Mesalamine and Hair Loss: What Users Say

• mym...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 12, 2014

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Active "Starting taking Lialda about a month and a half ago, and it took a couple of weeks to start working. As soon as it started working, I felt great - no more stomach pain, no more blood, no more diarrhea. Oh, finally something that helps take the pain away. I was shocked at how good it worked. But then I should have known it was too good to be true. About four weeks into it, my beautiful hair started falling out in clumps every time I washed it or even brushed it. I mean, it was a lot, every time I would cry. Also, the muscle aches were the worst. I would sit for maybe 10 minutes and go to get up and almost fall over because my legs almost gave out. Other than that, it works great for the pain, but I can't take the side effects, so I'm going to be switching medicines."

• kbb...
• March 22, 2016

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Active "This drug almost killed me. I started during a flare-up in my 2nd trimester. My hair would fall out and kept reporting unexplained protein in my urine at every doc appointment. I lost 15 lbs during pregnancy and was determined high risk. 6 months post-term, I started to get severe chills to fever, couldn't eat, had full colitis symptoms. I was hospitalized with cardiac distress, severe anemia, and dehydration and stage 4 kidney failure caused by Lialda. Mayo Clinic detected that the protein in my urine was, in fact, a side effect from the Lialda. I was immediately taken off, and my creatinine and iron levels began to stabilize, and my hair stopped falling out."

• col...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 14, 2016

Mesalamine for Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "I was recently diagnosed with Crohn's, having painful cramps, bloody stool, and diarrhea. My 2nd day being on Pentasa, I ate Taco Bell (which most people with Crohn's will tell you almost kills you, haha!) I had absolutely no cramps or diarrhea!!! I'm on week 2, taking 500 mg 4 times a day, and I'm still feeling great! No cramps whatsoever! The only symptoms I've noticed were slight chest tightness the first couple of days, slight weight loss, increased appetite, and a little bit of my hair falling out. I started taking folic acid to help with the hair loss."

• Hap...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 15, 2018

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis "Initially, when I started taking Lialda, it worked. However, I ignored the side effects because the medication was working well. I pushed aside all the warning signs in my body until my symptoms became severe. I had loss of hair, muscle weakness, fatigue, anxiety, and the final straw was the rash that overcame my body. The doctor did not believe it was due to the Lialda because I was on it for 4 years, however, I know my body better than the doctor and chose to stop taking it. After 2 weeks, I felt like a new person. I am now on Balsalazide Disodium, and for now, it seems to be working fine. Listen to your body despite what the doctor says. Ignoring the warning signs my body was experiencing was ignorance on my part and will never happen again."

• Anonymous
• December 26, 2011

Mesalamine for Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "I'm a 25-year-old female. I was diagnosed with Crohn's in August 2011. I had a bowel resection at the end of September due to the severity of my illness. I've been taking Pentasa for about 3 months now and feel good, but my hair has been falling out like crazy. I read a normal person loses 50-100 strands a day, I'm losing probably triple that. It's really depressing. I'm switching to another medicine to see if that helps with the hair loss. Other than that, I haven't had any side effects. Good luck!"

• Blo...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 25, 2015

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Active "I loved this medication when I was first diagnosed because I was feeling better immediately, and everything cleared up 2 weeks in. I have been on this medication for almost 2 years now, and I have gained 30 lbs, and when I am on the highest dose of medication, I get painful acne! I never had acne as a teen. I also feel bloated all the time and think Lialda makes me retain water. I forgot to take my pills once, and the UC flare came roaring back within a day or two. My hair is also thinner. Did not fall out, just thinned. Don't enjoy the symptoms, but I do appreciate that it does work!"

• Anonymous
• September 29, 2011

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Active "I took Pentasa for ulcerative colitis after Asacol started failing. Asacol had worked for me for seven years, but when P&G started having manufacturers make it in Europe, it no longer worked. The Pentasa worked for my ulcerative colitis at a 3-gram per day dosage. The side effects are much worse for Pentasa. I experienced nausea, mild headaches, and severe hair loss."

• Ofl...
• March 25, 2016

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Active "I have been on Lialda for almost a month and take 1200 mg twice a day. Has helped, but my hair is falling out, and I hope it stops soon. I also can't sleep. I am awake until 3 AM and then will doze for about 45 minutes. I like the medication, but not sleeping is a real pain."

• Urs...
• November 4, 2017

Mesalamine for Crohn's Disease "Diagnosed with Crohn’s after routine colonoscopy 5/2017 and was started on Lialda. No symptoms of Crohn’s other than the discovery of ulcers during colonoscopy. Now having hair loss at temples and fear it will continue and/or get worse. Plus it’s not covered by my insurance and costs over $230.00 a month. My GI says if I don’t take it, I risk getting colon cancer. I was basically told it’s better to be broke and bald than to have colon cancer. I think there has to be another answer?"

• Try...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 3, 2018

Mesalamine for Inflammatory Bowel Disease "Apriso worked well to control the inflammation in my stomach and small intestine. However, after a few weeks of use, it made my hair fall out. If I liked wigs, this would be great. So far, nothing else has worked this good."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 22, 2020

Mesalamine for Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "I'm a 51-year-old male from Scotland and was diagnosed with Crohn's at 30. I take 1 sachet of Pentasa in the morning, and it has been keeping everything at bay. I can have a pint or two and can eat what I like with no effects. I can suffer cramps in my back passage through the night, which lasts about 15-30 minutes every 2 to 3 months. Also, losing my hair and on blood pressure tablets. This is side effects of Pentasa."

• Ver...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 19, 2016

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis "After taking Lialda for 2 years, my hair is very thin. It has not controlled me from going to the bathroom a lot. I started noticing, besides my hair getting thin, having severe headaches. Had to have a blood transfusion, and my urine started getting darker and darker. The straw that broke the camel's back was my tongue and lips swelled, and I had hives all over. They were so severe that I didn't get any sleep, they caused me to have blisters. After 3 trips to the ER, they finally found something to help the hives. I haven't eaten a full meal in over a year due to the fact that my mouth and lips were so sore and painful to eat. When all the side effects started piling up, I just quit taking it and called my gastroenterologist and will see him in 2 weeks."

• Psy...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 15, 2015

Mesalamine for Inflammatory Bowel Disease "This is the first drug I was prescribed after hospitalization and initial diagnosis. It made it possible to get off steroids and back to work. Hair loss was extensive, until I increased water intake and saw a renal dietitian. Even though I am allergic to sulfa drugs, this has been the least risky of the medications prescribed for my condition. My hair has grown back in, and with lifestyle changes I am much better. Long term, this is the only regimen that works for me."

• sew...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 11, 2014

Mesalamine for Crohn's Disease "I had surgery removing 6' of my small intestines. In Dec. 2013, I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. I have been taking Pentasa for about 3 months, since Jan. 2014. It has really helped me, but I am losing handfuls of hair every day. I am also having dizzy spells. The hardest side effect to deal with is, every time I have a bowel movement, I have terrible itching inside my rectum. Otherwise, I haven't noticed any other side effects yet."

• San...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 4, 2021

Mesalamine for Inflammatory Bowel Disease "Pro: It kind of worked a bit. My bloodwork improved, and the mildest part of the inflammation went away. Cons: It didn't work enough. The area of more severe inflammation hasn't budged, unfortunately, and I'm still having bad stomach cramps every day. I tried upping my dose from 2 grams to 4 grams, and that actually made my symptoms worse, so I went back down. I'm also losing a lot of hair, but it's not really noticeable to anyone else, and I will say that that's the only side effect I've had from this medication on a 1-2 grams dosage, which I think is pretty good. If your doctor tells you to take this medication, definitely take it! I wish it had worked for me. It does work for a lot of people. I would be happy to take this medication every day for the rest of my life if it only worked!"

• Ran...
• November 13, 2015

Mesalamine for Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "I've been on Pentasa for 3 years. I've had very bad acne and lost a lot of hair."

• Mar...
• February 1, 2016

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Active "I had tons of hair loss, and the medication never did anything for me. My doctor finally agreed to take me off it after 9 months."

• Bel...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 4, 2019

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis, Active "Taking Lialda, 2 pills twice a day, lots of bloating, diarrhea, losing hair... time to call Dr. Been on this med for almost a year... now that he upped it, feel it got worse."

• Art...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 16, 2013

Mesalamine for Ulcerative Colitis "Hair loss, bloating, headache, night sweats, stretch marks on inner thighs, and increased frequency of bowel motion."

• Not...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 3, 2022

For Crohn's Disease, Maintenance "Made my hair fall out and break, and my flare-up related rashes became constantly inflamed. Kept me healthy, however, but damaged my external appearance."