Tamoxifen and its effects on hair

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swimjames
swimjames Member Posts: 60
edited July 2019 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

Has anyone in this forum had hair loss, and very curly hair turning straight overnight from use of tamoxifen? After 18 months of Tamoxifen, my hair is bone straight/fine (not coarse and kinky like all my life and all the post menopausal women in my family), and looks like limp straw (thin and weathered).

Any suggestions on products or vitamins that may help (but not hinder my cancer treatment)?


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  • gb2115
    gb2115 Member Posts: 1,894
    edited July 2019

    YES....been on tamoxifen for 2.5 years....my hair falls out. My husband vacuums and has pointed out how much worse it's gotten....we have the see through canister so he can see it all.

    I have stick straight hair and near my temples it's getting a little kinked. Kind of chalked it up to aging but maybe not since I am not even graying yet.

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  • molliefish
    molliefish Member Posts: 723
    edited July 2019
    Yes i sure did. My hair was super thick and curly. After chemo it came in curly, not quite as thick and now 4 years later I have significant shedding of my super fine straight hair. My hairdresser whom I have been going to for almost 20'years said "if I didn't know how
    Much hair you had before this all started and you came here complaining is say you were nuts. You have normal hair". That said, I'm here to complain about it. Right?
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  • coraleliz
    coraleliz Member Posts: 1,523
    edited July 2019

    I was fortunate not to experience hair loss during my 5yrs on tamoxifen. My hair got curlier during that time. Off it for 2yr & my hair is much straighter.

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  • swimjames
    swimjames Member Posts: 60
    edited July 2019

    Coraleliz, are you on any other meds now that you're off tamoxifen?

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  • Mymomsgirl
    Mymomsgirl Member Posts: 174
    edited July 2019

    Glad to see this thread started. I have always had a thick head of hair and hardly ever lost any. I started tamoxifen 4 months ago and just in the shower am losing 5-10 strands a day and have to wipe down the counter in the bathroom almost everyday. I'm thankful it is not coming out in clumps. I'm use to getting my hair thinned out every time I get my hair cut and now I'm excited if I have a day where I only have 1-2 hairs in my hand when I wash my hair.

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  • Beaverntx
    Beaverntx Member Posts: 3,183
    edited July 2019

    Oh, yes. I have always had baby fine hair and that has not changed. However, I now have what appears to be a permanent part leading to an almost bald spot on my crown. Am using a Biotin/collagen shampoo which does seem to help a bit. Been taking Tamoxifen for just over a year so expect to keep cleaning up hair.




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  • swimjames
    swimjames Member Posts: 60
    edited July 2019

    Beaverntx~

    Have you been told that tamoxifen causes hair loss? Why the expectation? I wonder if it has to do with less estrogen, so it's basically aging people a bit quicker..

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  • Dolly2019
    Dolly2019 Member Posts: 25
    edited July 2019

    Hi there, yes I have had considerable hair loss after just three years on Tamoxifen. I've tried everything, Nixon, biotin, vitaminC, rogaine but it just keeps going.

    Having decided I'd had enough I went to hairdresser and had very expensive hair extensions put in. It's working out about £400 every 3 months! But it makes me so much more confident.

    I've called nurse to say how distraught this tablet making me but they don't want to admit it does anything other than saves lives.

    I'm soooo done with this pill.

    I hope at least after my 5 years that I get my hair back??? Anyone able to say this has happened

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited July 2019

    Dear Dolly2019,

    Welcome to the BCO community. We are sorry for your diagnosis and hair loss. We hope that you will find support and helpful information here. Thank you for sharing your own story. We hope to continue to see you her. Let us know if we can be of help as you navigate your way around the boards.

    The Mods

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  • swimjames
    swimjames Member Posts: 60
    edited July 2019

    Hi Dolly2019,

    Yes, I have considered hair extensions too (except I have short hair). If you notice, above, one of the ladies said that after she came off from Tamoxifen after taking it for 5 years, her hair did come back which makes sense. Of course you have to consider that people like us have a lot more stress, and hair loss is normal as you get older. I know for a fact (I live in the northeast of the USA), that every October, when fall starts and the weather starts getting colder, I have cyclical hair loss, and the hair starts coming back a little more around springtime. Losing my curls though in addition to less hair was unexpected. I may get a specialized diva curl hair cut for curly hair, I don't know if they have that in the UK for you..

    Sorry, this was the quote I was referring to (even though this gal did not experience hair loss, the hair type that she had, straight, came back 2 years after she discontinued tamoxifen):

    Jul 24, 2019 11:04PM coraleliz wrote:

    I was fortunate not to experience hair loss during my 5yrs on tamoxifen. My hair got curlier during that time. Off it for 2yr & my hair is much straighter.

    PS Any type of 'hormone' therapy, will affect almost everything in your body. Estrogen controls many functions in our body, skin, hair, muscle tone, bones, heart, EVERYTHING. That's why many physicians do not recommend long term use of tamoxifen.


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