Prednisone - New York,NY

My mother has been on Prednisone for some time now and she hasn't lost any hair. She started out on a large dose for awhile and has gone to a lower dose but will most likely be on it forever now. My brother and son were on it for shorter times for Asthma and one for an entire summer and had no hair loss. I don't know if it's her dose or only some have hair loss and others don't but I would wait and see if she even has it. If she does I wouldn't think it would be that much. You could contact the places that help cancer patients with hair loss, wigs, etc. if it does happen until it grows back.

I'm so sorry, I've been on prednisone in the past for years at a time and never experienced hair loss. I've also never known anyone to have that experience. I know prednisone can be a really nasty drug with nasty side effects but the alternative of not using the drug can be worse.
My only suggestion is for her to wear her hair up (if it's long enough). She could also tease it a little at the roots to give it the appearance of more hair.
I wish her the best.

My son was on really high daily doses Predisone for 4 months, and we're talking pregnancy hair loss in HIM, not noticeable hair loss. Lots in the shower, but not enough to see his scalp or anything. Also puffy steroid face, and yellowing teeth, and some minor bone loss (all things common from oral steroids). Hair, face, bone loss... all fixed up right quick... except the teeth. Well, I'm going to get them bleached. I don't care how many uppity moms think that's "bad" to do for a 9yo. Butter yellow teeth we have a fix for).

Thing is... these side effects (for US) were totally worth it, and very very fixable and gradual (meaning none of his friends noticed, and even adult friends only notice the teeth). If your niece isn't on them for long, she may not have any noticeable side effects. With my son, he was on a LOT of meds this spring/summer (to keep him breathing) so it's to be expected.

An ex of mine intermittently goes on prednisone for crohns... he never has ANY side effects from it, because he only needs to take it for a few days during a flare up.

The hair loss will be minor, not in huge patches. Some other side effects are acne and horrible mood swings. When my daughter was on fairly high doses of prednisone, the mood swings were the worst.

Prednisone is really a helpful drug, and thank God it is cheap!!

I really don't recall my mother having any real issue with hair loss and she's been on/off it numerous times with colitis. However, I do recall the moon face, as the other poster mentioned. That depends on the level of dosage she receives.

Best of luck to her - I really feel for people who have Crohns or colitis. They both can be so debilitating.

How much prednisone is she taking and for how long?
I've been on a short series of it before for relief of poison ivy - series completes in a week.
I never had problems with hair loss, and the relief from the itching was wonderful.

Tell her she has to take the good with the bad and thank her lucky stars that there is medicine to help her. My daughter got diabetes as a child...and although she hated needles...it was required to keep her alive....we both are grateful for medicine.

The hair loss should not be that significant. i would have your neice's parents talk with her Dr. My son has been on prednisone MANY times and never experienced hair loss.

I think it would have to be a lot and taken for a long period of time for it to be an issue. I was just on it for about a week and I didnt have a problem with hair loss, the only problem I had was it made me hungry! Lol, all I wanted to do while on it was eat.

I agree with a lot of the answers here, particularly moodiness and moon face. My husband also suffers from Crohn's and was stuck in a prednisone cycle for many years -- docs would start him on a high dose, then taper it off over several weeks, but every time he got to the lowest dose, he would have a flare-up and have to start over. Prednisone is good to get over a flare-up but it is, unfortunately, not a long-term solution. The hair loss, as others have said, should not be noticeable to anyone but her. I can give lots of other info but don't want to bore you. Feel free to email me, though.

My mom was on prednisone and she got that poofy steroid face, so your neice will probably get that too. I know a steroid face from a mile away after my mom. She lost some hair, but not all hair. Now it's come back in baby soft like chemo hair does. You couldn't tell by looking at her it just looked thinner. There'd be many times I found her hair in food and I shut up and discretely moved it. What we do for those we love!

I see that other Mama's have had experiences that do not result in the hair loss. I think you should prepare her that her face will most likely get puffy.

Good luck!

if she wants a more natural way of controlling Chrones I may be able to help her. livetotalwellness.beathome.com

I know a boy 18 same diseases was on it never lost hair but did gain weight also no a 60 yr old on med not same disease only gain alot of weight lost weight when taking off med also no a 65 yr old women same weight gain benifit of drug outweight hair loss

I know that it is necessary sometimes but I hate that stuff. My son got pneumonia induces asthma at 6 years old and was put on that. He wasn't on it very long and he was a totally different kid. Grouchy, moody and just not my son. He gained a lot of weight and it was very hard for him to lose it. My poor little man. I would also check in to more natural help if possible. Best if luck to y'all.

Prednisone has tons of side effects, swelling/weight gain, puffy face, constant thirst, yellowing of skin, weakened immune system, anxiety, diabetes... and that is just a small sampling. Long term use has way more side effects. My dad was on prednisone off and on for years for cancer complications, so I've seen many side effects. I really think it's impossible ot tell a person what exactly side effects they may encounter, a lot of that information will be on the pharmacist drug packet, but there is always the disclaimer that other side effects may still exist. Did she or her parents not read the prescription insert and see anything about hair loss?

In any case, if she experiences hair loss, it should be just a little bit all over (so no big bald patches) and it is not permanent. It will be more noticeable to her and close family than it will be to anyone else. As a hairstylist, some things we do to help people with hairloss to give them appearance of fuller hair, is to give them a shorter cut with graduated layers (not layered hair as that removes volume). Also, highlights helps bulk hair due to texture changes and the lighter color helps to create an optical illusion of thicker and fuller hair. Hope that helps!

All side effects are "possible," it does not mean that they happen to everyone. There is no way to know what side effects she will or won't experience from the medication. Cron's is a serious illness and prednisone is serious medication. It is not appropriate for a 16 year old not to be given full information on her condition or medications, nor for everyone else to have this information when she doesn't. I have a 16 year old daughter and would never keep her from being a fully involved participant in her healthcare. In two years, your niece will be an adult. Doctors will not give her parents any information and she will make all of her medical/treatment decisions on her own. I know this is not your choice as you are not the parent, but the parents really need to get her prepared for that. That's a way bigger concern than some possible hair loss.

I wouldn't worry about the hair loss so much as the behavioral side effects! Prednisone used to turn my mom into the worlds biggest ____@____.com, it turned the witch I used to work with into the world's nicest lady. I used to feel guilty for wishing her breathing problems would flare up....

The side effects are totally hit and miss so she might not get the hair loss at all!