Not sure if meds are causing increased hair fallout / shampoo suggestions?

I use Nioxin, I don't know how much it helps but I like it.

If you search for Nioxin on youtube you will have a lot of reviews and before and after; both from women and men.

when last I looked Costco had the lowest cost Nioxin.

Just tapered off Prednisone and still on mesamaline. Had a flare and was eating mostly soups. Talked to pharmacist and on-line search says no cause for hair loss. However my hairdresser says when you don’t eat protein you lose your hair and it really doesn’t come back. I was not eating protein mostly homemade carrot, squash and broccoli soup and yogurt. Now I’m back on protein and my hair loss is nothing to what it was. I put protein powder in yogurt if I have to. I’m back on my hormone patch too.

Age 55
First diagnosed at 33, hospitalized , went all natural and no meds.
Next flare at 43, hospitalized and went off meds after all nAtural raw diet and juicing.
Now off 1 month pred (30 mg) on mesamalime but it’s not working. Not really eating healthy.

I started taking Viviscal - it's not cheap, but I have found I'm losing less hair after about a month of using it. I got it on Amazon.

I also use gentle shampoo and conditioners, and try to make sure I take vitamins and Omegas.

Thanks for the info. Does anyone know if the hair will come back if you stop taking mesalamine?

I’m finishing my 2 month of mesalamine. My hair is not falling out in clumps since like it did after I started it. I’ve added more protein but it definitely a little more than it used to be. The pharmacist said it shouldn’t.

My recommendation is Find a really good hairdresser! One who has been in the business, seen women thru menopause, seen and understand all stress issues and etc. if you can get an appointment in 2 weeks, she’s not the one for you. Mine is fabulous in So Cal.

Hair loss is most often caused as a delayed-reaction to a (about 2-months after the worst of) UC flareup, and not by a medication. Hair regrowth is a delayed-reaction (about 2-months after healing). Every class of UC medication mentions hair loss as a rare side effect, despite them all having very different mechanisms of action and very different active and inactive ingredients. To me, that points to it being unrelated to a medication.

Are you anemic? That can cause hairloss. Are you low on vitamin b, b12, or d? Those can cause hairloss...

Stopping your meds is a bad idea.

Just remember the process hair falling out at a noted rate is set up long before it happens. Usually the dormant stage is extended.... then once new hair is growing, it pushes out that hair.

We lose 100 - 150 hair daily NORMALLY. Add the other factors....it will be exacerbated. If the hair is longer, it looks like a gazillion times more.

Shampoos, treatments won't have an effect on the growth process except to keep the hair that's on the head healthier and stronger....

Lots of reasons for hairloss....mesalamine is more than likely not the culprit in this situation.

q

I was taken off 5ASAs the first month that I was diagnosed with UC, they determined that I was allergic to 5ASAs and my liver was acting up because of it. I lost my hair and the drain was clogged from my hair loss too. I was NOT taking mesalamine. My hair loss was from the stress on my body and my malnourishment.

Yes you are naysaying the side effects of Mesalamine drugs by trying to downplay the impact some of us experience. Cutting hair and observing natural hair loss with age doesn't make one a pharma expert and is irrelevant to this conversation. Extreme bloating, skin rash, skin peeling, severe headaches are all real side effects from taking mesalamine drugs. I know because I experienced it personally. A person knows their own body and what happens when they take a prescribed drug compared to when they don't. It is very frustrating to be on an open forum that is meant to allow us to share ideas about the impact of pharm drugs only to have it be shut down by someone who has not personally experienced it. What we need is MORE discussion about this so doctors and pharm companies can look for new drugs to put on the market without all the horrific side effects. We are paying thousands of dollars for drugs that don't really help us like we need them too. It's time we start demanding more from our doctors and pharm companies and national organizations. These groups that claim to be supporting us when we know they are funded by these same companies who provide us these weak drugs that don't help and put us at risk for even worse medical conditions. We need to get more organized and start asking for real change - not just get another old drug that's been around for over 30 years and barely does anything! I'm frustrated and I just lost a friend from Crohns who was promised a cure by surgically removing her intestines and all it did was come up with horrific complications and now she's gone with 2 small children she left behind. These drugs don't work and the surgery is not without complications either. We need to demand for better ourselves. We deserve better.

AdventureUC....more is at play then regarding your reaction to mesalamines than just hairloss. What really helps is not repeating or simplifying one issue without expanding on other obvious extreme reactions tied in with it.

Nope, I'm not a trichologist, but know one who is a most valuable resource.

My opinion regarding 5ASA meds personally is good considering my own and others' experiences. Your reaction is understandable, albeit extremely biased. It's really not an all or nothing. What sucks is we have a disease that needs meds.....and the research continues with new meds available, and if they work or not, or have serious side effects or not, is subjective.

Deepest condolences on the death of your friend.

Heather

FlyingGal....You've only been on mesalamine for 2 months?
You were on pred? How long?
Do you have new growth?

q

I had significant hair loss when I was on Prednisone. I don't know the science behind it but that was my personal experience. Same thing happened to my mom when she was taking Prednisone.

I also had hair loss when I would stop eating and drinking, usually due to a flare. However, hair loss would probably happen to any individual if they were extremely malnourished.

I don't have any shampoo recommendations but I know my hair got extremely dry when I was losing hair so I tried to rarely wash it. I think that really helped with hair growth. Now that my UC is a bit better, I have to wash it very frequently because it's back to being oily again.

Best of luck.