I’m Shedding Hair Months After Taking an Oral Corticosteroid for Breathing Problems

Hello Dr,

I was prescribed an 8 day cycle of an oral corticosteroid containing 20mg of prednisolone to treat a mild breathing problem. 2 or 3 days after the treatment ended, a massive hair shed started along with acne and seborrheic dermatitis all over face and back. I used to loose around 10 strands of hair when showering and this number raised to more than 80 after the treatment.

3 months have passed and my hair hair is still shedding. My hairline receded more in these 3 months than the whole last year (I have been diagnosed with MPB 1 and a half years ago and been taking finasteride for a couple of months now).

What happened after I took the corticosteroid, will this shed ever stop? I’ve been to several doctors and no one believes me or gives me a reasonable explanation, I am kind of lost. What can I do to regulate my body back to normal and stop the shedding? The hair I lost is gone for good?

I have a hard time believing that you can’t get straight answers from doctors, particularly the doctor that prescribed you the corticosteroid. There is a well known connection between exogenous steroids and hair loss where the drug triggers genetic predispositions to balding. I can not tell you how long this might go on, as this is an individual genetic issue in each case.