Xeljanz (Tofacitinib Citrate): My experience on the trial

I have received a lot of interest from others on here in my involvement with the Xeljanz trials at Yale.

I thought it would be nice for everyone if I documented my progress on here. 

Xeljanz is a Jak3 inhibitor and is believed to work with alopecia by turning off the distress signal relayed by the hair follicle to the attacking immune system which is the cause of the hairs falling out. Xeljanz comes in a strength of 5mg per pill and a full box contains 60 tablets. The recommended dosage for arthritis is 1 tablet in the morning and another in the evening each day.

The trial is set in a series of stages and there are requirements before participating. These include monthly visits and blood tests every 2 weeks. Dr Brett King is absolutely fantastic and is an inspiration to me. His positivity and enthusiasm gives me the much needed hope I have craved for over a decade. I have been put on a low dose to start with which is 1 tablet every other day. My dosage has now been increased to 1 tablet every day and next month it could be increased to 2 tablets per day depending on the results. 

I have completed my first month and have already noticed my alopecia has stabilised . I have not lost any existing hairs. In addition to this I have seen little hairs growing in my chest area as well as eyebrows. Fingers crossed! To date, I have experienced no side effects.

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AW:  Other discussions on Xeljanz / Tofacitinib

https://alopeciaworld.com/main/search/search?q=Tofacitinib

 

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Permalink Reply by Starshine on October 16, 2015 at 5:11pm
Hey Julie, I think it renews at the beginning of each new year regardless of when you applied for it.
Permalink Reply by Kat on October 16, 2015 at 5:43pm
Does anyone on the trial have any news on where the trials will progress to next? Any dates? Any idea of how many more facilities will be involved or FDA possible approval dates?? Seems like someone should have more info or access to more info than this??
Permalink Reply by Xeljanzmiracle on October 17, 2015 at 3:42pm
Ten weeks on Xeljanz: Finally figured out how to upload pictures. Here are a few of my regrowth pictures.
Attachments:
Permalink Reply by marisa on October 17, 2015 at 4:16pm
Thats great progress. Ive been seeing other blogs where some people comment they have slow progress and others fast. Would you consider yourself with fast results?
Permalink Reply by Xeljanzmiracle on October 17, 2015 at 5:47pm
I can't honestly say. My hair started visibly growing back after one month on Xeljanz. (See my Discussion "From Totally Bald to Regrowth in One Month" on the main discussion page. Some people have more coverage than me in the same amount of time and some less. All of our bodies are different in their response time, etc. I'm just grateful and appreciative to have ANY regrowth after being AU for 6 years. To me, this drug is a miracle, thus my username (smile) which I gave myself in advance of any regrowth in faith.
Permalink Reply by Giusep on October 19, 2015 at 10:36pm
Great progress!!!! that's exactly how my fiancés started to grow back. Now she has 100% regrowth. good things to come for you!!!!
Permalink Reply by Jcortez05 on December 20, 2015 at 6:30pm
Did her hair initially grow in with pigment or was it white?
Permalink Reply by singh on October 18, 2015 at 6:28am
Does anyone know if you can drink alcohol whilst on xeljanz ?? Got a mates birthday tonight so was wondering? Thanks in advance
Permalink Reply by Xeljanzmiracle on October 18, 2015 at 9:00am
Yes, I drink alcohol on it all the time without any negative effects.
Permalink Reply by Football fan on October 19, 2015 at 8:41pm
What a roller coaster ride this AA has been.And to think 5 years ago I never heard of this disease.I think I have to face the fact now that xeljanz may not give me my hair back! 6 months on 2 pills a day now 3 weeks on 3 pills a day and no new hair.i had such high hopes I wasn't AU so thought I had a good chance of this working.If I thought this was just give it time and it will work I wouldn't give up but if nothing happens soon I may have to call it quits..Come January I will have to start paying again so I will at least give it to then.I was hoping the trials would shed some light on things but I'm not holding my breath on hearing anything soon.On the bright side at least most of you are seeing results.
Permalink Reply by Kat on October 19, 2015 at 9:04pm
Football Fan - i have been using 3000 mg of MSM a day (methylsulfynlmethane) which is natural, organic sulfur. U can get it at any health food store
. I am not on trials nor would i be able to afford the medication. It took a couple/few months but i have about 75 to 80 percent of my hair and it's like $13 for a big bottle. It is literally the ONLY thing that has made any difference for me. Ive been AA since i was 16 but rarely showed many signs but then my hair all fell out after breast reduction surgery 3 and a half years ago and this is all that's worked since.hope that helps. Oh and they do sell it in powder form but i take capsules in case youre wondering.
Permalink Reply by Starshine on October 20, 2015 at 9:31am
Hey Football Fan, have you thought about seeing Dr. King in Ct? He is an amazing, compassionate doctor who knows more than anyone about zeljanz. Also, are you sure your hairloss is autoimmune? Have you had a scalp biopsy to confirm it?

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