Women who are fighting rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are sometimes forced to make a difficult decision. Some of the medications proven most successful in treating RA symptoms are also associated with hair loss, an indignity that most women will go to great lengths to avoid. Making matters even worse, RA and other autoimmune disorders can sometimes trigger hair loss regardless of the drugs that patients are taking.
Alopecia Areata
The most common form of women's hair loss due to RA itself is alopecia areata, which is also classified as a disorder of the autoimmune system. Alopecia areata frequently strikes women who are suffering from an autoimmune disease or have a family history of such disorders. Among the diseases of this type are RA, Addison's disease, lupus erythematosus, pernicious anemia, vitiligo, thyroid disease and early-onset diabetes.
Medication-Induced Hair Loss
Medications prescribed to treat RA symptoms may carry with them a substantial risk of temporary hair loss, which is nevertheless very distressing despite the fact that it is a short-term side effect. This type of hair loss is known as telogen effluvium and happens when an increased number of hair follicles go into a temporary state of dormancy. Medications that may trigger this type of hair loss include those used to treat RA, gout, depression and high blood pressure. Also implicated as possible causes of telogen effluvium are birth control pills, blood thinners and high doses of vitamin A.
RA Medications
RA patients take a wide variety of medications, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a branch of the National Institutes of Medicine. The general categories of such medications include analgesics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), biologic response modifiers and tumor necrosis factor inhibitors. While some of these drugs are used to treat the pain and inflammation of RA, DMARDs are used not only to treat symptoms but also to slow the course of the disease.
DMARDs and Hair Loss
The RA medications most often associated with hair loss are the DMARDs. Specific medications in this category include azathioprine, gold sodium thiomalate, leflunomide, methotrexate, and sulfasalazine. DMARDs are essentially immunosuppressant medications and carry with them the side effects of drugs that compromise---if only temporarily---the immune system. One of those side effects is temporary hair loss.
Mitigating the Effects of Drugs
Some women being treated with DMARDs and suffering the side effect of hair loss have reported success in slowing or halting the hair loss by supplementing their diet with folic acid, zinc, the amino acid L-lysine and vitamins B-6 and B-12. However, you must consult your doctor before you begin to take any such dietary supplement, as other factors in your medical history may make taking one or more of these supplements unwise.
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