Permanent hair loss taxotere

lynn1950

ohilly said:

cosmetic solutions
Pat, as I indicated above, this happened to me too and it really helps to use cosmetic solutions. You will find two concealers, Toppik and HairSoReal, available at www.thinninghairsolution (or solutions, I can't remember). They really work to cover the thin spots.

Ohilly

Hi, Ohilly. It is good to
Hi, Ohilly. It is good to hear from you. My hair still has some thin places, too. As you know I suffered from depression big time. I too am doing much better. Like you, I don't how much is chemo and how much is Arimidex. I'm hoping it's the Arimidex. We're more than halfway! xoxoxo Lynn

ohilly

lynn1950 said:

Hi, Ohilly. It is good to
Hi, Ohilly. It is good to hear from you. My hair still has some thin places, too. As you know I suffered from depression big time. I too am doing much better. Like you, I don't how much is chemo and how much is Arimidex. I'm hoping it's the Arimidex. We're more than halfway! xoxoxo Lynn

depression
Lynn, did your depression go away? I was on Lexapro and Buspar for 2 years, recently got off both and feel file, although I gained a lot of weight from being on these drugs. At least in my own case, I am convinced my depression was from the rapid shift in hormone levels (a lot of estrogen to almost none overnight) that occurred when I first got on Femara. Now I feel perfectly fine, in fact, better than before the whole thing started which is strange. Let me know how you're doing.

Ohilly

lynn1950

ohilly said:

depression
Lynn, did your depression go away? I was on Lexapro and Buspar for 2 years, recently got off both and feel file, although I gained a lot of weight from being on these drugs. At least in my own case, I am convinced my depression was from the rapid shift in hormone levels (a lot of estrogen to almost none overnight) that occurred when I first got on Femara. Now I feel perfectly fine, in fact, better than before the whole thing started which is strange. Let me know how you're doing.

Ohilly

This summer has been a
This summer has been a turning point for me as far as depression goes. I feel pretty good, but I still take Zoloft and Abilify. This has been a wonderful summer - I became a first time grandma on August 3. Glad to hear that you are doing so much better. xoxoxoxo Lynn

IzzWizz

Permanent hair loss - Taxotere
Hi

My hair hasn't grown back since I completed 6 cycles of FEC-T chemotherapy (3 x FEC and 3 x Docetaxel also known as Taxotere) in Spring 2010 in the UK. I haven't taken any drugs since completing chemo and radiotherapy as my cancer was hormone receptor negative (triple negative). There is so much anecdotal evidence of permanent and long term hair loss from Taxotere that there can't be any doubting it surely? I also urge oncologists to warn patients of this potential serious side effect. It's really important to know the full facts before going into treatment so that you can prepare yourself for different eventualities.

Fortunately, I live in a moderate climate! I have to wear a wig and I find it pretty intolerable during hot weather. I really do feel for anyone who lives in heat year round.

Izz Wizz

Double Whammy

IzzWizz said:

Permanent hair loss - Taxotere
Hi

My hair hasn't grown back since I completed 6 cycles of FEC-T chemotherapy (3 x FEC and 3 x Docetaxel also known as Taxotere) in Spring 2010 in the UK. I haven't taken any drugs since completing chemo and radiotherapy as my cancer was hormone receptor negative (triple negative). There is so much anecdotal evidence of permanent and long term hair loss from Taxotere that there can't be any doubting it surely? I also urge oncologists to warn patients of this potential serious side effect. It's really important to know the full facts before going into treatment so that you can prepare yourself for different eventualities.

Fortunately, I live in a moderate climate! I have to wear a wig and I find it pretty intolerable during hot weather. I really do feel for anyone who lives in heat year round.

Izz Wizz

I think this is more common than we know
Some of my hair has sort of returned. It's not fit for public viewing, that's for sure. I finished chemo Sept. 2010. Since many women have a really hard time with losing their hair, I think we aren't warned about this potential side effect because maybe some women would not opt to have chemo if they knew there was a chance it wouldn't come back. I was only told about common side effects. I didn't have those, I had only the ones I wasn't told about! Go figure.

Suzanne

ender

Double Whammy said:

I think this is more common than we know
Some of my hair has sort of returned. It's not fit for public viewing, that's for sure. I finished chemo Sept. 2010. Since many women have a really hard time with losing their hair, I think we aren't warned about this potential side effect because maybe some women would not opt to have chemo if they knew there was a chance it wouldn't come back. I was only told about common side effects. I didn't have those, I had only the ones I wasn't told about! Go figure.

Suzanne

Hi Suzanne,
Im sorry to hear
Hi Suzanne,

Im sorry to hear about your troubles. I also had 4 rounds of Cytoxan/Taxotere. I finished on July 13 of this year. My hair is coming back, but so far its much thinner than before. I used to have a lions mane of thick hair. I still have hopes that the hair will come back like it was before.

I hope this was useful.

Eva

ohilly

Double Whammy said:

I think this is more common than we know
Some of my hair has sort of returned. It's not fit for public viewing, that's for sure. I finished chemo Sept. 2010. Since many women have a really hard time with losing their hair, I think we aren't warned about this potential side effect because maybe some women would not opt to have chemo if they knew there was a chance it wouldn't come back. I was only told about common side effects. I didn't have those, I had only the ones I wasn't told about! Go figure.

Suzanne

hair
You can see from my posts that I also had major problems with my hair after chemo. Sounds like my problem was less severe than yours (I don't mean to make you feel bad, I have sympathy for your problem) in that my hair did come back, it was just thin in certain spots. But it was still a huge adjustment because prior to chemo I had thick, thick beautiful hair.

I am also astounded that no doctor ever told me about permanent hair loss from taxotere being a possibility. It would have been easier to accept, although still not easy, if I had at least known it was a possibility.

I am due to get off Femara in summer of 2013. I have never been sure if the Taxotere or Femara was what caused the hair thinning, so I am anxious to find out if any hair grows back once I stop taking the Femara.

Feel free to PM me or post on this board if you want to talk.

Ohilly

Double Whammy

ohilly said:

hair
You can see from my posts that I also had major problems with my hair after chemo. Sounds like my problem was less severe than yours (I don't mean to make you feel bad, I have sympathy for your problem) in that my hair did come back, it was just thin in certain spots. But it was still a huge adjustment because prior to chemo I had thick, thick beautiful hair.

I am also astounded that no doctor ever told me about permanent hair loss from taxotere being a possibility. It would have been easier to accept, although still not easy, if I had at least known it was a possibility.

I am due to get off Femara in summer of 2013. I have never been sure if the Taxotere or Femara was what caused the hair thinning, so I am anxious to find out if any hair grows back once I stop taking the Femara.

Feel free to PM me or post on this board if you want to talk.

Ohilly

Hats with hair
Check this out: www.hatswithhair.com. A little pricey, but cute.

MsGebby

Double Whammy said:

Hats with hair
Check this out: www.hatswithhair.com. A little pricey, but cute.

I see your comments and I
I see your comments and I pay attention. You seem to know quite a bit. In this particular "thread" I see everyone saying that the chemo may the culprit to hair loss. I wouldn't know anything about this, as I have "not yet begun to fight" with this therapy. However, I have a friend who did the radiation therapy and the hormone therapy. She was on Tamoxifen for 5 years and now she is on Arimidex (?). She has not had any hair loss whatsoever. SO, I am thinking chemo is truly the culprit. AND I pray that I do not have to deal with hair loss and then the non return of the hair. BTW --- I did go to hatswithhair. Really nice cover ups. I Love ' em.

xoxo
Mary

MsGebby

MsGebby said:

I see your comments and I
I see your comments and I pay attention. You seem to know quite a bit. In this particular "thread" I see everyone saying that the chemo may the culprit to hair loss. I wouldn't know anything about this, as I have "not yet begun to fight" with this therapy. However, I have a friend who did the radiation therapy and the hormone therapy. She was on Tamoxifen for 5 years and now she is on Arimidex (?). She has not had any hair loss whatsoever. SO, I am thinking chemo is truly the culprit. AND I pray that I do not have to deal with hair loss and then the non return of the hair. BTW --- I did go to hatswithhair. Really nice cover ups. I Love ' em.

xoxo
Mary

I just found this
I just found this site::::love their products!

www.headcovers.com

I really like the wigs and I could not believe there are eyebrows made with real hair. If I need hair on my head and face, I am going to give this place a try

minorbc

Continued Hair Loss

I was treated for breast cancer beginning in December 2009 and finished my last treatment of chemo in April 2010. I started radiation and hormonal therapy with letrozole ( a generic version of Femara) in May 2010. It is almost January 2013 and the hair on the top of my head and crown is still so thin that I continue to wear a wig. I expressed my belief that it might be the taxotere that had caused this to happen, but both my radiology oncologist and surgeon believed that it was the Letrozole that was the problem. I remain hopeful that the hair will grow back once I complete the 5 years using the letrozole. My hair was incredibly thick and coarse prior to treatments and I had often said to my hairdresser when she was spending a considerable amount of time drying it that at least I wouldn't have to worry about thin hair when I was older. I guess that statement has come back to bite me! The wig works well and it is very realistic, but I do find it a trifle warm in the summer. I wonder: are there other drugs that could be used for treatment of breast cancer that could be substituted? However, I would rather go without hair if I thought that the taxotere was the most effective drug on the market. 

Double Whammy

minorbc said:

Continued Hair Loss

I was treated for breast cancer beginning in December 2009 and finished my last treatment of chemo in April 2010. I started radiation and hormonal therapy with letrozole ( a generic version of Femara) in May 2010. It is almost January 2013 and the hair on the top of my head and crown is still so thin that I continue to wear a wig. I expressed my belief that it might be the taxotere that had caused this to happen, but both my radiology oncologist and surgeon believed that it was the Letrozole that was the problem. I remain hopeful that the hair will grow back once I complete the 5 years using the letrozole. My hair was incredibly thick and coarse prior to treatments and I had often said to my hairdresser when she was spending a considerable amount of time drying it that at least I wouldn't have to worry about thin hair when I was older. I guess that statement has come back to bite me! The wig works well and it is very realistic, but I do find it a trifle warm in the summer. I wonder: are there other drugs that could be used for treatment of breast cancer that could be substituted? However, I would rather go without hair if I thought that the taxotere was the most effective drug on the market. 

Me, too

And I really believe it was the Taxotere.  I've had blood work, been to the dermatologist, used extra strength men's Rogaine faithfully for 6 months as suggested by the dermatologist, and it is still horrible.  I've complained to every MD I see and they just shrug their shoulders.  My pcp says it's either the Taxotere or arimidex, but thinks the taxotere killed hair stem cells and you can't resurrect the dead.  Dermatologist says it just could be the Taxotere. Oncologist just sort of says "not me, I didn't do that".    My last chemo was Sept 23, 2010 and I did not start Arimidex until January 2011.  I was pretty suspicious about my hair before I started ever started Arimidex and I'm pretty convinced it's Taxotere.  I actually met a woman with the same results and she believes it's the Taxotere, too.  I don't know anyone who has completed AIs and whether their hair got thicker again, but I do know that some women do have thinning and slower hair growth on the AIs.  My hair seems to grow lenghtwise just like it used to.  My hair is thinnest at top and crown but is also pretty thin on the fringes.  It sucks.

Suzanne

salls41

Double Whammy said:

Me, too

And I really believe it was the Taxotere.  I've had blood work, been to the dermatologist, used extra strength men's Rogaine faithfully for 6 months as suggested by the dermatologist, and it is still horrible.  I've complained to every MD I see and they just shrug their shoulders.  My pcp says it's either the Taxotere or arimidex, but thinks the taxotere killed hair stem cells and you can't resurrect the dead.  Dermatologist says it just could be the Taxotere. Oncologist just sort of says "not me, I didn't do that".    My last chemo was Sept 23, 2010 and I did not start Arimidex until January 2011.  I was pretty suspicious about my hair before I started ever started Arimidex and I'm pretty convinced it's Taxotere.  I actually met a woman with the same results and she believes it's the Taxotere, too.  I don't know anyone who has completed AIs and whether their hair got thicker again, but I do know that some women do have thinning and slower hair growth on the AIs.  My hair seems to grow lenghtwise just like it used to.  My hair is thinnest at top and crown but is also pretty thin on the fringes.  It sucks.

Suzanne

Taxotere

I agree, Taxotere was one of the combo's in my cocktail. Been done with chemo since april and my hair is so not coming back as they said it would. I miss my eyebrows the most I think. 

daluse

Taxotears from the Netherlands

Hi Ohilly,

 

I truly believe that I am also a 'victim' of taxotere. Between november 2011 and march 2012 I received 6 TAC treatments. 
Now, ten months later, my hair on top is extremely thin and sparse, you can see my scalp and I still have to wear caps and hats.

I'm 43 yrs old and prior to the chemo, I had a full head of long, thick, curly hair. It is very difficult to cope with the (permanent) loss of my hair.
My oncologist says that he has never encountered this side-effect with taxotere and he is not convinced that it is due to the taxotere. Six weeks after TAC I started Tamoxifin, and he thinks that could be a more likely culprit.

 

However, I noticed before I started on tamoxifen that my initial regrowth was very sparse and different to onther post-chemo patients in my environment. I have researched taxotere and hundreds of posts about persistant hairloss related to taxotere extensively and I'm convinced taxotere is the main reason for my permanent hairloss and that Tamoxifen only aggravates the situation. As in your situation, nobody ever told me that my hair would not all grow back. I want to warn as many women as possible in the Netherlands that Taxotere can have this side-effect. There is a very good alternative in AC with Taxol, I wish they would have given me the choice in my hospital.

After reading your post I have ordered HairSoReal, it should arrive this week. Does it not have any bad side-effects for the remaining hairs at all? I would be devastated if I lost the hair on top that I do have! 

You also write that you researched Rogaine but that it had so many side effects that it didn't seem worth it. Can you explain what you mean by that?

I'm also a 'member'of the Taxotears group, great ladies!

I'm aware that your orginal post is already a few years old but I still hope to hear from you and wish you at te beginning of this new year all the best for 2013!

 

Daluse

frostbiter

daluse said:

Taxotears from the Netherlands

Hi Ohilly,

 

I truly believe that I am also a 'victim' of taxotere. Between november 2011 and march 2012 I received 6 TAC treatments. 
Now, ten months later, my hair on top is extremely thin and sparse, you can see my scalp and I still have to wear caps and hats.

I'm 43 yrs old and prior to the chemo, I had a full head of long, thick, curly hair. It is very difficult to cope with the (permanent) loss of my hair.
My oncologist says that he has never encountered this side-effect with taxotere and he is not convinced that it is due to the taxotere. Six weeks after TAC I started Tamoxifin, and he thinks that could be a more likely culprit.

 

However, I noticed before I started on tamoxifen that my initial regrowth was very sparse and different to onther post-chemo patients in my environment. I have researched taxotere and hundreds of posts about persistant hairloss related to taxotere extensively and I'm convinced taxotere is the main reason for my permanent hairloss and that Tamoxifen only aggravates the situation. As in your situation, nobody ever told me that my hair would not all grow back. I want to warn as many women as possible in the Netherlands that Taxotere can have this side-effect. There is a very good alternative in AC with Taxol, I wish they would have given me the choice in my hospital.

After reading your post I have ordered HairSoReal, it should arrive this week. Does it not have any bad side-effects for the remaining hairs at all? I would be devastated if I lost the hair on top that I do have! 

You also write that you researched Rogaine but that it had so many side effects that it didn't seem worth it. Can you explain what you mean by that?

I'm also a 'member'of the Taxotears group, great ladies!

I'm aware that your orginal post is already a few years old but I still hope to hear from you and wish you at te beginning of this new year all the best for 2013!

 

Daluse

taxotere perm hair loss

I had four cycles of TC in 2008.  The last 3/4 to 1" at the front of my hairline never re-grew.  One eyebrow regrew about 10%, the other not at all.  The eyelashes came back nicely with Latisse.  Btw, don't pay the premium for Latisse if your insurance won't pay for it.  My internist confirmed it is exactly the same as Lumigan which is used to treat glaucoma.  He Rx Lumigan, and I got it filled by a Canadian pharmacy with the generic, bimatoprost, for under $30.

In Dec 2012, I had a contralateral tumor and am currnetly undergoing DD ACT.  I went to Dana Farber for a consult.  The oncologist at Dana Farber confirmed that Taxotere does cause permanent hair loss in a significant number of patients. 

Breast cancer x2

My hair

My hair never came back after taco tree my last treatment was April 26 ,2013 and today still no hair in the middle I look like a man with male pattern baldness. My doctor never told me my hair won't grow back. The first time I had breast cancer my hair grow back in 6 months no problem.

Ms Priss

Hair Loss

Hello,

 

Has anyone out there suffered from what they thought was permanent hair loss, but actually had regrowth years later?  I have read many posts about people suffering from hair loss, but have never seen a post indicating that it eventually grew back.  The common denominator seems to be Taxotera.  Thanks.

Double Whammy

Ms Priss said:

Hair Loss

Hello,

 

Has anyone out there suffered from what they thought was permanent hair loss, but actually had regrowth years later?  I have read many posts about people suffering from hair loss, but have never seen a post indicating that it eventually grew back.  The common denominator seems to be Taxotera.  Thanks.

Nope!!

Dear Ms Priss:

Do you have permanent hair loss? 

It has now been 4 YEARS since my last chemotherapy.  Nothing has changed with me hairwise.  I look like an 80-year-old man.  I, too belong to an online support group, Taxotears, and our membership is growing.   I've tried everything, been to numerous doctors, and 1 1/2 years ago switched from Arimidex to Tamoxifen to see if that made any difference.  Nope.  I've made peace with my situation (that does not mean I'm happy with it because I'm not - I still can cry when I see my bald head).  I do have some cute wigs, have had my brows and liner tatooed (permanent makeup) and have been wearing eyelash extensions.  The extensions have severely damaged what few lashes I have and I'm now giving them a rest to see if my natural lashes will get stronger.  In the meantime, I have maybe 10-12 lashes on each eye (yes there are so few I can actually count them) and they're less than 1/8" long and have absolutely no color.  They're really strange. 

Of course, I'm happy to be alive and would probably have agreed to Taxotere had I known up front about this rare side effect, but it is really awful to know that for the rest of my life I will be a bald woman!  As if all the other stuff that goes along with breast cancer isn't enough. 

Suzanne

RE

Hugs!

Hi Ohilly, I do not have this issue but I wanted to say hello as it has been a long time.  I too do not frequent this board as often as I once did but I keep you all in my prayers!  Hugs to you Ohilly!

Mary J.

Hair Loss after Chemo

Has anyone noticed hair loss AFTER chemo?  My hair is much thinner now; completed chemo August 0f 2015.  And I am noticing some slight hairloss in the shower drain.  I'm freaking out abit cuz' I'm afriad it's mine and not my husband's.  Has anyone else had this situation?