Has anyone had hair loss while taking Enbrel? Did folic acid help? I took folic acid when I was taking Methetrexate, and my hair actually got thicker. My doc did not prescribe folic acid when he switched me to Enbrel and I have noticed some hair loss. Should I ask to start taking it again?
Hey Andy,
Not in 13 years but, as soon as I tried MTX I started to have hair loss. How long has it been since you quit MTX and Folic Acid? If it was recently, you may want to continue the Folic Acid for a year or year and a half. You can ask your Dr. his opinion but, I would take what you were taking (Mg wise) for about six months and taper down to the max daily recomended dose (800 micro grams I think).
The Folic Acid from the drug store shelf is fine. If you don't want a prescription.
Thanks...good suggestion.
Just a reminder, the doses in the drugstore are much lower and can wind up being more expensive than a prescription. Biotin is another supplement that you can consider adding in for this. Just check w/ your doc re this.
I CANT THINK OF THE NAME BUT IT WAS PILL FORM I WAS ON IT TO ASSIST THE EMBREL ARE YOU TAKING ANYTHING ELSE I LOST OVER 50 PERSENT OF MY HAIR LUCKY I NOTICED MY HAIR WAS FALLING OUT WHEN I DIDCAUSE THE DAMAGE WAS DONE I GOT OFF THE THE MEDICATION AND MY HAIR PROCEEDED TO FALL OUT FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS BUT THE EMBRIL DIDNT CAUSE MY HAIR TO FALL OUT YOU NEED TO SEE YOUR DR RIGHT AWAY . ALOPECIA IS THE NAME OF A HAIRLOSS CONDITION THAT SOME ARTHRITIS MEDS CAUSE GOOD LUCK
You were probably on MTX. Yes, it can cause hair loss. Usually taking folic acid supplements with this will minimize hair loss, but not always.
symponi said:
I CANT THINK OF THE NAME BUT IT WAS PILL FORM I WAS ON IT TO ASSIST THE EMBREL ARE YOU TAKING ANYTHING ELSE I LOST OVER 50 PERSENT OF MY HAIR LUCKY I NOTICED MY HAIR WAS FALLING OUT WHEN I DIDCAUSE THE DAMAGE WAS DONE I GOT OFF THE THE MEDICATION AND MY HAIR PROCEEDED TO FALL OUT FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS BUT THE EMBRIL DIDNT CAUSE MY HAIR TO FALL OUT YOU NEED TO SEE YOUR DR RIGHT AWAY . ALOPECIA IS THE NAME OF A HAIRLOSS CONDITION THAT SOME ARTHRITIS MEDS CAUSE GOOD LUCK
Andy,
I’ve been on Enbrel for about 4 months and when I started it my hair started to fall off. I’ve also been taking MTX for a year with no hair loss issues. My doc said he had never heard of hair loss with Enbrel but after about 8 weeks on Enbrel it stopped. It might be a side effect to Enbrel even though is not common enough. Good luck!
I just had an AH ha moment. My hair is still falling out some. A few months ago, when I was on MTX, folic acid, sulfasalazine and leucovorin, my hair actually got thicker. I stopped MTX and sulfasalazine when I started biologics. So I've tried to find out why, when I ran acrosshttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11907504 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3149478/, sulfasalazine is used for hair loss!!!!!!!!!
So it's not the Enbrel, it's the lack of the sulfasalazine. Interesting.
I think so, I checked my pharmacy records, and I started sulfasalazine in Sept. That's when my hair started getting thicker. I have an appointment next week with doc; so I will be asking him :-)
Stoney said:
So it's not the Enbrel, it's the lack of the sulfasalazine. Interesting.
I started with a lot of hair loss, especially in front....and i had changed rheummies. She did a lot of labs, and the lupus ones were elevated. They started me on Plaquinel, and it helped my joints, and the hair loss. I was on Remicade, Mtx, folic. So the PSA also got lupus , but didn't have visible symptoms( like organ involement).......but i had joint pain..using mtx, and plaquinel still
I have lots of hair loss w/my mtx & i take folic acid everyday!
Andy - that's an interesting find!
I'm on Remicade and have significant hair loss / hair breakage. My husband shaved my head for the second time yesterday. My kids were hoping I'd do a mohawk this time. LOL
I definitely will post what my doctor says, but my hair was getting thicker than it has been in years.
nym said:
Andy - that's an interesting find!
I'm on Remicade and have significant hair loss / hair breakage. My husband shaved my head for the second time yesterday. My kids were hoping I'd do a mohawk this time. LOL
HERE IS THE INFO FROM THE ABOVE LINKS I POSTED:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11907504
Sulfasalazine for alopecia areata.Ellis CN, Brown MF, Voorhees JJ.
Source Department of Dermatology, 1910 A. Alfred Taubman Center, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0314, USA.
Abstract
Sulfasalazine is used as a therapy for various autoimmune conditions, including psoriasis; its effectiveness is presumed to be the result of its immunomodulatory effects. We have treated patients with severe alopecia areata with sulfasalazine as part of our dermatology practice and have noticed cosmetically acceptable regrowth in 23% of patients in whom a response could be determined. In view of its good safety profile, sulfasalazine may be considered for systemic treatment of severe alopecia areata.
Sulfasalazine http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3149478/,
Sulfasalazine is a combination of sulfapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid linked by a diazo bond. Sulfasalazine has both immunomodulatory and immunosuppressive actions that include suppression of T cell proliferation and reducing the synthesis of cytokines, including interleukin (IL) 6, 1, and 12, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and antibody production.38 Sulfasalazine has been used safely as a long-term treatment of various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. Several case reports and case series showed good hair regrowth with sulfasalazine in the treatment of alopecia areata.
In an uncontrolled prospective trial of sulfasalazine in 39 patients with persistent alopecia areata, hair regrowth of more than 60% was achieved in 25.6% of patients. A moderate response was seen in 30.7% of patients.39 Also, in another uncontrolled open-label study, complete hair regrowth was reported in 27.3% of subjects.40 Sulfasalazine was started at 500 mg twice daily for one month, 1 g twice daily for one month, and then 1 g three times daily.41 Side effects to sulfasalazine include gastrointestinal distress, dizziness, and headache.39 Gastrointestinal symptoms can be minimized by using enteric-coated tablets, taking the medication with food, and starting at lower doses. Initially, patients should have a complete blood count, liver function tests, creatinine, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase level measurement. Complete blood counts and liver function tests should be performed at 2–4-week intervals during the first three months of therapy. The reported relapse rates are 22.7%–45.5%.39,40