Has anyone lost a lot of hair b/c of bad flair?

Hair grows in three month cycles so when the cycle of hair that was growing while you were sick is done then the falling out should stop. I don't know if I explained that very well though. It falls out because when you are really sick your body takes from hair and nails, so they suffer. But once you get better those things get their nutrients back, so any hair that was formed or there during the time you were sick is damaged. That's what I was told anyway and it makes sense. My hair fell out so much one time I bought a wig! I don't know what shampoo you use but oddly the one that caused me the least trouble was the brilliant brunette shampoo. Also try to keep it trimmed it will look fuller that way. And don't use heat or color anything that will further damage it. Hope it stops!

Thanks Summer, that does make sense....

Old Hat: the steroids made me grow facial hair (yay!) but I didn't see any hairloss when I stopped them. It's just been since I got very ill and thought I was going to die.

When I was on Pred my zinc levels were low and it caused my hair to fall out (the doctor did a blood test). I took a supplement and it improved. I dunno if Lialda could cause that?

     My hair started falling out when I went on 6MP.  My hair dresser recommended Nioxin.  It works very well.  about six months post op (I had a total colectomy with end ileostomy in 2010), my hair started to fall out again and I was off all meds!  I was told by my husband's dermatologist that this happens because of the anesthesia.  Thank GOD it grew back in .

I was going to post a similar question. I got diagnosed with proctitis last April. A few months before the diagnosis I was starting to experience colitis symptoms that I just thought was IBS. I also started losing a ton of hair. It was coming out in clumps and my brush was gunked up with hair. I saw 3 different dermatologists who kept telling me it was stress. I had bloodwork and my iron and thyroid were fine. It wasn't like I lost it in patchy areas. It was a diffuse hair loss although I seemed to have tons of loss around my hairline, similar to the hairloss you have after having a baby. I even asked my GYN if I had some type of hormone imbalance but he said no.

My hair is no longer falling out but it has not come back in the way it was. In fact the hairs around my hairline are still thin and babyfine. I hate it. In retrospect I think the hairloss was a sign of impending inflammatory response.

I just saw my Doc last week and when I told him my hair was growing back and that I assumed it was from the prednisone, he said it was from the colitis itself that caused it. Stress has caused my hair to fall out in the past. Colitis, brought on by stress caused this one.

Best wishes :)

ManhattanMama - I was about 6 weeks post "severe flare" when I started Imuran - to allow me to taper off the pred.  So - maybe it's a combo of both.  I do have new hair growing in - but not as quick as the rest is falling out.  Funny you mentioned that - my regular doc thought the hair loss was from the "stress of being sick" & GI said it was from Imuran.  In any case, I just want it to STOP!