Aromatase Inhibitors and Hair Loss

Hi Ellen,

I take Aromasin and for the first 6 months or so my hair on my head  thinned, leg hair stopped growing and underarm hair grew very little. After that my head hair grew back like normal and so did leg hair. Armpits have no hair now. So I think your hair loss may be temporary. I hope so..HUgs, Mazy

Hi Ellen, in my research into hair loss and causes of, I found that for women the loss of oestragen is a major factor.  Seeing as how Aromasin is an oestragen blocker it will certainly have something to do with your hair loss.  Take heart, mine grew back after about six monthsand is now thicker than ever.

I have been taking Femara (letrozole) for 15 months, starting a month after finishing chemo.  My hair regrowth  has been extremely slow and I'm still wearing wigs and caps.  I've also lost my eyebrows and lashes since starting Femara, something that didn't happen on chemo.  Has anyone else had the eyebrow, eyelash problem?  Hair loss is a side effect, apparently, in about 5% of users.  I am told that my hair will come back when I'm no longer taking Femara.  Anyone else having this problem????  Anyone with a solution?

I was worried about hair loss as my hair was not thick before starting Arimidex.  My oncologist thought it had the least amount of hair loss associated with it. (Have not read that anywhere else). I used Rogaine at first but had some blood pressure problems and it made my psoriasis worse on my scalp so I quit using it.  My hair may be a little thinner but not much.  I lost my eyebrows after chemo not during chemo and they have not come back to any degree.  I am using a product on them which is making it a little thicker near the front of the brow, not sure enough to justify the cost,  I did not have a lot of eyebrows in the first place so not surprised by the loss.  I had some eyebrows tatooed on as I was not great at drawing them on each morning.

My onc seemed surprised that my hair was not coming back completely 10 months after chemo and especially surprised that I lost most of my eyebrows and lashes after chemo, not during.  He researched Femara in some physician's book, which stated that hair loss can occur, though rarely, and hair will return once the med is no longer used.  5 years seems a long time to wait.  My onc suggests I might want to switch to Tamoxifen.  It's time to renew my 3-month prescription.  Can anyone give me some advice???

Initially I experienced significant hair loss on tamoxifen during the first 4 months or so.  I was researching rogaine when it just stopped falling out on its own. The night sweats reduced at the same time.  My body seemed to adjust to the tamoxifen.  My oncologist said that it is rare to experience hair loss on tamoxifen. I hope tamoxifen works for you!

My hair didn't grow back well after chemo and then on Arimidex, my hair has thinned a lot. Not taking an AI is not an option so I have 3 more years to go. I have seen several doctors about the hair loss. I'm back on Minoxidil but doc says have to stay on it for at least 18 months to see if it works. My hair is so damaged and weak that it wouldn't survive a transplant so that's also out. My iron is a little low so I've been told to take some supplements but not to expect to see any difference for at least 6 months if at all. In the meantime, my hair continues to get thinner. I was told that after the 5 years of Arimidex, not to expect hair to regrow. My brows are also now very thin - tomorrow I go for a consult with a tattoo person. I think it will just be a matter of time until I'll have to keep my head permanently covered. This sux

I had the same problem with hair loss.  Someone suggested taking prenatal vitamins.  I started doing that about a month ago and my hair seems to be growing in and also growing alittle faster

I took Femara for 1 1/2 yrs, and started experiencing hair loss, along with serious mood swings and depression. I was willing to put up with the joint pain, but now this?!  My onc switched me to arimidex (generic) a year ago, and all the symptoms eased.  I also started taking biotin (a B vitamin), which seems to help the hair and nails.

Keeping my fingers crossed that arimidex doesn't turn on me after a while.

Happy to find this thread.

@mimi:  Yes, I do think you need to keep using Rogaine in order to maintain whatever benefits you got.  

My hair has gotten much finer, as well as thinner, since starting Arimdex.  I now have visible bald spots on top of my scalp that I have to cover up. It is also very flyaway and unmangeable.

I would consider minioxodil or Rogaine, but am concerned as to whether they contain any harmful substances.

Does anyone have any info as to their safety for those Dx'ed with BC?

I finished chemotherapy (Cytoxin and Taxotere) in September 2010 and anxiously awaited my hair to return.   I was a bald as a cue ball.   Some fuzzy stuff happened, but it didn't seem right.   "They" said to be patient.  I had radiation and started Arimidex in January 2011.  At that point, 3+ months after chemo, I still only had fuzz.  I now have longer fuzz.  "They" say it could be from the chemo, that the chemo may have killed some of my hair stem cells, or it could be from the Arimidex.  I've sort of adjusted/accepted this.  I wear a wig or hat whenever I'm out of the house and my wig looks good.  My hair, however, is really hideous.  I am seeing a dermatologist next week, but I really don't have any hope.  After she tells me what everyone else has told me, I plan to have a serious talk with my oncologist (July appointment) about at least taking a break from Arimidex to see if that's the culprit. My bc was "only" Stage 1b, Grade 2, but my oncotype score was high, so the talk has to be serious I guess.  I have none of the awful debilitating side effects so many experience, and I honestly do feel this is a small price to pay to be alive, but . . .

I met a woman a few weeks ago who wears a hairpiece from "Transformations" - expensive, but it works well or her.  She also had Taxotere and is on Arimidex.  

The thing is, this is not so rare.  I believe my hair loss is from Taxotere because it just wasn't coming back after chemo.  This permanent side effect is never discussed before beginning chemo - just that we will experience hair loss.  And it was never mentioned when discussing arimidex, either.  Why not?

 Suzanne

My experience is similar. Following chemo -TC - my hair did not start growing in well - lots of fuzz and patchy. Then following Arimidex I see that it is now thinning even more. I am using Minoxidil but not seeing much difference although it is possibly slowing down hair loss. I have 2 more years to go of this. Recently I have started to wear a small hair piece as it is getting harder to hide the bald spots. It's very discouraging and no one really warns you about these side effects.

I have been on Arimidex for almost six years on account of metastatic breast cancer.  Thankfully it has kept me NED for the last four years.  I had really thick, wavy hair before this, but gradually I have been losing more hair than I am growing back.  I still have quite a bit of hair on the sides and the back, but what I do have is missing any curl at all and is flyaway.  Now my hair is quite thin on top and has receded quite a bit above the temples.  A woman in my support group said she has been using Rogaine, but she isn't on an aromatase inhibitor.  I'm wondering if it would work for me so started doing some reading.  I'm having my hair cut in a few days and plan to ask my hairdresser what he thinks.  I'm nervous about using something on my scalp, because I have persistent seborrheic dermatitis that is barely controlled as well as very sensitive skin.  I've also read that for some people it causes drastic hair loss before it starts to work.  I have an oncology appointment next month so will be asking my oncologist for suggestions.  I'd love to hear from anyone who has tried the Rogaine.

spiper, unfortunately, your experience is not unusual. I have the exact same problem but sounds like you have more hair than I do now. My hair also used to be think and wavy but no more. My experience with Rogaine is more that it helps you keep the hair you have. I stopped for a while thinking it wasn't helping and then lost a whole bunch more hair. I shouldn't have stopped. I haven't had any se's from it.

Has anyone tried laser therapy for hair re growth?