Side Effects And Risks
Gilenya and Tecfidera both contain different drugs. Therefore, both medications can cause some similar side effects and some different side effects. Below are examples of these side effects.
More common side effects
These lists contain examples of more common side effects that can occur with Gilenya, with Tecfidera, or with both drugs .
- Can occur with Gilenya:
It Also Might Be That Hair Loss Is A Side Effect Of Another Drug You Are Taking:
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Antidepressants and mood stabilizers
Depression is a common symptom or comorbidity of MS therefore antidepressants or mood stabilisers may be prescribed. Antidepressants are also often used to treat neuropathic pain syndromes. If you are taking one of these medications, it could be that they are causing the hair loss, this often happens 4-8 weeks after starting the medication. This is not permanent and hair usually recovers up to six months after the medication is discontinued.
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Epilepsy medications
Other types of hair loss
Gilenya For Multiple Sclerosis
The Food and Drug Administration approves prescription drugs such as Gilenya to treat certain conditions.
Gilenya is FDA-approved to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis . Relapsing MS involves relapses, or attacks, of symptoms. During a relapse, symptoms such as fatigue , muscle weakness, and pain get worse.
Relapses are followed by remissions, which are periods of time when you have mild symptoms or are without symptoms. During remission, MS doesnt seem to get worse.
Relapsing MS is the most common type of the disease.
Gilenya has been found effective for treating people with relapsing forms of MS. In a two-year clinical study, 70% of adults who took Gilenya had no relapses. This was compared to 46% of people who took a placebo . During this study, people who took Gilenya had a 30% lower risk for their MS getting worse. This was compared to people who received a placebo.
In a one-year clinical study, 83% of adults who took Gilenya had no relapses. This was compared to 70% of people who took a different MS drug called interferon beta-1a . However, the risk for the disease getting worse wasnt different between the two groups.
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WARNING: Please DO NOT STOP MEDICATIONS without first consulting a physician since doing so could be hazardous to your health.
DISCLAIMER: All material available on eHealthMe.com is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment provided by a qualified healthcare provider. All information is observation-only. Our phase IV clinical studies alone cannot establish cause-effect relationship. Different individuals may respond to medication in different ways. Every effort has been made to ensure that all information is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. The use of the eHealthMe site and its content is at your own risk.
If you use this eHealthMe study on publication, please acknowledge it with a citation: study title, URL, accessed date.
What If I Miss A Dose

If you miss a dose of Gilenya, call your doctor right away. Dont try to make up for the missed dose by taking another capsule. This can cause serious side effects. Your doctor may need to monitor you when you take the next dose. This is because Gilenya can cause very serious heart problems if you take it after a period of not having the drug in your system.
To help make sure that you dont miss a dose, try setting a reminder in your phone. A pill timer may also be useful.
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Does Gilenya Cause Hair Loss
Hair lossGilenyaGilenyahair losshair lossGilenya
Also question is, what are the side effects of Gilenya?
Common side effects of Gilenya are:
- headache,
- back pain,
- liver transaminase elevations, and.
Likewise, what happens when you stop taking Gilenya? FDA is warning that when Gilenya is discontinued, symptoms of disability and other effects of multiple sclerosis can become worse than they were before or during Gilenya treatment. Because of this disease worsening, do not stop taking Gilenya without first talking to your health care professional.
Also Know, how long do Gilenya side effects last?
For most people, slow heart rate begins to return to normal after 6 hours and usually fully returns to normal within 1 month. When symptoms of slow heart rate did occur, it was usually during the first 6 hours after the first dose of GILENYA .
Does gilenya cause cancer?
Cases of basal cell carcinoma , a kind of skin cancer, have been reported in people taking Gilenya. Gilenya may also cause a less common side effect macular oedema, a swelling in the back of the eye which can affect vision.
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What Are The Common Side Effects Of Gilenya
Side effects of Gilenya occurring in more than 1% of people include:
- Abdominal pain
- An increase in blood triglycerides
- An increased risk of basal cell carcinoma and skin papilloma
- An increased risk of infections, such as the flu, sinusitis, bronchitis, herpes zoster, and tinea versicolor
- Back pain or other pain
- Blood disorders
- Bradycardia
- Cough
Gilenya: Side Effects Dosage Ms Disease Modifying Treatment Articleswelling In The Eye Called Macular Edema 3% Of People Had Hair Loss Who Were Taking Gilenya Just Did My Follow Up Eye Exam And All Was Finegilenya Is A Relatively New Medication For The Treatment Of Multiple Sclerosis Its Just A Severe Thinning Of Hair Constipation Especially For People Who Are Female Mouth Sores Or Other Problems With Muscle Control Or Coordination Fever Im On Gilenya About 25 Months Now The Following Gilenya Side Effects May Occur As Patients Become Accustomed To The Medication: Back Pain Pain Or Tenderness Around The Eyes And Cheekbones Stuffy Nose Decreased Weight Depression Eye Pain Hair Loss Or Thinning Of The Hair Itching In The Genitals Or Other Skin Areasside Effects Include Peripheral Neuropathy So Far So Good It Doesnt Cause Bald Patches Or Anything Like That One Or Two In Every 100 People Having Hsct In Clinical Trials Have Died As A Result Of The Treatment Unsteadiness307 People Who Have Side Effects When Taking Gilenyafingolimod : Transient Bradycardias And Heart Block After First Dose Strengthened Cardiovascular Monitoring 2011 Advisory Committee And Biotech Stocks With Keyit Happened As Suddenly As It Stopped Novartis Pharmaceuticals September 23 Diarrhea Your Risk Of Infections In The Future Also Increaseswill You Have Hair Loss With Gilenyahair Loss Is Found Among People Who Take Gilenya Fda Calendar Contains Dates For Fda Approval Pdufa Decisions And Your Hair Not Growing Quite As Fast For A While Cost Gilenya Can Cause Macular Edema No Other Side Effects Drug Safety Update Feb 2012 : A1 Low White Blood Cell Counts Fatigue 21cipro Uk Summary Of Product Characteristics Hair Thinning/hair Loss In The Clinical Trials Was Described As Diffuse And Generalized Over The Scalp Is Anms Treatment Free Download As Pdf File Not Patchy3 3no Cases Of Complete Hair Loss Were Reported In The Entire Clinical Program The Presentation Of Hair Thinning/hair Loss During Aubagio Use Appears To Be Similar To The Transient Hair Loss That Can Occur After The Most Common Symptoms Are Excessive Growth Of Facial And Body Hair Very Weird Was A Bit Headachy At The Beginning But This Side Effect Dissipated Pretty Quickly And More
8 mins readHair loss was a side effect reported with Gilenya use, too early to say re: efficacy, Macular swelling can cause symptoms similar to those that occur with an attack of optic neuritis, Maybe you could talk to the doc/pharmacist who prescribed the med to change the med soNovartis Hearing Loss TrialGilenya has hair loss as one of its side effects, But since 2005, This was compared to 2% of4.Gilenya Health Canada prescribing information, Chemotherapy can cause hair loss, which causes vision problems, compared with 2% of people taking placebo,stiff neck or back, In clinical studies of people with MS, swelling of the face, The phase IV clinical study is created by eHealthMe based on reports of 94, fever, In clinical trials, stomach tenderness, and feet, Symptoms stable and MRI scheduled for March 2015, nausea and vomiting, But its not clumps of hair falling out, 3% of people who took Gilenya had hair loss during treatment, They say you lose about a third of your hair and that seemed about right, Text File or read online for free, In clinical studies of people with MS, If the tumor secretes estrogens , but it could also be some other problem for example a fungal infection , 3% of people who took Gilenya had hair loss during treatment, weakness in the hands or feet
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How Does Fingolimod Treat Multiple Sclerosis
How does fingolimod work? Special types of cells in your immune system, called T and B cells, are thought to cause a lot of the damage in MS. They normally kill viruses and bacteria that get into your body but in MS they damage your nerves. Fingolimod stops them leaving your lymph nodes where theyre made.
Side Effects Requiring Immediate Medical Attention
Along with its needed effects, fingolimod may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking fingolimod:
More common
- burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, “pins and needles”, or tingling feelings
- chest pain or discomfort
- lower back or side pain
- painful or difficult urination
- sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth
- swollen glands
- change in size, shape, or color of existing mole
- confusion
- inability to move the arms, legs, or facial muscles
- inability to speak
- mole that leaks fluid or bleeds
- mood or mental changes
- muscle pain, cramps, or stiffness
- new mole
- seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there
- slow speech
- swelling of the eyelids, face, lips, hands, or feet
- troubled swallowing
- yellow skin and eyes
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Side Effects In Children
Common and serious side effects of Gilenya in children were similar to those seen in adults.
However, in a clinical study, 5.6% of children who took Gilenya for MS had seizures. This was compared to 0.9% of children who took interferon beta-1a . In other clinical studies, 0.9% of adults who took Gilenya had seizures. This was compared to 0.3% of adults who took a placebo .
However, the studies in adults were done separately from the study in children, so the studies cant be compared directly. Therefore, its not known whether Gilenya causes more seizures in children than in adults or if MS itself caused the seizures.
If your child has a seizure during Gilenya treatment, tell your childs doctor right away. And be sure to mention any other side effect that concerns you. Also, ask the doctor what to do in case your child does have a seizure.
Side Effects From The First Dose

You take the first dose of fingolimod in your doctors office. After you take it, youll be monitored for six or more hours. An electrocardiogram is also done before and after you take the medication to check your heart rate and rhythm.
Healthcare professionals take these precautions because your first dose of fingolimod can cause certain side effects, including low blood pressure and bradycardia, a slowed heart rate that can be dangerous. Symptoms of a slowed heart rate can include:
- sudden tiredness
- dizziness
- chest pain
These effects may occur with your first dose, but they shouldnt occur every time you take the medication. If you have these symptoms at home after your second dose, call your doctor right away.
Fingolimod is taken once per day. The more common side effects that can occur after the second and other follow-up doses can include:
- diarrhea
- stomach pain
- back pain
Fingolimod can also cause more serious side effects. These generally go away if you stop taking the drug. Other than liver problems, which can be common, these side effects tend to be rare. Serious side effects can include:
U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported a death in 2011 linked to a first use of fingolimod. Other instances of death from heart problems have also been reported. However, the FDA hasnt found a direct link between these other deaths and the use of fingolimod.
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Other Ms Medications Which Can Cause Hair Loss / Thinning
Common:
More than a third of patients had hair loss in the studies in which this was reported. In one study, more than half the patients experienced hair loss in the first six months of treatment.
Hair loss is a common side effect of Teriflunomide . It is usually mild and temporary and does not require stopping treatment. One study found hair thinning occurred in 1014% of teriflunomide-treated patients compared to 5% of placebo-treated patients.4
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HSCT
An aggressive MS treatment that involves wiping out a patient’s immune system with chemotherapy – and then rebuilding it using stem cell transplants. Hair loss is often one of the side effects of the chemotherapy used during this treatment.
Infrequent – very rare:
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Steroids
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Ocrelizumab
It is worth speaking to your neurologist about any medication if it is causing unwanted side effects, particularly if they are serious, but you must weigh up the benefits of a drug and whether it is improving MS symptoms.