Hair Loss With New Hep C drugs?

[mac790]

Anyone treated with medications such as Sovaldi, Harvoni, Victrelis, or been in clinical trials where the chemical names of the meds ended with the letters "vir"; such as grazoprevir, elbasvir: During or after treatment, have you experienced any hair loss from your scalp?  

[hepcandme]

Very interesting

I have never been hirsute but I noticed about 10 years ago that I stopped growing hair under my arms and on very sparse on my legs

I just attributed it to getting older because I remember my father not having much hair on his legs when he aged

Maybe the hair loss is a combo of the cirrhosis or the virus or the aging but while we're adding the wrinkle relief, can we do something about "liver" or age spots too?

[flyinlynn]

Thanks for all the "hairy" details lol

Yes don't miss shaving but the underlying reason for not needing to is what concerns me. As a possible sign of advancing liver cirrhosis medding with body chemistry

Hopefully one day I will be back to my fuzzy self with SVR

[Ekkiemom]

BRILLIANT IDEA!

[dontworry_behappy1]

15 years ago

I experienced hair loss from cancer chemotherapy.   It came all at once and was all gone all over my body.  Then after the drugs finally left my body my hair started to return.  First fussy then nice dark curly hair.  My color before chemotherapy was straight and light brown.  My hair on my body/head returned to its pre chemotherapy state within 6 months.
_________________________

10 years ago

I started to notice my hair on my legs, arms, eye brows, head and every
place else seemed to be not growing anymore.  All the hair that did grow
was thin.   I attributed to aging and bad hair genes.  

5 years ago

I had half an eye brow.  Looking much like two dots over the inside part
of my eyes.  Also, I had no hair anymore on my legs.  The no hair on
the legs part was great.  

3 years ago

I treated my hepatitis C and obtained SVR.   My hair really wasn't effected
that much but did have additional noticeable thinning on my head.  3 months after treatment my hair begin to get a little curly.  This happen much like chemotherapy for cancer but more relaxed.  It seemed to take
a lot longer to return then the hair after cancer chemo.  More like a year
or more.  

Today

In the last 3 months I have noticed a real increase in hair growth.  My
leg hair was what I really noticed.  I had gotten used to not have to shave
and honestly I could have did without this hair.  But it has returned and
now I have to shave my legs again.   What is really surprising me is my
eye brows.  They haven't grown for years and now I have full eye brows.
I remember looking down at my arms and say....did I always have hair like
this on my arms?  I had forgotten what that looked like.

The liver does have a connection to hair growth.  In fact, the liver has a connection to many things you don't or wouldn't put together as connected.

So it appears that one of the benefits to treating your hepatitis C is new hair growth.   Otherwise, your body is functioning to create new.  Could have done without the new leg hair : ).  But I welcome the eye brows.

Now if they just could get this stuff infused with winkle reduction therapy.
The problem of getting the baby boomers to treatment would be over.

[virt111]

Treatment naive, but I've been noticing hair loss on my extremities for a few years now. I have shiny shins...I look like a woman who has just had a nice leg shaving and put some lotion on. And I don't like it.

Hair on my arms and hands has diminished significantly.

[Diane1186]

No hair loss on HARVONI.  When I was on triple therapy it was a different story, I had quite a bit of loss, but grew back when I finished.

[patra_]

Carl, I think maybe the reason is that the 'littlte' things are more like minor annoyances, and most of us don't notice them until someone else asks if anyone has experienced 'thus and so' and we realize, that we did.  Since it wasn't painful, or life threatening, or even a large discomfort, we don't realize or count it as we are so focused on the hepc, treating correctly, and the sides that are really bothering us.

Mac, My hair is so fine and thin, when this question came up when I was on tx, I honestly couldn't tell.  About 2 1/2 months post tx, I have noticed hair around, and my thin hair even thinner.  However, I look forward to what others have said about it coming back healthier and, possibly, even with a touch of wave.  I could stand that as mine has always been stick straight.  Haven't worried, figure, since anyone who experienced it, said that it was temporary, that it was a small price to pay for being hepc free.

Pat

[Carlhcv]

Interesting because I have not seen this listed a a side effect anywhere. I'm only on day four so can't vote. I wish the poll was just for Harvoni though.

[HopeInPA]

I lost over half of my hair (more like 2/3). It started falling right after the 12-week treatment with Sovaldi + riba; and I don't know if it would be any different if I were on a 24-week course, like some other people have -- I mean, maybe it was just these 3 months of meds that trigger it, regardless of what happens next -?  It kept falling for 2-3 months, and then subsided. Seemed to have started to regrow, but very slowly. Now, 7 months EOT it is still very thin.  

[hepc4Sandi]

My hair did not grow at all while on Sovadli Tx, it became very dry and brittle, it was actually my very first Sx. Several weeks after EOT I had moderate hair loss, but is growing back fine now, 9 months EOT.

[flyinlynn]

I sure hope so right now I look like I am 12 years old in places I care not to mention

[dontworry_behappy1]

Before treating Hepatitis C my body hair had greatly declined.  I did think it was strange then I read about the relation of hair growth and the liver.  Well since I am now hepatitis C free....my hair has started to grow on my body again.   See what you have to look forward to.   I don't know if this is a plus or not.  Get out the razor.   You'll be shaving those legs soon. : )

[flyinlynn]

I have lost almost all body hair over the last year but was not treating.

I attribute my hair loss to my cirrhosis in my case as cirrhosis can mess up hormone levels as well or maybe just menopause

[Ekkiemom]

Hey..have to say I'm sure I'm losing much faster than is growing back. ~(:-/

Thx for the poll Mac
Take care and don't freeze back there. Brrrrrrrrrr