Abemaciclib and hair loss

Hey, 

Similar monitoring as already mentioned and bloods have been ok. For me I need to take Imodium every 48 hours. I don’t wait for the cramps or diarrhoea to start and I think this is the key. Figure out how your body reacts and then titrate accordingly, better to be proactive than reactive.Sometimes I need to take it a little earlier so I keep it close to hand. It’s been manageable and I’m so pleased to have had the opportunity to take it. Personally I find the Letrazole much harder to take.

Best of luck with it xx

FE1

Thank you for your quick response. I have had to self research all info on the drug as it was not certain that I would be eligible for it. My oncologist informed by phone on Tuesday that had  being allowed to have it. I go for the initial blood test on 27th Jan.

So I have had no discussion on what to expect. This will probably be done on Friday. I did a great deal of research before chemo and a relatively straightforward 6 rounds.

I will take on board the water advice as I drank 2 ltrs of water a day through chemo and was never sick, had diarrhea or constipation. Hopefully I can maintain this regime again....and any side effects are kept to a minimum!

My thanks again and I will let you know how I am getting on.

Px

One more thing I would always carry immodium with you just in case. The advice from chemo nurses was to take it after one bad bought of bowel movements and to be honest it usually works within an hour xx

Hi Samo

Thanks for sharing your experiences.i guess I will need to adjust my diarrhea regime to maintain the management of the process.

Px

Hi iv been on this for a year now and my hair has gone from long ang thick to very thin. I would say iv lost upto 60 -70% of hair. My eye lashes have also become thin. The only postive thing is that I dont need to wax my upper lips and no need to remove hair from arms and legs. The first month was the hardest with stomach cramps and diarreah, extreme tiredness and skin felt like it did when I was on chemo.  I am nearly 43 and side effects do get better. My hair unfortunately is still very very thin. Hope this helps

Glad you posted this - I think I’m experiencing similar on the hair front. I cold capped and lost about 30% - mainly on my crown - and whilst it’s growing back, overall my hair is very thin. It was fine already to be fair but definitely thinner. And I’ve not needed to shave my arm pits for months and other areas a bit sparser. 
Also experienced the diarrhoea symptoms badly to start with, along with drop in neutrophils, but they put me on a lower dose (100mg rather than 150) and has settled down now. 

Hi RunAndBecome

I started on Abemaciclib on Monday so I am grateful for any information on the side effects. Could you tell me how long you have been on the drug?  

In your case, how long did the diarrhea last and is there any tips you had for controlling it aside from using the Lopermide.

I too used a cold cap and was lucky to lose only a little from the front of the crown. It has grown back well, apart from having chemo curl. Could you tell me whether you continued to use the same sort of shampoo that you used during chemo or have you used growth enhancing shampoo since?

Many thanks

I’ve been on it since November. Had about a month of bad diarrhoea, probably every other day or so (although no stomach cramps like others) and with occasional urgent run to the loo! Didn’t find a pattern to it or any other way of managing it other than the tablets. Then my neutrophils dropped to 0.6 in December so they took me off it for a few weeks til they went back up. 

I’ve used a few different shampoos and haven’t found anything really makes a difference to be honest. I think I just have to wait til the new hair grows longer and then maybe cut it into a bob to make it look thicker. Would desperately like to highlight it again as it’s so boring but have been advised I need to wait too. 

Thanks for the response, as all information is useful.

Hi

Ive been on 100mg for a week and my lashes and brows have started thinning already. I’m so so disappointed. Will I lose them completely x