Rheumatoid Arthritis - Has anyone on Enbrel had hair loss? I had been on Arava for four months and?

I’ve been on Enbrel for 9 weeks and started losing hair at about 4 weeks. I have lost about 50% of the thickness I had. Hair is also super dry and now hard to comb out. My doc and Enbrel support don’t think it’s Enbrel but nothing else has changed. I was on Methotrexate for 3 months with no hair loss at all (even though that is a listed side effect) but it didn’t help my other symptoms either. Started taking Zinc, B12, and doubled Biotin with no relief. Enbrel is not helping my pain or swelling either so Im going to stop taking it and see if the hair loss stops. I did report this to Enbrel support but don’t know if they’ll add it to their warnings.

I have been on Enbrel for almost 2 years and noticed an increase in hair loss. On the other hand, I am also in my 60's, so it's not clear whether it's age related or not. My doctor recommended that I take some vitamin supplements such as Biotin (5000mcg/day) and using a biotin shampoo. Over a 6 months period, I noticed that my hair loss has slowed down. You might give it a try.

started enbrel 6 months ago 50 mg once a week with imuran prednesone tapered off... enbrel worked well for joint issues... my hair is a mess... fried looking... thin... different texture... i use to have thick shiny full hair... also developed skin issues... starting to develop severe headaches questioning continuing but such relief from swollen hot joints...

Yes, hair loss has been reported as one of the side effects of taking Arava, perhaps it would be better that you do seek medical advice from the doc who prescribed the med to give you some medication to prevent loss of hair, take care, be well & safe.