Hi Val

I have had this problem lately. Mine has started to grow back now but I can't tell you exactly why. It could be several things i.e. my thyroxin was too high and has been reduced, my mxt has been reduced and I take folic acid twice a week. Also had huge trauma over Christmas with high doses of steroid and stopping beta blockers after 20 years. It could be any or all of the above. If you are on thyroxine I would have it checked to make sure you are on the right amount.

Sheila x

I have also started having lots of antioxidents in the form of cherries, blueberries and mangosteen juice every day which my consultant said to keep taking as they know that antioxidents are very beneficial - not for RA necessarily but for general wellbeing.

My mother-in-law had chemotherapy for cancer and the cold cap treatment worked for her. It's definitely worth enquiring about.
Best wishes from Naomi.

Hi Jenni

I must just say that if you are taking thyroxine you can't take kelp as this will have an effect on the thyroid and you could end up having too much making you ill.

Sheila x

Dear All
Thanks for all your replies. I am not on thyroxine as I dont have thyroid problems. Re trying the cold cap I dont think hospital would agree to it as my hair isnt as bad as that at the moment. I think I will try the sea kelp tablets and also ask hospital if I can go on reduced dose of MTX as soon as I start the Humira in November - not sure they will agree to that as they told me I would have to be on Humira for 6 months before reducing the MTX dose. I feel at the moment that my hair is the remaining thing to go bad and it is depressing.

Thanks again

Val

The main problem with upping the intake of folic acid is that it can reduce the efficacy of the MTX. Can't win, really, can we?!

"Summary by: Diane Bramley. Methotrexate is a first line disease-modifying-anti-rheumatic-drug (DMARD) for rheumatoid arthritis. It is an antifolate agent with a chemical structure similar to that of folic acid and folinic acid, but its exact mechanism of action in treating this condition is unclear. Administered in low doses, methotrexate inhibits a number of folate dependent metabolic steps, including a very potent inhibition of dihydrofolate reductase which reduces folic acid to dihydrofolic acid and to tetrahydrofolate. This causes a depleted pool of reduced folates and produces a state of effective folate deficiency. The half life of methotrexate in the serum is in the range of 6 to 8 hours after administration of the drug and is undetectable in the serum by 24 hours.

It is likely that some of the side effects of methotrexate are due to folate antagonism, and the main factor influencing the decision to discontinue methotrexate is the occurrence of adverse effects, rather than lack of response Between 7 and 30% of patients discontinue methotrexate in the first year due to toxicity. The common adverse effects associated with methotrexate can be divided into:

• minor effects e.g. mouth ulcers and gastrointestinal disturbance.
• major effects e.g. bone marrow toxicity and liver function test abnormalities and cardiovascular effects.

The British Society for Rheumatology states that regular folic acid supplements are thought to reduce toxicity of methotrexate but there has been much controversy regarding the dose of supplementation and whether it has benefit on toxicity without being detrimental to methotrexate efficacy."

Hi

I think 6 tablets of folic acid a week could certainly lower the efficacy of mxt but I would say that it had nothing to do with your hair loss. In fact folic acid is to counteract side effects like hair loss. How long is it since you had a thyroid test? It may be worth exploring if it is a long time ago.

Sheila x