Plaquenil vs Hair Coloring

[Rhonda]

I had a funny experience with Plaquenil and the hairdresser yesterday! I always get high and low lites and yesterday was no different. The hairdresser used the very same formula she has used the past several times. Imagine both our surpise when my hair was as red as Lucille Ball's! She was able to put a toner on it and take most of the red out, but it was scary for a few minutes!

I came home and checked the Internet and found that Plaquenil does indeed change your hair color- and the chemicals can cause your hair to turn red!

Just wanted to share this with anyone else thinking of coloring their hair! Thank goodness, I had a good outcome and my hairdresser was able to fix it!

[Lesleybird]

   I don't think this is true...your hair dresser must have made a mistake in mixing the color product.   Lesley

[Chickpea]

I think Harrigan will be here soon to share her experiences.  We had a discussion about this a few months ago and lots of people had the same experience with hair colour or highlights.  Me ... I'm growing grey (dis)gracefully!

Love to all - Chickpea

[Rhonda]

I have also read that Plaquenil causes "hair bleaching."

[dbab]

Wow!  Last year I had that red type of experience one time too.  You should of seen the look on my hairdressers face, we both almost started to cry.  She fixed it the best she could but I still had a bit of red in it.  I almost let her have it and tell her off, I'm glad I didn't because now I realize it may not have been her fault. 

[Epson]

Plaquenil does cause hair bleaching or color stripping, my hair is going to be white pretty soon.

[Linda196]

Plaquenil does indeed cause changes in hair colour in some instances, and especially in chemically treated hair, because of the interaction. I've had almost the opposite experience, I've always had a touch of red in my mousy brown hair, with a small streak of coppery colour on one side. That seems to have faded away, leaving me with just a hint of lighter brown.

[Poochie]

Thank goodness I have a great rheumy who advised me of this problem when I first mentioned having my hair permed.  He said "I don't think you better.  With the Plaquenil it changes your body chemistry and you run a chance of having your hair turn red or burn and break off."  (He had ask me what I was doing with the rest of my day.  It was a beautiful day.)

Since I was already loosing hair right and left from the Plaq, I listened to him and found another hairstyle that didn't require a perm.  After getting use to the Plaq, my hair is growing back where it thinned out.  So I'm very glad I listened to him.

Pooh

[lynnmarie219]

I have never heard of this reaction with plaquenil....and I get my hair permed all of the time...otherwise I would look like a I don't know what! So glad it hasn't affected my hair and if it did it is very unnoticeable.

Whewwww!

Thanks for the information! See? I still learn something new here all of the time!

[TerriJ]

Oh my!  I get my high lights and low lights every 5 wks like clockwork.  I tried Plaq and it hurt my stomach so bad I stopped, so I didn't' experience the color thing.  I take a lot of other meds though and my stylist has to put some kind of stripping solution on my hair to prep it for color.

Terri

[Maria3667]

My hair went from black to dark brown after a few months of Nivaquine (almost similar to Plaquenil). 

[JannaLee]

Since I'm a natural red head, this is one itty bitty thing that will not bother me!....or wait...I'll probably be one of the ones that goes white when I color!

Janna

[harrigan]

Chickpea's right - I do have experience of Plaquenil and hair colour loss.  I've been dyeing mine for years but since starting plaquenil in March it just hasn't taken the same.  The roots are still mainly grey, even after my usual shade of medium brown.  I was very demoralised - I don't so much mind BEING grey, just the process of GETTING there. 

Teaching teenagers is hard enough without comments that 'Your roots need doing Miss!'  However, I have found that a non-permanent shade without amonia works a little better.  It's supposed to wash out after 4 weeks but doesn't last quite that long.  If anyone else has ideas, I'd love to know.  I wish I could just get rid of all the colour and be grey - is there a product that will do that?!  xx Ailsa

[DragonflyC]

Harrigan, I completely hear you.  I'm a teacher, too, and the kids notice and ask about anything ("What up with your red eyes, Miss?").  I'm planning to use one of those temporary colors next week as a treat to myself once finals are done; I hope that it works!

[Rhonda]

I am glad it wasn't all in my head!  I was mortified, but now I am laughing about it.  My hairdresser said she did not think it was a good idea to color my hair anymore- and she said a perm would not do well either.  She said I already have a lot of thinning and breakage, so I guess SJS has claimed one more thing from me.

I have learned one thing- SJS strips us of our vanity.  Between the red eyes, dry skin, nasty dry cough that makes people afraid to be around you and now the hair problem...who has time to be vain?  LOL!!!!

Thanks all for letting me share- and for sharing with me!