Increases in depakote causes hair loss.

My toe nails were a mess and I started working on them about twelve years ago (two years before the RSD). I was making great headway but it faltered when I got sick. They still seem to be improving but it requires a great deal of work.

This is so common with RSD that I wonder if it might be more than a mere symptom.

Hi there,
RSD does cause nail and hair changes. I used to have lovely straight hair before I got RSD but now it is really curly and it is always knotty. I too am getting sick of it. No matter how much I try to straighten it it wont go straight.
My nails are a lot longer than they were before I got RSD.
I do believe that the medications we are taking can cause this to happenn
Take care
Love
Alison

Hi Everyone,
Ever since etting the RSD, I've had a bad hair day everyday.No matter what I do, my hair looks dull and lifeless. Its so embaressing to have to go anywhere.
I talked to my hairdresser andshe said its most likley all the meds. My nails are bad too. My toenails look so bad. I keep them covered so no one can see.

Sue K

The toenails on my bad leg are terrible. They seem to grow really fast and I am unable to cut them due to the hypersenstivity, it is so annoying.
I get embarrassed whenever I go to the hospital because they all laugh at my toes. The hairs on my bad leg grow a lot faster too. I am dark haired so it is awful, they show a lot. ;
Take care and if you need anything I am always here
Love
Alison
_X_

I have hair and nail changes too..
Actualy I have lost 3 my toenails so far, 2 in my right foot and my big left toenail too. The left big toenail stayed bright red after a block like for like a month and a half then it seperated from the nail bed and jus fell off. This is not a normal reaction to blocks from what I hear. My toenails used to grow faster at first but now they seem to have slowed down.

The nails on my hands are starting to crack alot and have little pits in them.. the nails in my feet are rudged across and the nails on my hands are ridging in a downward direction.. is all weird with RSD and it IS part of the RSD rather than the meds.

My hair is not curling (alas I have always wished for curls) but it has thinned out alot and grows VERY fast on my head and legs, I have thicker hair on my legs and hobit toes (long hair on my toes) I get imbarrased to show my feet and that is dificult because my feet hate to be covered in socks or anything, I have a big toenail on the right foot that is so hard and thick it is very hard to cut through and always hurts me.. it gets ingrown too cause the toe nail is curling inwards at the sides. It hurts alot to cut them but I do it because I don't want anyone else at my feet.

Hugz
Sandra

hmmmm maybe on a different post, but maybe their hair is matting due to sweating??? My hair is short, like in a pixie cut. But I sweat so badly that my hair gets very stiff & gunky feeling from all the sweat after it dries. If anything my hair feels a bit more coarse than before. I have always had baby fine hair. They use to say I had lots of hair, but baby fine. Now they say it is just thin.......LOL

Before I got RSD I had the most beautiful hands & nails. When I would get the occassional manicure, they would all go so nuts over my nails.....no way are we going to put fake nails on you. Your nails are so hard & long & beautiful already. I always got compliments on my hands & nails. I bit my nails until my daughter was around 18 mo's old. She started to bite her nails I noticed, so I said to her, you quit & Mommy will quit too. And I did. She did also. I really started to take care of my hands then & from about 28 yrs old until I got RSD in 03 I was always complicated on my hands. Now they are AWFUL, ridged, rough, pitted, & mis-colered. The cuticles are in awful shape also. They are thick, rough & stick really bad to my nails. My toenails are the worst. Especially the ones on my left foot which is the most painful of my feet. Where RSD started, in my feet.

As far as hair on my arms & legs, it has mostly disappeared. In fact most all of my body hair has disappeared. I have medium brown hair with silver mixed into it. The hair I do have on my arms & legs has always been blond.

So yup have problems with hair & nails both.

DebbyV

I have serious problems with my toenails, too. They are dark and ridged, and get ingrown quite often. I also get plantar warts, but that's most likely due to having aids, not from the rsd.

I am having the warts removed now, appts two weeks apart. It really sucks, takes days for the pain to wear off.

The four worst ingrown toenails are to be removed when the wart treatment is over. I am definitely NOT looking forward to that! But in the long run, it's better than the ingrown nails.

My hair has gotten a bit curlier, for which I am very grateful. My hair is down to hip length now, and I'll take any curl I can get !

I don't know about the reasons and don't know if these suggestion will help but thought I would share. As for polish make sure you have a strong base coat underneath the polish. Also a strong top coat. For hair issues what has helped me is to not wash it everyday and to not blow dry it so much. I let it air dry partially. Also a good protein rich shampoo and conditioner and even a protein mask at the salon. Also for those who color or treat there hair in similar that really damages your hair as many know. Probabaly didin't help much but thought I would share

Daniella, you are totally correct. Using any chemicals for dyeing or perming hair will make a mess of it. So will blow drying and curling.

I don't do any of those things, lol. I have used a blow dryer once in the past five years, and it sure did a number on my hair. Next time I'll just go out in the snow with wet hair!

As for the whole nail-polishing thing, I don't understand. For me, it would kill to have to mess with my toes. Plus, open-toed shoes are more dangerous... allows for twigs, stones, whatever to have better access to hurting me.

Hi, I hate my nails they are so grooved and dented I try to polish them and it looks worse. My hair is naturally curly but hasnt been behaving. I cant walk very well it is important that I at least look good. lol at least try.When my hands dont hurt to much I can do my hair, as long as my feet dont hurt to bad to stand in the shower. I used to take a shower everyday now 4 or 5 times a week. Just wanted to share my story thanks. Julie