Hair thinning .. ahhhh - what to do?

[drew1985]

It's only been 6 days on tx and I can already notice moderate hair thinning. I can't even brush my hair - it stays straight up like I just got electrocuted. I already am noticing hair on my pillow and in my hands when I shower. If the thinning keeps up at this rate I'm going to be bald by week 4. :/

Can anyone recommend a really good hair thickener that grows back hair and re-thickens it as well?

[pcds]

I lost a lot of hair.   I think the hair becomes brittle and breaks, besides loss from the root.  I read that a satin pillowcase helps.  I plan to get one for next time.  I was sensitive to anything pulling on my hair. My hair is gradually filling in after 6 month off treatment.  Hoping to have most of it back before losing it again next round.  The hair loss and general unhealthy appearance was not as bad as how I felt.  For me looks were at the bottom of my concerned sx.  My WBC, HBG were much more of a concern.  As well as the fatigue and getting through each day.

[Diane12855]

I noticed that yesterday morning, but forgot this afternoon when I read it again.

Diane

[nygirl7]

Once again you are the only person I ever heard of losing all their hair on treatment (or because of treatment) and I believe you had a whole set of underlying problems that probably caused this if I remember correctly.

This post is several years old.

[Diane12855]

Sorry to tell you this, but there isn't anything you can buy to make your hair grow back while you are taking Interferon/Ribavirin. It's just life while on tx.

Diane

[Columbina]

I lost all of my hair during treatment and  5 months after treatment no hair has grown back, remember it us just hair and health is what you are working for.  good luck

[Forseegood]

nice post about the relative importance of hair loss...something I needed to hear, certainly....

[dogsledder]

We should be so lucky. I treated when my wife was going through cancer chemo (Boy weren't we the pair!!) She went bald, I at least has "something" left to laugh about. Don't wash hair every day...rinsing is just as good. Use Nioxin only if you have scalp dryness. My wife use to peel my head once per week (not to be gross). I am 8 wk post tx and the hair is coming back. (My wife's has come back too) Good luck.

[meki]

A year later and I've lost the bald spot in the front of my head --- and I have hair everywhere...

Oh --- did I mention --- while losing hair on my head I also managed to gain GOAT hairs on my chin?

Oh --- and my eyelashes became something sooooo long --- that I had to trim them --- not that "pretty" long... but that --- OMG I've got something in my eye long!

LOL!

Buy tweezers --- Shave if you're a guy (bald is kinda sexy --- but remember to wear those gold earrings... LMAO!)

and don't forget --- there is always that spray paint can... if you're too vain... (just kidding)

Hugs to all.

Meki

[merryBe]

don't be in a hurry t up you INF. Sometimes the first few weeks is honeymoon time, and then your body stops compensating as well.

In the last month my sides have gotten very severe...there's a reason that there is a huge drop out rate with this tx....it isn't always easy, in fact only a few breeze through.
Enjoy it while this is your case.

make riba early morn and early eve or late afternoon....with some fat in the meal but not much fiber. (I didn't get good absoprtion at fiirst not knowing about fiber interference)
taking riba early will allow you to rest better.

If after your first PCR you haven't responded well...you could discuss dose changes....but the meds can themselves cause liver failure, and many other serious side effects so it is not something to do without serious research and consideration.

[drew1985]

merryBe, nygirl, and all! Thanks very much for your suggestions, advice, and humor!!

I just gave myself my second shot last night. Slight shot leakage was experienced (not that much but some).

I still haven't experienced any flu like side effects. No fever, no chills, no aches... nothing. Is this typical for the first few weeks? I just hope that i'm getting my entire dosage. Has anyone ever had their Pegasys dose upped from 180 to say 200+ perhaps if they're reacting well to the medicine? I think the only sx i'm getting is lack of concentration, memory loss, and i'm more irritable.

[chevyelcam79]

I also experienced hair thinning!  I treated for 26 weeks.  It seemed to start later on in tx.  I would shampoo and end up with a handful and a drainful.  then when I combed and dryed it would be all over the bathroom floor.  YIKES!  The hair thinning kept on for about 4 weeks or so even after I stopped tx.  It has stopped falling out now.  

I did however, loose any natural curl that I had.  Even if I curl with a curling iron now it only lasts for a bit.  wised up and got a cut that would be ok.  Dealing now and awaiting lots of new hair growth.

Shari

[nygirl7]

Just to warn you - we start to blame every illness we get on the hep and the treatment...it makes us for some reason totally obsessed and we just sit around the ponder everything so much it can make you crazy.  "my knee hurt it must be the hep" - no it's the football game you played yesterday.  "my headaches are horrible it must be the treatment" - no it's your wife constantly harping at you after a long day of work..............

It gets very easy to do.  Believe me.  Just try to take it easy and breathe a bit!

[mikesimon]

"certainly something makes every pore feel like it's on fire at times and whether that is nerve ending response, or dryness....well...everyone also has brutally dry eyes."

I didn't have any of that. My skin didn't feel like it was on fire and it wasn't noticeably dry either. My eyes were fine throughout treatment aside from a detached retina. My mouth and tongue were extremely dry and sore throughout all 3 treatments and that was excruciating. I don't recall trying olive oil for that but I may well have since I tried everything I could think of.

I would try the olive oil on my hair and I would hope that it would improve things. As I said, I tried everything. I was just saying that the idea that dry hair = hair loss and extreme texture change and that putting olive oil on will prevent that stuff from happening doesn't sound right to me - that's all. Maybe it depends on your hair type.
Mike

[sfwandwow]

mine is grayier..LOL

[merryBe]

not saying it will cure what the drug does internally to the follicle or shaft.

But, judging by how dry everyones skin gets, it's afair assumtion the follicle stops producing as much oil as well.....

certainly something makes every pore feel like it's on fire at times and whether that is nerve ending response, or dryness....well...everyone also has brutally dry eyes...again we are speaking of surface mucousa and oils being curtailed by tx.

so, no pantacea no, but it certainly can't hurt. Actually olive oil is much better for the skin than lotions full of mineral oils, and emollients that irritate the pores in order to open them up to the too large mineral oil molecules.

[drew1985]

Some of it might have been in my head. Yes, I am noticing some hair when I shower on my hands but I guess it could be because I'm "looking for it" now that I've started the medicine and maybe I didn't pay that much attention before.

Either way something is funky with my hair - just looks thinner at the root and it's wildly sticking straight out unless I pile on some strong gel.

Thanks for all of your help!

[Trish77]

Start shopping for do-rags, Drew....you'll be the coolest dad on the block.  ;->

[Pdilly]

Oh I do remember something that I was told.  I have very thick hair.  The lady that walked me through the meds told me to wash my hair only a couple times a week.  Also to get a very wide tooth comb and don't pull on my hair.  I took her advise but not sure if anyone else did that or not.

[Pdilly]

Wow your are doing it early.  I generally did not start loosing quite a bit until I think month three.   After it started it really just kept going.  My husband and I decided I lost around 50 percent of my hair.   It is comming back just as curly as evern.  Darn.

[nygirl7]

You should ALWAYS baby your hair!!!!!!!!!!

:) (Oh yeah I'm prejudiced because I work in the industry of one of the biggest hair products/services companies in the world LOL)

But seriously - try a good hairspray - I can't imagine possibly that your hair is "falling out" in 6 days. I did lose about 75% of my hair over TIME but I treated for a year and a half (72 weeks) and it didn't really start to go until way later.  it did all come back as good as new though!

[mar148]

Honestly I was treated for 6 months and the last month the hair thinning issue became clear.  So I assume if I went longer it would have been more severe.  For the six months, it was not.  I did baby my hair in anticipation of something happening.  Maybe there are some kind of doctor acceptable vitamins that could help up the oil in your hair.  Don't know.  mar

[mikesimon]

I realize that and I appreciate it. I stopped treatment in 2004 so my hair is fine now. And I think it is probably helpful to baby your hair. The point I was making - and I wasn't addressing you, by the way - was that there is nothing that I found that will completely eliminate the hair issues associated with treatment. Perhaps, they can be ameliorated somewhat but  I doubt that anything will insulate you against a change in your hair while you are treating. I know other people whose hair was curly and became straight during treatment and I don't think brittleness explains that type of change. It's just a weird thing to have to deal with. Maybe some of the women will relate their hair history during treatment but I know a bunch who went out and bought wigs. I guess it depends on how long you treat as to how bad it will get but some of us treated for a long time and the hair thing was unavoidable. Mike

[mar148]

I have no idea what to do with 3.5 years hair impact of the medication on treatment.  Just trying to help.

[mikesimon]

I doubt that my hair became poker straight merely because it was brittle - I tried your oil approach and your conditioner approach and a whole lot more. I treated for 3.5 years so I had plenty of opportunity to experiment with myriad approaches. Nevertheless, regardless of what I did my hair remained thin and straight until I was off the drugs for about 6 months. Mike