Hair Loss experience??

[JArch417]

I am a 34 y.o. female with AA who received ATG October 2011 and have been on Tacrolimus (Prograf) along with magnesium, antivirals, and antibiotics. After 5 months, I am not responding (in fact my counts are lower than before I received ATG).

In late January, my hair started falling out. Now I have about 1/3 of the hair I had in January and the hair loss has not stopped. My docs say they don't know what is causing it. Has anyone had a similar hair loss experience? Can you tell what caused your hair loss? I'm at my wits end and am hoping I don't have a lumpy head...the hair I have left isn't going to last long.

[evansmom]

Are your doctors sure you have aplastic anemia? Lupus can mimick AA as far as bone marrow dysfunction goes plus hair loss is another common symptom of Lupus.

[Marlene]

Have you had your hormones checked. Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, TSH, T3 and T3?

Also, the stress from an illness can cause major hair loss that will grow back after the stressful event has passed.

[Lbrown]

I was on Prograf after ATG, and I also had C Difficile 3x and was finally treated with vancomycin. I lost most of my hair. I wasn't sure if it was from the ATG/prograf, the C Diff or the vancomycin. I had to get a wig. You can get nice ones these days. At first I went to a specialty cancer wig store but they were so rude. So then I found a lady who sells them out of her house in my city, and went there. Not only were the wigs nicer, but they were about 1/5 the price.

Anyway, my hair started growing back before I quit the prograf, so I don't think it was that. I wore a wig for about 6 months until my hair thickened up enough to cut it in layers that looked normal again.

Nobody had ever heard of prograf making anyone lose their hair, but it is listed as one of the side effects.

Deb