So, day one on the medication and I can accurately and conclusively say that I haven't felt any different at all. I sprung out of bed this morning the minute my eyes opened and bolted to the mirror in anticipation... Surprised, shocked & disappointed I unfortunately I don't have an Afro yet 😂😂
A couple of the rarer side effects of being on a higher dose of the medication were headaches & diarrhoea as the initial onset of the body adapting, but I haven't felt anything yet. Now, for the specifics... The medication is called Xeljanz 5mg tablets from the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (no surprise why the cost is so exorbitant). I take 2 tablets in the morning and 2 at night for a total of 20mg a day. Nothing further to report yet and this is going to be a slow and tedious process which MAY NOT even achieve any result for me, which is why I have put ***ALOPECIA REPORT*** so if you aren't interested in the documentation you can skim over it.
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Top photo was when I first met Omar Abdo - look closely, he was wearing a wig with a cap he had as much hair as me. After being on a new hair growth medication for 3 months check him out next to me just today. This is a huge deal, for decades there has been no proven treatment for alopecia but this looks like it's gonna be the thing...
I'm feeling a little nervous but excited after seeing Dr. King with my bro Omar. I've been given a 3 month trial of the medication which at this point in time is very expensive ($10,000) and out of reach of many people that could benefit from this treatment. Clinical trials suggest that around 40% of people will regain all their hair within 3 months on a dose of 2 tablets a day, but because I've not had hair for as long as I can remember, Dr. King believes a stronger dose will be necessary in my case, as the success rate tapers off the longer the duration without hair has been. So if this works for me, there's a truckload of hope out there for people currently living with alopecia. I'll be travelling back to Australia later this week and will have a follow up appointment later in December. I'll be trying to document the whole process with all pictures, film and diary instalments. So if you're interested, stay following and if you know any person or family affected by alopecia areata, tag them in so they can follow this potential solution for the condition. At present, this medication hasn't been cleared or categorised as a treatment for alopecia but for rheumatoid arthritis. So with a little more exposure, proof, and interest, this is a medication that can be added to whatever approved funding schemes it needs to be, which would potentially make it more available to people who need it. So here goes, a few tablets a day for a few months to see if that immune system will stop attacking those hair follicles and I can have a man-bun. Can't thank my man Omar enough for making this happen, you've got a heart of gold and I appreciate everything you've done, even though I don't expect a thing... |
Christos KyrgiosI have had Alopecia Areata ever since I can remember. Growing up as a young child I remember having partial/patchy/and no hair through primary school. I haven't had any hair for around 15 years. ArchivesCategories |