Tamoxifen & Hair Loss
Anyone got any experience of losing their hair while on Tamoxifen?
Went through all treatments last year & got a lovely head of curls back post treatment. In the last week I've lost lots of hair in patches, from the back of my head only (thank God). My GP says Alopecia due to stress. After recent very successful re-con I think I relaxed for the first time since I was diagnosis & that's when the hair loss began. I am no longer losing hair but have bald patches at the back of my head. Luckily I can cover over with other hair at the moment.
Am on Tamoxifen since July2011.
Anyone any experiences or advice?
Comments
Thanks Kathleen,
I do have under active Thyroid so I might go and get that checked, you've reminded me of when I first got diagnosed with this (about 12yrs ago) I'd a lot of symptoms one of which was I lost a lot of hair from my eyebrows. I too am on magnesium but I also find that (& don't laugh at this!!) corks help to control the cramps, I sleep with a cork under my pillow & haven't had any night cramps since!! 
Tis very expensive though as you have to spend at least a tenner on a bottle of wine just to get the cork!!
Hi Funkychick,
You did make me laugh - but it's certainly worth a try. I heard somewhere else that putting a bar of soap into the bed would help. I haven't tried that but I will try the cork trick - but if my hair starts falling out the cork is going in the fire! I hope you don't need a fresh cork every day ...
Kath
What would we do with all the wine ???? I find that my hair has got very fine and limp but that could also be the time of the year with heating etc. I was lucky to escape chemo so I don't want my hair falling out with the tamoxifen!!!
Loving the corks girls. I have a question I will be on Tamoxifen after I finish chemo, mascetomry, and RT - what is it like? Is it a pill a day or something? Is this the druf that you would usually be on for five years - got I have to get with it and get more knowledgeable.
Great that you never had to go through chemo hope the hair sorts itself out for you
xx
Hi Deefed,
Yes, Tamoxifen is indeed a tablet a day for 5 years and maybe even longer now according to the latest articles about it.
Hugs
Kath
Poor you Funky Chick. I hope this is just temporary.
Apparently one of the possible side effects of Tamoxifen is thinning of the hair. I asked my doctor about this when I had been on Tamoxifen for 3 months and he reckoned that if I hadn't had any hair loss at that stage that I wouldn't have that side effect at all.
So far so good 6 months into Tamoxifen as far as my hair is concerned. I have a hot flush about every hour and terrible cramps in my feet and legs at night. A magnesium supplement seems to be keeping the cramps more or less at bay but nights are tough in general.
I did see in another forum that hair problems can be related to thyroid imbalances so you might want to have that checked too if the problem continues. Thyroid problems are not uncommon after radiation. Mine is enlarged, though I am not sure what that could mean yet
Hugs
Kathleen