Xolair/omalizumab-hair Loss

I have been taking this medication for 5 month and I have experience a lot of hair loss. Spoke with a friend who is taking the medication as well and has experienced tremendous hair loss. She has used Redkin Hair Products, with good success, she has managed to recoup much of her hair. Has anyone else experienced hair loss?

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I too have had hair loss. My hair is very thin now and I haven't touched a razor to my legs in months.

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yeah. I'm 16 and i have.

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Unfortunately, there isn't a lot of side effect information available on this drug, yet.

You would probably be surprised to know how many drugs do cause hair loss, though.

http:/­/­www.prescriptiondrug-info.com/­drug_information_online.asp?title=Omalizumab&page=1005955&ad=true

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Hi. I am 20 years old and I have been shedding hair like crazy over the past two years..... I am not sure why this is happening. It's not genetic or hormonal because I got my blood tests done and I don't have thyroid problems. I just want to know what the best remedy is to regrow and make hair more stronger and thicker, i have started searching in internet for hair regrowth products thn i found one ..that is IHT-9 the herbal hair regrowth shampoo, i have seen many good comments for this product, i hve seen the website of this. its nice..thn i have decided that i should try this product..after a few weeks ..i seen the gud results..I m getting my hair back..Thanks to IHT-9 Herbal Hair Shampoo, the actual regrow hair shampoo.

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I have had severe hair loss since getting Xolair injections. I didn't know this was one of the side affects until it got so bad and i started checking the internet about it. I just hope it's not to late to grow it back. I have been getting injections since January of this year.

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I too have noticed severe hair loss - clumps in the shower - hair quality is very poor - I have thin hair, but used to have a lot of it - healthy and shiny. Now it is dry and brittle and not shiny at all. Blood tests were normal, no vitamin deficiencies. I have been on Medrol for almost 2 years, so that could be a part of it, but it has gotten worse since January, when I started the Xolair shots. My hair dresser said to wash less, try not to use heat appliances and no more highlights. I look like a sick rat! (but one that breathes better) What can be done???

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This is for everyone who has been experiencing hair loss...has anyone stopped xolair and continued to have hair loss. I participated in a study to help get xolai FDA approved for the treament of hives. I had 1 injection of 300mg of xolair in 2009 and didn't have any hair loss at the time. For approximately the past 6 months or so I have noticed that I have been losing alot of hair. Mostly in the shower but also when I brush my hair. I have also noticed that my hair appears more brittle. I am just wondering if this could be a long term side effect of xolair. As I am considering participating in another study I am very concerned that this side effect could be permanent and irreversible. What does everyone think?

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I too also have a lot of hair loss since I had Xolair injections. If I knew that the hair loss would be so bad I would not of agreed to the injections. I use to have a lot of wavy hair but now I'm losing more hair. The back of my head was completely bald. I was told I had alopecia areata. Now my hair is coming in very sparsely and new bald spots are appearing on both sides of my temples. I have to wear a wig to hide my hair loss. I hope there is something or someone to help me recoupe my hair loss.

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I started taking xolair injections on may 27 of 2011 and stopped Aug 27 2011 I lost a lot of hair all at once which prompt me to stop the injections. I told my doctor about the loss and he said I should keep taking the injections and I should weight the loss vs my improvement with my asthma. I'm still losing a lot of hair some has come back in but i now have other bald spots coming to life.

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Yes I have loss alot of hair but I have not been in the hospital either. Thinking about stopping the shots but I feel great can run with out using my inhaler at the finish line. Scared I will be bald if i continue is it worth it.

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Hi Darlene Has your hair grown back? I am on Xolair 5 months now and my hair is falling out

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I have been taking xolair since may 2014. It's been 5 months and I am getting shots biweekly at 375mg each time. I have noticed I'm losing hair by the handfuls, mostly in the shower. I've asked my doctor about it and of course he said it's not the xolair. I can breathe better since taking the shots but I'm afraid that I'm going to end up bald because of them. Please help!!!

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Hi Susan It is a side effect of the xolair they just consider it to be a rare one. I have been on it since may 2014 as well and my hair is much thinner and of poor quality, it also makes the hair grow very slowly (no haircut in 4 months). The Xolair gave me my life back so I should be grateful but it is still depressing. I don't know if I will go bald but it is really noticeable.

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Thank you for your response Joe. I am very grateful for the quality of life that xolair has given back to me and I don't want it to sound like I'm vain but I didn't know that hair loss could be a possible side effect until I started researching xolair in depth. Since starting xolair, I've also had joint pain mostly in my arms and lower legs which wakes me up some nights and I've had a chronic sore throat for almost 2 months. I've had bloodwork and throat cultures which all came back negative so the only thing it could be is a side effect to the xolair. Is anyone else experiencing these issues??

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Hi Susan I think the throat thing is from it as well. I have had it since starting xolair they call it silent reflux (heartburn you cant feel that annoys your larynx) not a big deal and yes some joint pain, not bad just annoying. There is nothing wrong with being vain about your hair, I am a 44 year old man that did not suffer male pattern baldness and have no desire to be bald. When you talk to people they say it's just hair and they are right but that does not change how it makes you feel when you look in the mirror. Read the CHMP reports on Xolair because it has been in Europe for ten years and also see eHealthMe and type in hair loss and xolair

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I have been taking omalizumab now for very nearly 2 years, over the last 3 months i have experienced gradual hair loss which seems to be getting worse, i have visited my G.P who has advised me it could be due to my injections of omalizumab. Has anyone stopped their treatment due to hair loss? as im seriously thinking about my options.

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Hello All. Update on hair loss from Xolair. Started taking Xolair in May 2014, 300mg inj's. once monthly. At month 3 started noticing hair loss, a lot of hair in the sink and poor quality hair. Also no hair cut since June (hair not growing). Appeared to be most second week after inj's., lesser but constant the rest. As of Sept. we have been weaning off the Xolair by extending the time between inj's. We are out to six weeks between inj's. of 300mg. I have to be cautiously optimistic here but I have witnessed considerably less hair loss and I am going to need a hair cut this week. I certainly hope this is a recovery due to a lesser dose and not a fluke. I will post in one month when we are out to seven weeks and hope I have something good to report. I am definitely not saying to get off Xolair (it saved my life) but if this is the case there may be some dosing adjustments you could talk to your doctor about.

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Hi Joe, im starting to get patches of hair missing now which is causing me great concern. To what extent did your hair fall out? did your doctor advise reducing dose? My doctor thinks I should stick with the injections while we wait and see what happens but Im getting very concerned about the amount of hair loss im experiencing.

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Hi Sarah
To back up a little I am using Xolair for autoimmune Delayed Pressure Urticaria. My condition was severe enough to cause shock and hospitalization. The Xolair completely stopped this so I am a proponent of it. This was an investigational treatment when all else failed and we were only going to use it for six months. My hair started falling out at three months. I lost at least half of it everywhere over the next three months. Along with this my hair was very poor quality (like thin straw) and it did not seem to grow. At the six month mark I requested to go off the Xolair as planned but the doctor did not want me to. I don't know the internal politics of a hospital so I don't know why this was the case. I insisted so they agreed to start stretching out the time between injections until it reached eight weeks then stop. This effectively reduces the cumulative dose in my body and it would seem that my hair is not falling out now and actually growing. I do not know the dose you are on or the reason for it but mine was 300mg (two shots) every four weeks and I am on no other drug so Xolair is the only suspect. I will keep updates month to month.

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Yes, I have been taking 3 Xolair inj's. bi-weekly for 7 years and my hair started falling out about 5 years ago. Scalp was always very pink. I also have a wig now but decided to go off the Xolair 2 months ago because I am concerned about side effects with heart issues. FDA issued a black box warning regarding heart issues with Xolair last November and that was why I stopped the inj's. The hair loss has slowed down (what hair I have left) but my dr said the Xolair can remain in my body for up to a year, especially with the high dosage I was using. Believe this drug can be a double edged sword, gave me quality of life but at what cost.

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Yes I have loss so much hair and I start taking finasteride and it helped. I stopped all medication and my hair fell out again so now I have to stay on finasteride for life

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Re: Nick2021 (# 70)

Breakage here real bad too

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The link below has the side effects from the manufacturer. Click on Medication Guide.

https:/­/­www.xolair.com/­?cid=xol_PS_MIXLCUWB0056_11&c=MIXLCUWB0056&gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-4SLBhCVARIsACrhWLXdPLIPhLwzNarKDRETW_z3OgBpi0WKf9REuOPBhf4rLUCVBGSN1pIaApn9EALw_wcB

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Re: dee (# 7)

Have you contacted the folks who did the study or the manufacturer? It would be interesting to see if anyone else has.
Or maybe report it to the FDA medwatch just in case.

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I have never tried this medication but I had thinning hair from other medications & I used to use Grow Gorgeous brand hair growth serum at night. You can buy it at Ulta or CVS on line. Amazon probably has it too. I think it’s called “Hair thickening serum” but I noticed an improvement in the first bottle (lasts about 30 days) so you will probably know if it helps before it is time to buy a 2nd one.

Now I take low dose Naltrexone for CFS and I have so much mew hair growth in the temple areas my hairdresser thought someone cut a chunk off before lock downs and she was seeing the scraggly growth. Lol she was so concerned.

I wouldn’t recommend LDN specifically for hair growth because idk if it’s a thing or if it’s just helping the inflammation in my body was hurting my hair, but at 48 yrs old I am overjoyed to have thicker hair than I did at 35.

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Yes!! I noticed it just “shedding” when I brushed it, then globs of it came out when I took my braids out... I’ve been taking it for about 4months.. gonna have to rethink about the injec

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My hair doesn't really fall much more than before, but breaks a lot all over. It's getting thiner in ends due to the breaking. I also get very anxious and with depressive thoughs few days after the injections. Then it backs to normal. Every doctor I go said it's not a known effect but I am pretty sure that it is caused by Xolair. It happens 2 or 4 days after the injections. Anyone feeling the same? And the hair breaking and getting much thiner at the ends?

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Re: Christina (# 67)

I'm also 40. It's been several months since I stopped Xolair but my hair still kept thinning. I started breaking out in hives again but I was also starting another round of fertility treatments, as well as have heavy stress. I have no idea and this isn't the time for me to look into the exact reason why I'm having thinning hair. I couldn't get another appointment for my hives before I could take a Xolair injection to stop the hives, so I got another shot. I knew at this point they would put me on prednisone or something similar because my hives had gotten to the point they were debilitating. If I manage to get pregnant I know those hormones stop my hair from falling out, so at least I'll get a break then.

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Re: Audrey (# 55)
I started the xolair since last June. My liver enzymes have been abnormal since. Ive had a liver biopsy and its good. I do believe xolair is the cause of this. Im yrying ti stretch out doses to see if this helps.

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Re: Kittutr (# 66)

I honestly believe the hair loss is due to the Xolair. Most of my ither symptoms are under control but losing as much has as i have and continue to is heartwrwnching. As i said before sometimes uou need to choose your battles. My autoimmune ciu hit me adter a horrible bout of vertigo that landed me in the hospital fir a few days. It was a ling road to recovery and once i hit that i started gettjng hives. My life has never been the same. I clearly have an incredible immune system (as to why i was getting the hives, it was on overdrive) so now my immune system sucks and i get sick more than i ever use to. Also was able to go most of my life with strong bones. This year was the first time in my life i was ever on a cast. I just turned 40 this year. I broke my foot and rocked 2 different color casts. I was afraid i would have a flareup after breaking my foot but i didn't so that was a blessing. My hair is so thin that i use an elastic 3-4 times for a very thin ponytail too. I keep my back because it is naturally really curly and it can be unmanageable at time pkus if i leave it down people csn see just how thin it is.

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