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Friday, February 06, 2009 Sallie asks

Q: Can Forteo cause thinning of hair or hair loss?

I have been taking Forteo for 18 months.  I have had no severe side effects and seem to have tolerated it well.  However, I have noticed that I am losing a significant amount of my hair. I have probably lost about 1/3 of my hair (volume not in spots) over the past year or two.  I am wondering if this could be caused by the Forteo.

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Answers (5)
Pam Flores, Health Guide
2/ 6/09 6:05pm

Hi Sallie:  Congrats; you're almost finished with Forteo! 

 

According to the various articles on Forteo, hair loss is not listed as a side effect.  I took Forteo for 2 years, and have had thinning hair, but mine began before I started Forteo.  I never figured out why my hair started thinning years ago, but was told many different things, like hormone loss, diet, aging etc.  Unfortunately some of us just have this problem as we age, but you could ask your Dr about it and see what he thinks.

 

I know what a pain this is and how frustrating it can be, but maybe your Dr can help you find something that would slow or reverse your thinning hair.  If you find out what caused it let me know.

 

Good luck and I hope your t-scores are great from the Forteo, like mine were.

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Pam Flores, Health Guide
2/ 6/09 9:36pm

Hi Again...  I just noticed a link here at the OsteoporosisConnection on thinning hair and hair loss products ranked by popularity and positive results.  The link is above, if you would like to read it.  I'm going to look into them myself since this is something that's driving me crazy Frown  Hopefully this will help in some way and good luck again.  PF

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8/ 7/10 11:31pm

Hi.  I've been taking Forteo, too, for almost 18 months and the hair loss started probably a week or two after I started taking it.  Just like yours, it's not coming out in clumps, but really noticeable when I wash my hair, and I've probably lost at least a third of my hair also.  It seems to have stabilized at one-third, but who knows what the next few months will bring?  I'm supposed to take it until March, so we'll see what happens after that when I'm supposed to stop.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Barbara

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8/29/10 9:44pm

Definitely hair loss.  I noticed it the first month with my eyebrows and now 4 months later my hair has definitely thinned.  worrisome since I have 20 more months to  go.  I too told my dr and he said he never heard that.... well its true.

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1/ 5/12 2:40pm

I am on the final countdown days of finishing Forteo and most definitely I have lost a considerable amount of hair.  It started this last year to be very noticeable, even my hairdresser is shocked.  I have always had very thick hair but no longer.  I do have new hair growth at the crown, which is sticking up now, as well as new growth at my forehead, which I can cover with a fringe.  It appears that handfuls come out in the shower and I always have carpet of hair on my bathroom floor, something that never happened before.  I will be finished Forteo in 2 weeks and am praying and hoping that my hair returns.  Most importantly though will be if I have a good bone density result.

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By Sallie— Last Modified: 01/05/12, First Published: 02/06/09