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Oral Prednisone - should we try it?
Hello all,
My 14 yr old has AA, 5 patches so far, quite large and spreading. The dermatologist has just prescribed 25mg oral prednisone. Has anyone had experience with this treatment and will it stop the rapid spreading for now?
We are also doing vitamin supplements and essential oils.
Any advice/input would be greatly appreciated, we don't know whether to take the prednisone or wait and see what happens. The derm also said we only have a three month window for effective treatment and we are at 2.5 months now. All the spots have hair follicles visible under the derm's lens which is good news, apparently.
Also, does anyone know of a good website to order hair pieces (top of scalp and sides), just in case :(
Thank you for your help.
"A supportive Mom"
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dena on
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Please keep us updated on how the Prednisone is working. My daugther's dermatologist is wanting us to try it. She had progressed to AT in the last month and she wants me to think it over during the holidays. I am not so sure I want to put my 6 year old on it. I have heard it grows back hair, but there are a lot of side effects. At 6 she isn't really that concerned with her hair loss, and I am not sure I want to put a healthy child on Prednisone since it isn't something that she is worried about. Luckily for me she seems to o.k. with being bald and beautiful. I hope she stays that way. They have also mentioned Light Therapy. Of course she did say most insurances doesn't cover it. I wish you guys the best of luck. 14 is a hard age to be going through all of this.
Dena
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Permalink Reply by CAH on
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Hi Dena,
We decided not to do the oral prednisone, very scared of the side effects on a young teenager. We also discovered that if you don't stay on the drugs the hair will continue to fall, so can't really see the benefits unless you hit a window where the disease goes remission. I feel for your little girl, it is so hard dealing with it. We are new to this and it really sets you back. We're trying to stay positive for our daughter but as a mother it's very difficult to see your child suffering. I would take this disease from her in a heartbeat! I have thin hair and would be more than happy to wear hair pieces/wigs so I would never have a bad hair day! Have to stay positive I guess.
Best of luck to you and your daughter.
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It is frustrating some of the drugs they want to use. It seems really dangerous for growing children especially. And anytime I question something I get the look like, 'don't you want your daughter to grow hair.' I know it sounds weird, but every since she lost all her hair we have sorta came to terms with everything and are debating if we really want to deal with any of the experimental treatments. When she just had a few spots, I was almost willing to try anything because of the fear of the unknown. Stupid me thought somehow I was going to stop this. Now I know she is going to be o.k. If it never grows back and it is hurting her self esteem, I would much rather spend my money on a really nice wig than these treatments. Some of the wigs these days are awesome. This is hard for a parent. We want to make everything better. I agree, we just have to stay positive.
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Hi Dena and CAH
My daughter lost her hair at 12 she is now 22 years old. I have never used medications or treatments, but in the last 10 years she has regrown her hair 5 times....sadly lost it five times as well. It is terribly difficult to work through what is going to be the best option for your daughter and your family. But in my experience alopecia does what it does and that's the worst of it. The lack of control is the bit that drives everyone potty.
I'm not an advocate of steroids as I have met many people who took them when they were younger and now are paying the price (cataracts at an early age, osteo etc.) The side effects can be a little over the top. I do feel that doctors have more of a understanding now and are far more careful with what they prescribe, but even so, be careful and do a lot of question asking before you make the decision.
Steroids (oral prednisone) will definately bring hair back but you can not take them long term so unless you are in remission or going into remission, the hair regrown while taking them will fall out again once the medication has been stopped.
No matter what you try you will always have my support - good luck with your investigations.
Hugs
Rosy
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Permalink Reply by chris for hair on
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Boy this really frightens me. I have Lupus and the standard medication is prednisone (sp?) which can cause all sorts of serious side affects especially in someone so young. I understand the theory because AA is an autoimmune response, but still think putting her on steroids at this time is overkill.
Last night I had dinner with my friend that had several large spots on her scalp last summer. I asked her about the shots since she recovered so quickly and completely with them. She said she had to go three times. I am not a doctor but would think the the injections have less potential for systemic reactions like the oral has.Also, most "toppers" are just that, they cover the top but not the sides. I recently began development on a topper with sides, all I did was to take a full wig, and cut out the back, leaving the nape area in tact. It works really well and stays in place much better than any topper I have seen. Having the band at the nape stabilizes the piece. The clients I tried it on all were so impressed at how well it fit. Maybe you could do something like that for your daughter.
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Hi Chris,
Thanks for your reply. We decided not to do the prednisone, scared of the side effects as well. I am desperately looking for a topper at the moment that will cover the back of her head as well. We are living abroad in Singapore and I'm having a hard time finding a local shop/distributor that sells "western" hair. Do you know of any?
Thanks again!
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Thanks, I agree, we decided not to go ahead as it will only relapse once the drugs are stopped, so what's the point? We are now looking for hair toppers/attachments.
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Hi Supportive Mom,
While I'm a little older than your daughter (27), my dermatologist prescribed prednisone for me after diagnosing me with alopecia areata. He put me on 60mg decreasing dose for a month as he described the alopecia as aggressive (not what you want to hear!). For the first 10 days, I still had extensive hair loss, but for the last two and half weeks, the loss has slowed to what I would call a pre-alopecia amount. I also did not have a big problem with side effects - I had a little trouble sleeping, and I found that by week four I was a little more cranky than usual, but that was about it. Today was my last day on the prednisone, so it's not clear if the hair loss will start up again since I'm done with the drug, but I can certainly keep you posted if you'd like. I wish you guys the best of luck! Alopecia has been tough at 27 - I can't imagine having to deal with it in high school!
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We decided not to go ahead with the oral prednisone, too scared of the side effects on a young teenager. We are at the stage now of "acceptance" I guess, trying herbal remedies and vitamins. She has lost 50 - 60% of her hair now and I am desperately trying to source a hair topper/attachment. We are living abroad in Singapore and I'm having a hard time finding anything local for western hair.
Best of luck to you!
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You should be able to find something there, even if the hair is European, it is likely manufactured into the wig there. Most of the companies are in Quindau (sp?) It runs about $45.00 to ship from China, so I would think that even if you go with an American company it could be shipped.
I am glad you decided to not do the prednisone, she is so young to start that road..
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Hi Cah
I'm not sure if this will help but there is a Freedom Wig IA in Singapore. You may not be thinking of a full wig as yet, but if this is needed in the future you are close to help.
Good luck with finding a topper if that is her need at the moment.
Hugs Rosy
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Permalink Reply by kitty on
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We started my 16 year old boy on Prednisone (60mg for one week, then 50 for two weeks, then 40 for two weeks, then 30 for two weeks and now we are down to 20 mgs to two weeks. I am terrified but the hair is growing, although it appears white at this time. (His hair is normally dark brown). I will be sad if it all falls out as soon as he stops the oral Prednisone and so we are holding out breath on this. Will let you know.
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