Comment by Natalie on December 1, 2009 at 3:11pm

Hi! I took prendisone for about a year (off and on) and I definitely, definitely recommend AGAINST taking it. The side effects are miserable, and although my hair would initially grow back a few months after the prendisone, it always fell out 2x worse once I went off of it. Have you tried cortisone injections at all? Those had a longer lasting effect on my hair and was not as harsh as the prendisone. Good luck :)

Comment by Melissa Harris on December 8, 2009 at 12:13am

I would maybe look into getting a biopsy of the scalp? When I was diagnosed, that is how they told me that I had AA. You don't need to but if you really want to know, I think that's the only way that they can verify it. Also, they can do a blood work up that would show lymph. white blood cells in your blood that are elevated if you have AA too. I would take Prednisone unless you have verified that you have AA and if you and your doctor feel that it's a late resort of trying something. Natalie is right, usually they try the injections in the scalp first and those are not as bad for you then the Prednisone. You need to find someone that knows how to do the shots though, because there is a method to doing them right! You can get bumps in your scalp for them as well if they don't know what they are doing. I don't mean to scare you, but you should know before you do it. I wish someone had told me! Feel free to ask me any questions. Well wishes and hope you find your way though this!

Comment by Undiscovered on December 10, 2009 at 9:55am

Thank you for the replies :)

I had a skin biopsy 10 years ago and was diagnosed with traction alopecia, and harshly told by the dr it was self inflicted....i was only 16 at the time. I had another biopsy 3 years ago and was diagnosed again with traction alopecia, so i don't know why this new dr has given me meds? I had a traumatic period when I was about 10, and then my hair started to fall out a year later. But it was because part of my religion i was never allowed to cut my hair, and so it was put into a tight..very tight, bun ontop of my head.

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