Ulcerative Colitis meds & hair loss

I realize that this topic has been widely discussed here and elsewhere, but I'm hoping to ask some questions I couldn't find answers to.

I'm a 37-year old male. I was diagnosed with left-sided UC back in 2012 after a pretty severe flare, and was placed on the usual regimen of Prednisone for about five months (including the taper) + maintenance meds. I've been taking 1.2G Lialda (4x daily) + 1 Canasa suppository ever since, and haven't had a full-blown flare since 2012.

I've tried to cut out the Canasa a couple times--I actually made a roughly 2-week attempt shortly before I started noticing the hair loss, in fact--but every time I do, symptoms start showing up (borborygmi, cramping, loose stool). I'm not at all keen on moving "up the ladder" to drugs like Humira, so I'd really like to stick with the 5-ASA's.

Over the past couple months, I've started noticing increasing hair loss. I have naturally thick hair, so it isn't that noticeable once it's dry and styled, but when it's wet and combed back it is absolutely unmistakable. This is a lot more depressing to me than I'd expect it would be--possibly because I've had a rough 3 years in general, both healthwise and with the loss of family members--and I'm looking to find people who have also experienced hair loss. While I can't say for certain it's due to the mesalamine, everything I've read makes me suspect that it is. There's definitely no hair loss in my gene pool; I have a healthy diet; and despite the UC and other problems, I take good care of myself.

I've just got a couple questions for those who have experienced hair loss with UC meds (specifically mesalamine):

1. Is it permanent? Does it stop? If it stops, do I have to discontinue the meds in order for it to do so, or will my hair start growing again even while I'm taking the UC meds?

2. If it stops, does my hair "return to normal"?

3. Do biotin supplements help? I've read some strong endorsements for biotin from people on UC forums.

Thanks for taking the time to read!

So glad to hear that it stopped! I've decided to go ahead and order the biotin. I'll post an update in a couple months or so if the biotin seems to help.

Post Edited (adams09) : 1/17/2016 6:38:56 PM (GMT-7)

Thanks for pointing me in the direction of telogen effluvium hair loss. Reading about it was surprisingly encouraging, as it basically said that once the body has recovered from whichever shock caused the (acute) TE hair loss, hair usually grows back. (It also noted, though, that if the hair loss is medication related, only discontinuation of the medication starts the re-growth.)

I remembered after posting here that I'd started taking daily Omeprazole this past August, because complications with GERD were making it difficult to breathe. Five months later, it looks like I've lost half my hair, so after posting here, I googled "Omeprazole hair loss." It's listed as a rare side effect, with numerous testimonials of people like me: full heads of hair before starting the drug, no family history of hair loss, followed by sudden dramatic loss of hair.

It's been 3 years since my flare of UC, and there's nothing over the past several months that I can think would account for TE hair loss. I also can't see why the mesalamine would be tolerated for 3 years before suddenly causing rapid hair loss. So my best guess, at the moment, is that the Omeprazole is interfering with the absorption of iron (or folic acid). I'm going to try weaning myself off of it and supplementing with biotin, to see if the combination helps.

Dikid, I hope your own hair loss clears up! And thanks for taking the time to respond!

Post Edited (adams09) : 1/17/2016 2:50:24 PM (GMT-7)

I definitely wouldn't be surprised if this were related to inflammation. Since my first flare, I've dealt with arthritis in two joints (not present before the first flare), ulcers in the mouth, and a couple other possible inflammatory conditions (including the breathing issues, which were never diagnosed by a doctor as having been GERD-related, though they definitely subsided once I started taking Omerprazole.)

Just had a surgery about three weeks ago to repair an inguinal hernia. I've been dealing with a couple other conditions as well, and then this pops up! I'm incredibly sick of doctors and appointments and would like to just have a year without health issues.

I'll look into your recommendations for blood work, and I'll mention them to my doctor. Thanks again for your responses & suggestions!