7 replies to this topic

[DarKS]

Hello Everyone

i started taking tasigna 200 mg . I have noticed some hair loss but what am noticing more is slow hair growth...everywhere. Sorry to gross you out but under arms, legs , hair on my head all are growing extremely slow...if not at all

does this have to do anything with Tasigna...

i just started recently (22nd of August)

[starlago]

Ah hair loss!  My favorite topic.  My answer to your questions is:  probably yes.  I have been on Sprycel for a year and a half - two cycles of hair loss and then regrowth.  New hair is lighter and coarser.  Eyebrows and lashes and yes, others very thin or gone.  I use Rogaine and the Nioxin (sp?) products - not sure if they contribute to the regrowth, but hopefully so. 

It has been pointed out on this board that TKIs affect hair and skin cells which is certainly true in my case - my skin has also changed permanently - texture, dryness, rashes that come and go, extreme reaction to insect bites.

So....you have compatriots in the battle against hair loss!  Hope that helps.  K

[DarKS]

thanks alot...well i am using a product called Ducray and the hair vitamins ( perfectil) but not really feeling like they are doing anything...not to mention the skin rash..my skin texture has never been that dry or uneven due to the skin rash...

as you could figure out...i have been recently diagnosed with CML and trying to understand more about the side effects i will have to live with ...am thankful it is just cml but sometimes i just get depressed

[Trey]

TKI drugs have side effects because, although they are targeted drugs, they are not perfectly targeted.  TKI drugs target the BCR-ABL leukemic process and inhibit it, which is what we want*.  But the body has numerous tyrosine kinases, and some can also be inhibited, including c-Kit and PDGFR.  Sprycel additionally inhibits some SRC tyrosine kinase processes.  It is this secondary inhibition of other tyrosine kinases (unintended) that are generally believed to cause the skin rashes, hair folicle problems, scalp itch, muscle cramps, etc.  So the hair folicle can be disrupted by the TKI drug, probably by inhibiting cKit, which can lead to temporary hair loss.  Normally the body adjusts to this over time and finds ways to reverse it, and the hair grows back.  Sometimes the hair grows back in a different texture, and sometimes even a different color.  When it comes to side effects, we are all different in some ways.

http://www.hemonctod....aspx?rid=30195

Previous discussion:

http://community.lls...age/76872#76872

* Technically the TKI drugs target the ABL in BCR-ABL, and also regular ABL

[DarKS]

thanks alot...i think i need to make amends with this side effect then

[Trey]

It seems that for some people it reverses itself over time as the body finds alternate ways to deal with the issue.  This is true of many side effects.

[Taylor]

Hi DarkS,

I'm a 25 year old male (my birthday is the same day you began Tasigna, actually) and I have experienced what I am nearly positive is Gleevec-related hair loss.  I am on 600mg/day and I began on February 8th or so. 

Before dx and being on the meds, my hairline was slowly receding, but only the actual line itself.  This did not progress any more quickly then normal, and then I noticed around September that my hair was suddenly thinning in patches all over my scalp.  I also noticed a few more hairs falling out than normal, perhaps, but I think new hair just isn't growing as quickly.  I am not bald or anything, I can still fix my hair so it just looks a little thing.  I have other scalp issues, such as itching and some weird change in the follicles. 

[matt92711]

I started Tasigna (300 mg) about 2 months ago and my hair has been falling out since. So yes I think it is pretty obvious that hair loss and Tasigna go together. The good news is I can save money on hair cuts...