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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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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mashloum on
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Two weeks using Xeljanz, Ahamdu Lelah first 4 routs shows on the head of my son
Truly I feel excited for this!
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Permalink Reply by AnakinWildstar69 on
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peppermint, marshmallows, and green tea..they sooth the stomach =P
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Permalink Reply by singh on
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Hi has anyone ever tried ciclosplorine or methotrexate and had any luck with it or side affects ?
I have messaged a few people via inbox but had no reply so thought I’d try this approach.
Thank you
Kind regards.
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Methotrexate is often used in autoimmune diseases.
For severe cases of Alopecia I believe methotrexate has very little responder rate.
On the other hand the sides are pretty common.
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It's my understanding that you can't take ciclosplorine for long periods of time. I think you would be chasing a short-term fix if it worked. If you have AA, then trying this might help reset your immune system. However, sustainable results for AU has low probability from what I have read.
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Thank return to life and cws, yeh I mean it will just be a bridge until the likes of xeljanz or ctp-543 or some thing viable comes out or approved here in the uk.
what is the major difference between cyclosporine and xeljanz as they both immune suppressors?
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Hi CWS, what dose are you on now? Have you been able to decrease at all?
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I am at the 10mg per day still. I tried 5mg per day for 6 months but started seeing some loss (only saw loss on my head). I will probably toggle between these 2 doses. I have some resistant spots on my head that never got growth so I shave it still. I do have all my facial hair. My legs are only about 40%. The facial is really the most important to me right now...but I am at a point where I would be ok without it.
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Hi there - I tried both, with no results at all (I am AU). The side effects were pretty bad for me - extreme exhaustion.
I am now on Xeljanz - no results so far (I am 2.5 months in). The difference between Xeljanz and methotrexate and cyclosprine is that the latter two are general immune suppressors, while Xeljanz targets a specific immune pathway which seems to be more effective in treating alopecia.
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Thanks Anna ! How long was you ok them for ? And thank you for clearing that up for me
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I was on methotrexate and cyclosporine for 3 months. We decided to discontinue because I had no results and the side effects were so bad, and I wanted to get onto Xeljanz. Part of the reason I went on them in the first place was to show my insurance company that I had tried everything before starting Xeljanz in the hope that would make them more likely to cover me. My doctor never really thoguht they would help me as I have such a severe case.
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