Hair loss supplements while on chemo

Posted by djchambers @djchambers, 1 day ago

I’m on fullfox regimen after neuropathy caused me to stop oxaliplatin. The oncologist said this normally occurs between the sixth and 12th chemo treatments. It happened for me after the sixth chemo.

My oncologist said my hair loss should reverse, but it’s going to be very slow.

I’ve seen ads for various things that help hair loss. I saw ads for a supplement containing pumpkin seed oil and saw Palmetto.

Has anyone tried this? My primary care doctor also is offering discounts for some type of laser treatment for hair loss.

Does anyone know if these are safe and effective while continuing maintenance chemo?

PS I asked my oncologist about the laser treatment and he shrugged in a way that suggested I shouldn’t be thinking about hair. BT W I am a woman. My oncologist is a bald man.

Thanks in advance so much for input.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Neuroendocrine Tumors (NETs) Support Group.

mcharlesfrancis | @mcharlesfrancis | 22 hours ago

Don't let anyone tell you that hair doesn't matter. It does.

I was on gemcitabine, Abraxane, and cisplatin and lost all of my hair — eyebrows, eyelashes, and everything else. By about four weeks into treatment, I was completely bald.

The good news is that after I completed my 18 weeks of chemotherapy, it all came back. It took time and patience, but it did return. Interestingly, it came back a little more wavy and a little more gray than before, but I was happy to have it back.

Everyone is different, but in my experience the hair loss was temporary. Hopefully yours will come back too once treatment is finished or reduced.

Wishing you stable scans, improving neuropathy, and healthy hair in the months ahead.