i asked a similiar question to this a few months back but circumstances have kind of changed so i need to know whats going on.

AS most of you know i have Ulcerative Colitis (An intestinal disease) which i got put on a shitload of prednisone (steroids) and a shitload of Asacol (both of which are soposed to give you severe hairloss.)

after i got taken off of the prednisone, i noticed within a matter of a few weeks that all my hair on my head got extremely thin. im just confused because it happened so quickly. im not sure if its normal MPB or its related to the medications. ive done research on the medication and read that around 2-3 weeks after getting taken off of prednisone its a common thing amongst men and woman both and can take up t 2 months to regrow your thickness.

it just happened so quickly i was shocked. it seems like it happened literally overnight. i got taken off prednisone 3 weeks ago and i had thick hair (besides the receding hairline) until out of nowhere i woke up last week and realized that all the hair on the top of my head was so thin.

it just doesnt seem like MPB can happen that quickly. im not bitching or complainin by any way. im just confused and wondering whats up.

if anyone knows anything ide appreciate the feedback. my dr isnt helpful at all. he actually told me "i dont know" lol.

Quote from: Ghost1988 on March 26, 2009, 06:45:44 PM

it just happened so quickly i was shocked. it seems like it happened literally overnight. i got taken off prednisone 3 weeks ago and i had thick hair (besides the receding hairline) until out of nowhere i woke up last week and realized that all the hair on the top of my head was so thin.

it just doesnt seem like MPB can happen that quickly. im not bitching or complainin by any way. im just confused and wondering whats up.

if anyone knows anything ide appreciate the feedback. my dr isnt helpful at all. he actually told me "i dont know" lol.

Strictly a guess on my part, but the meds probably did accelerate the hairloss.  But you need to be prepared for the possibility that it may be gone for good.  The meds probably just sped up what was going to happen anyway.  If you were destined to lose that  hair anyway, it might not grow back.

you have a point. i hope thats not whats happening though. i noticed that in a matter of a few days i went from having thick hair to having  random bald dots all over my head as well as a thinning horseshoe. i mean it would be obviously that it was MPB if it slowly turned into what it is today but like i said......it happened almost over night. thats why i think the steroid side effects are kicking in. in a matter of days i went from having only a receding hairline with thick hair elsewhere to a thin mess.

its not that noticeable to other people yet cuz i shave my head. but to me its obvious an sticks out like a sore thumb. im kinda surprised other people havent noticed it to be honest. you cant see an actual pronounced horseshoe shadow, its more of a real faint shadow where the top of my head is lighter than the back and sides.

i dunno. hopefully its just the works of the medication and itll growback to normal thickness. but well see.

i dont take it anymore. when i took it it did wonders. i felt on top of the world. the problem is after i stopped taking it i started getting all these side effects. hair thinning being one of them.

Oral prednisone makes me crazy - literally.  I get depressed, paranoid, angry and feel on the verge of crying all the time.  The shot doesn't do that to me though.  It does work, but I won't take it in pill form.

That's the only side effects I've ever experienced.

you cant see an actual pronounced horseshoe shadow, its more of a real faint shadow where the top of my head is lighter than the back and sides.

That's how it starts.  

i dunno. hopefully its just the works of the medication and itll growback to normal thickness. but well see.

Just remember it isn't the end of the world if it doesn't.  If you're destined to be bald, it might be better to just get it over with instead of going through a long, drawn-out gradual process.   It's normal when you first notice that your hair is going, to hope that it progresses slowly.  But eventually you reach a point where you've lost just enough that there's nothing you can do to make it look good, and then you'll find yourself wishing that it was just gone already.   Being bald is far preferable to balding.

ya but ide rather go through the long process so i can hold on to it for as long as possible. i mean im only 20. i dont want a horseshoe yet.

Like I said, it's normal to feel that way.

theres no way i could deal with it this young.

Sure you can.  Don't underestimate yourself.

if i can at least hold on to it till im 25 it would be 10 times more acceptable.

You won't be any more ready for it at 25, 35, or 45.  There's never a good time.

im still a kid in most peoples eyes. im not even legal drinking age yet. wont a horseshoe make me look sickly in non baldies eyes?

No, it won't make you look sickly.   There are plenty of 20 year-olds with advanced MPB.   Some people might think you're a little older than your actual age.  But the truth is, believe it or not -- if you keep it shaved, most people won't even notice if you have a horseshoe or not.  The average person will just see a shaved head and won't look with a critical eye for signs of a shadow, the way we do. 

Don't waste any time or energy obsessing over it.  You already know that you look great with a shaved head, so it's really not a problem.

Razor get it right on.  This is good for lurkers who are thinking they would be ready if the hairloss occured later in life.   But we see new member stories of people in their 30s, 40s, and even 50s who are not ready for hairloss.
This is not intended to look down upon them; rather it's an observation worth observing.
And maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to start dressing older.   That way people can think you are 25 and you will be called "sir".   

Ghost. Man I hear you about the hairloss and shadow thing but thinking back on it before I started shaving my head I never noticed a shadow on a sly guy. But I feel you. Its hard being 20 and balding. It is much easier to be sly and not worry about it. Thats what I'm trying to do right now.