Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed with ophiasis pattern alopecia in January and unfortunately it has been spreading quickly. I've been doing steroid injections every month and while there is some patchy regrowth, the spot itself is getting bigger (it's pretty much the entire lower back of my head) and it's getting hard to conceal so a wig is likely in my near future. My dermatologist is recommending a year-long course of systemic prednisone and methotrexate. She says the methotrexate allows a lower dose of prednisone (10mg) and therefore should lessen side effects, but I am still really uncomfortable with the idea. Going bald is not fun, but when I read about possible side effects of prednisone--- weight gain, acne, moon face, buffalo hump, osteoporosis, mood swings... ugh. Pretty sure I'd rather be bald. And then there's the fact that you can't have any alcohol while taking methotrexate, and I do enjoy wine. 

This study suggests this treatment has a pretty high success rate, and says side effects were tolerable...

http://scialert.net/fulltext/?doi=ajdd.2013.188.193&org=10

Has anyone tried this treatment and did it work? If so, how long did it take and did the results last? What about side effects?

Thanks for any input!