Kimberley97

Girl, My goodness ... My MTX messed my locks up a bit so I just went to the barber and said "Cut it as short as you can without using a razor" It a nice summer cut for Texas.

Is it time for you to chat with a hair dresser ?

Sorry that you are dealing with this misery. It's terrible, I know,

Peace and Be well, dear Lady

Bluedogs2

I take a supplement for hair skin & nails.
Not the one found in grocery stores. This one is made through a compound pharmacy near my home.
Since my DX of RA & Shjogrens ( sp?) my hair has defiantly changed. Not sure if its meds or actual Diesease.

This supplement is great. Every single person ive introduced it to is surprised on how well it works.
Maybe you can see if you have a compound in your area.
They usually carry different products. Worth a shot.
I also went shorter & more layers.

Good luck,
Sammy

Hi Kimberley, when I was on MTX the first time my hair fell out and broke off terribly. After my hair dresser worked with my hair for a few years and my hair started to grow back after MTX was stopped by my Rheumatologist, one of my co-workers gave me some alter ego drops and that helped to thicken up my hair and assist with the growth process. It may help you as well. My hair started becoming so thick, I actually stopped using the Alter ego drops because it was becoming difficult trying to gel and brush my hair back to get it in a bun.
http://www.myhaironline.com/alter-ego-revitalizing-lotion-lozione-rivitalizzante-4-22oz/?gclid=CNj7iYXzuLkCFQSk4AodzzAAdA
They also have other products such as shampoos and conditioners. I also stopped using relaxers etc. and just have my hair natural and that is fine for me. If all else fails Bluedogs2 idea could work perfectly as well.

Hi Kimberely , im on same dose and my hair is falling out bad too..i was told there is something you can ask the dr for to help slow it down..also biotin helps and there are a few shampoos for chemo drugs ...sallys beauty supply carries them...and i added a god hair vitamin from the nearby health food store ...good luck

This is a common problem for people on mtx. Rheums generally advise taking 5000mcg of biotin (a vitamin) and upping the folic acid (also a vitamin) to 2-3mg. Your rheum should have no problem sending in a new script for the folic acid, and you can pick up the biotin over the counter. Often the side effect of hair thinning will lessen some as the body gets more used to the mtx too. Good luck!

MTX has had the same effect on me as well. My rheumy prescribed folic acid, the first time but that did not seem to help too much. For the last 3 years I have been taking prenatal vitamins to counteract the hair loss. It just made sense to me.... I was already taking a multivitamin, and the prenatal has additional folic acid. Doc now prescribes me Leucovorin as well but I don't always remember it. Since starting the prenatal vitamins, I ( and my kids) have noticed a great improvement in my hair.
You may want to ask your doc, but I hope this helps. We each have to find the right cocktail that is effective for our indib

..... for our individual needs. Sorry. getting used to a new laptop.

Kimberley, had the same problem and someone on this site told me about Leucovorin, it is a prescription and you take 1 pill 24 hours after the mtx; it work. My hair loss hair dramatically decrease since I started taking it. Ask you doc. Trish

Thank you for starting this thread, and thank you to everyone that posted advice!
I know it might be considered vain, but I love my hair. Being a red-head, I was teased a lot growing up and it took me years to learn to love my hair color. I still get a lot of jokes (mostly surrounding how many souls I've stolen) but they no longer bother me...in fact, I usually have better jokes than they do. When I noticed the hair loss, I thought I was imaging it. But then I went to my stylist, told her I thought I was losing my hair...she confirmed it. Despite the fact I have been growing my hair out for years, she ended up doing a phenomena, short style that hides the hair loss and breakage. I love my hair style, it takes less time to do which is great on the wrist joints, but it's still hard when people ask why I would ever cut my hair. I'm going to have to check out Sally's (I've always taken Biotin), and see if that helps out!

cheerio..just found out your rheumy can do a dd on drug to help with your hair ..but biotin is something you can start now or a good hair vitmain like a few mentioned ...it's tough loosing our hair ...this put a entirely new light on cancer patients and what they go threw but for myself on a much smaller scale ...i cant imagine how horrible it is to deal with cancer and keep a chin up ..overly impressive the strong people who stay strong threw all they go threw ..just amazing to me the strength of a human soul !