How long before hair thins/falls out?

[sawbuck]

Hi  I just started my treatment of pegasus/copegasus ... I guess it is silly to worry about hair... guess I was just wondering.

[eureka254]

Actually, my husband was very upset before starting treatment to hear about the possible hair-loss side effect, too :) -- he was always so proud he hadn't started balding!

His hair started thinning at about week 18 or so (I'd say he probably lost about 30-40%) and then started thickening back around week 40, but the new growth is a different texture and color.  Now at week 66, hubby's formerly very curly and slightly graying hair is straight, smooth, and dark.  As a matter of fact, he jokes that he could sell the peg/riba combo as a hair product: it straightens AND colors gray in.  ~eureka

[Isobella]

I had minimum hair loss on tx.  JD described the feeling well....like you had a ponytail in too tight.  That came and went for me.  It seems like it didn't start until pretty far into tx.  No one noticed it at all...except for me when I shampoo'd

I did color my hair every 4 weeks just like before.  I figured if I was gonna lose it anyway, at least I would good doing it.(ok, maybe not good, but at least like myself)

My hairdresser used only organic products on me and also used a humidifer on my while I was processing.  

Personally, I think her treatments helped my scalp.  It was interesting to get her feedback too.  

It's true that because you are so dried out from the drugs you dont produce as much body oil and thats a good thing because it allows you to skip shampooing and bathing for a few days.  

Good luck to you.

[Butterfly45]

I'm on week 20 of treatments, I am a female, try using NIOXIN if you start loosing your hair.  Look on line, I used it way before I started treatments because my hair was always thin.  My hair is thinning with treatments, but no bald spots.  Don't wash it every day, every other if you have to.  You will also start noticing changes in your skin, which is another reason not to wash or shower every day.  Hair loss is the least of the worries.  

[cb867]

I did tx 23 wks. I never lost my hair. My head itched a lot. I didn't wash my hair every day. I have heard most start losing around wk 24. I didn't go that long. I am UND

[justme53]

I think it was about 20-24 weeks for me, got very fine with a few sparce spots and dull. I quit dying my hair and cut it very short. I kinda like the shiny silver color and may keep it, but right now with the pale, drawn tx face, I look just plain unhealthy. Well, see what I end up with this summer. For now wigs and hats are the rule.

[cuteus]

a vitamin B supplement might help reduce the loss, I think it was Biotin. It also seems as if anemia has some influence on the hair loss, we seem to start loosing hair at about the time anemia starts setting in.  I chose to keep my hair length intact, continued dying and even though it fell in large amounts, I had no bald spots, just no volume. No one seemed to notice at work, and no one knew I was treating.  Don't need to wash hair that often, once a week might be enough, to minimize exposure to chemicals. I only dyed when gray was too visible, maybe every 6 wks. Hair did come back after tx, maybe a different texture, seemed coarser.

[meakea]

I noticed more hair in the drain within a month of starting treatment but it wasn't until about mid treatment (at 24 weeks or so) that I really started taking notice.  My hair hated the treatment meds and jumped ship to the point that I wore a wig for the final 3 months of treatment.  It doesn't happen like this for everyone though...many get through treatment without noticing much difference.

I understand your anxiety about your hair...it's especially hard for women.  Just be as kind to your hair as you can.  Use good conditioners to prevent dryness and try to wash it less.  Some use a  shampoo/conditioner products called Nioxin which is supposed to stimulate the scalp and help reduce hair loss.  It's popular with chemo patients.  

[jdwithhcv]

I think it varies from person to person.  I began tx the first week of September and started really losing a lot of hair about 4 months later.  Before it started falling out my scalp felt very odd for a week or so, the kind of feeling you get when you have had your hair in a tight pony tail for a long time and when you take it down your head feels funny for a bit.

I lost hair in cycles.  For about 6-8 weeks I lost a lot of hair, then it stopped falling out for about two months, and then the whole process repeated itself.

Its not silly to worry about your hair, that's one of the things we all dread.  By the time I began losing hair I felt so cr@ppy otherwise that it bothered me a whole lot less than I had expected. Oh, and it grows back.

Good luck with your treatment.

jd