conditioner, and topical solution for hair regrowth. No peach fuzz or new growth yet but I am believing it will come back.
Keep your chin up and focus on staying healthy! You can always get hats or a wig.
God Bless,
Lisa
Posted 10/5/2011 4:23 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Fadoozle,

You sound exactly like me and how things played out on this message board a year to year and a half ago. I was fixated on my hair loss and trying everything to stop it. When I stopped paying attention to it that's when it came back. Please stop trying to figure it out. Just remember when you see the sprouts, you know you're on your way. And you will see them.
Posted 10/6/2011 1:19 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks lisalisaassc and journey2health,

My basement is now dry and our hot water heater and furnace are working...thank goodness.

Meanwhile, I am still obsessed about the hair loss. My question is, if Asacol is the culprit, and I keep taking it, can I expect to go completely bald? I'm not losing clumps--it's just thinning really, really badly. I don't feel like I need a wig but if things continue as they are in about a month or so that's probably what I'm looking at.

journey2health, how many months did your hair keep falling out before it finally stopped?

I know I should just let it go, as I should many things that I can't control. There is no way of knowing if I'll lose it all or if it'll ever come back, just as there was no way of knowing that a flash flood would destroy my basement on Monday night. But I still seek a little false sense of security on this one.
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