Prednisone and Hair loss?

[bgarrison]

Anyone been through it?

I've been on low dose prednisone (5-10 mg) since January and have been experiencing a *major* shed for the last few months.

:(

[chipzahoy]

I've read that prednisone actually causes hair to grow, albeit not on the scalp but on the rest of the body.

It's such a tough steroid on the body though that I have no problem believing that it could cause something like hair shed. When I was on it for a short while, I only experienced bad acne and general feelings of misery. A close friend was on pred. for a long time but she was also undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia so her hair loss was related to other factors.

[MsBubbles]

A doctor once threatened me with prednisone, so I did some research on the forums for that particular ailment I had at the time, and found a lot of people mentioning hairloss as a side effect of that drug. But I'm sorry, I don't have any advice on how to keep taking that drug and fixing the hair loss.

I have a completely unproven theory in my head that our bodies react to change with hair loss, but that it stops once our bodies have had time to adapt to that change.

:grouphug:

[Katrina]

I was recently on a quite high dose prednisone (20 mg) for a month because of my severe asthma. I didn't experience more shedding than usually, though. It's possible, of course, that I'm not the right person to answer this question because I'm also pregnant at the moment and pregnancy can cut back shedding...

[Yozhik]

:grouphug:

I don't know about prednisone's effects on humans, but DBF's family dog was on it for 10 years, and by the end her belly was almost completely hairless. Of course there could be a lot of other factors in play with her illness and natural aging, but I did hear from the vet that that was one of the side effects.

I don't know how long you've been prescribed to be on it, but maybe it won't be that much longer? Or it could be like what MsBubbles said, and your body is acclimating to the drugs.

[embee]

That is so strange. What I recall from my little dog with the flea allergy, we'd start Pred in the spring and the hair would grow thicker than ever. When we went off the Pred in the autumn the hair would thin out, a real problem in winter. You're going the other way. What a pain!

.... but maybe I remember wrong, it was some years ago....

[bgarrison]

Embee, I'm like your pup-- the shedding didn't start so intensely until I began to try to taper off. A few months back I told my doctor I wasn't comfortable continuing and they said at such a low dose I could quit cold turkey. I quickly found out was not the case for me so I started taking them again and am now tapering slowly over time.

I'm seeing my rhuematologist this week so hopefully they can give some insight. They prescribed it for inflammation but the side effects are worse than the initial problems. Like you, Chipzahoy, the prednisone is also making me feel pretty miserable on top of feel terrible about losing so much hair. Combing my hair is an utterly stressful experience. Ten- fifteen hairs just fall out each time I run my hands over my head. By the time I've gently combed through my hair I have good pile of hair at my feet.

Ms. Bubbles, I do have tons of change in my life right now, so maybe you're on to something.:rolleyes:

[rags]

I have been on and off prednisone since 1995. During one of my longest times on it (higher doses, 7 or 8 years, I think? straight) my hair thinned dramatically. Then I was able to come off of it for a couple of years and my hair thickened back up. Back on it, after a few months the shedding would start again. Basically, if I'm on it longer than about two or three months, my hair will thin quite a bit. The doctors have told me that is a normal side effect of the drug and there really isn't anything to be done about it. My sympathies go out to you as you are dealing with enough in your life if you are sick enough to have to take this drug long term. :grouphug:

I will be on and off it the rest of my life probably. I just tell myself that it will thicken back up once I stop, and it always does. (Now the other evil drugs they gave me; my hair never did come back from them. )

[bgarrison]

Thanks so much for telling me this, Rags. Makes me feel less crazy and less alone. At this point I can't imagine that the shedding will stop and I can't imagine how I'll have any hair left if it ever does. Everyday it's just the same amount and my doctor is no help-- says at this dose I'll have no side effects and any I'm having are all in my head.:cry: I didn't think I'd care so much, but when I comb it and so much falls out I just feel so powerless.