asacol dilemma

Are you currently flaring? When I was flaring and anemic, I lost tons of hair. Defintiely get checked for anemia. I lost so much hair when I first started Asacol and eventually, it stopped falling out and grew back. I am lucky because I had a lot of hair to begin with, even when I lost a lot, I had too much.

are you taking folic acid?

It'll take another few months before you start to see any regrowth. Have you considered to add the Nioxin hair system to your hair regimen?

Curious if you're seeing any sprouts yet? you will see them more with your hair wet than dry.

q

@quincy, no sprouts. Bought Nioxin yesterday. No sprouts yet.

@allswell, it's just thinning really badly with no sign of slowing down after two months. I don't have any actual bald spots. I agree that Asacol is the mildest of the oral meds. I'm just concerned that I might be permanently screwing up my hair if it is indeed the culprit. It's so difficult to know for sure.

Since hair growth is about 1/2 inch a month, you have much time to wait until you see some results.

With so much hair falling out, that would mean the dormant state has been extended. You should see some new sprouts soon.....maybe in a month.

I'm not getting why you're focussing on just the Asacol. You won't notice results immediately either. I hope you bought the 3-part system...which # did you get?

q

I completely understand how you are feeling. A few months after my second-to-last flare, I started to lose tons of hair--I had to clean the drain after every shower, and I couldn't run my fingers through my hair without pulling out tons. I felt like it was never going to stop, and I even started looking at wigs on the web. Like you, I didn't have bald spots, just overall thinning, particularly at the temples and bangs.

The good news is that it was temporary. My doctor said that he thought it was telogen effluvium (http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/effluviums), which results from a "shock" to one's system, such as a flare or taking steroids. The hair loss doesn't usually start happening until a month or two after the "shock,' so prednisone or your flare may be the culprit rather than the Asacol.

The good news is the hair loss does stop (mine fell out for several months but I remember the day that I was shampooing my hair and no hair fell out. I couldn't have been happier!). I was very upset about the hair loss and felt that it was very obvious to everyone, as I don't have that thick hair to begin with. My husband assured me that other people didn't notice, and in retrospect, I think he is probably right. However, I could still see a huge difference and it was really upsetting, so I feel your pain.

Also, my hair also seemed very brittle and dry, so I used old fashioned VO5 hot oil at least once a week, and it really seemed to make it appear healthy.

As Quincy said, you will eventually see regrowth (look around the forehead). It took a little while but all of my hair grew back. In the meantime, I found a very sympathetic stylist to cut my hair in a way that would minimize the look of thinning.

I am so sorry you have to go through this; I know it is tough. Hopefully, it will end soon and your hair will grow back better than ever.
Bridget

Asacol coincided with my hair loss. It eventually grew back but took a year and a half. Do you have sprouts or bald patches. If you have sprouts of little hairs it is growing back and it will take a really long time, hair grows slowly.

Hey, quincy, I just wanted to say thanks for the tip about Nioxin...it's fantastic! My hair is styling better and I seem to be losing less. I even got a compliment on it yesterday.

Thanks for the advice and support as usual. :)