Drugs and Hair Loss

Medications that your doctor prescribes are used to maintain your health or treat a specific medical condition, but can come with unwanted side effects.  Some drugs trigger hair growth in unwanted areas, changes in color or texture, or cause hair loss.

Like any other type of hair loss, drug-induced hair loss can have a detrimental effect on your confidence and self-esteem.

Thankfully, in the vast majority of cases, the hair loss issue resolves once the medication is discontinued.  For some patients who are on chronic medications for the long term or who are also experiencing hereditary hair loss (androgenetic alopecia), the battle may become slightly tougher to fight.

The type of drug, dosage and underlying conditions may influence the severity of hair loss and the prognosis.  Some drugs, like chemotherapy agents, cause immediate hair loss beginning within a few days or weeks of taking the medication.  However, the most common type of drug-induced hair loss starts 8-16 weeks after starting the medication.

In my clinical practice, the most common classes of medications I see that are prone to triggering hair loss are: anti-cholesterol medications (especially statins), anti-hypertensives (blood pressure lowering medications like beta-blockers), mood modulators (anti-depressants/anti-anxiety agents), and hormones (like thyroid, testosterone or birth control pills).

A large number of medications are thought to be linked with hair loss. Here are a few main categories:

• Acne medications containing vitamin A (retinoids)
• Antibiotics and antifungal drugs
• Antidepressants
• Birth control pills
• Anticlotting drugs
• Cholesterol-lowering drugs
• Drugs that suppress the immune system
• Drugs that treat breast cancer
• Epilepsy drugs (anticonvulsants)
• High blood pressure medications (anti-hypertensives), such as beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, and diuretics
• Hormone replacement therapy
• Mood stabilizers
• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
• Parkinson’s disease drugs
• Steroids
• Thyroid medications
• Weight loss drugs

Good communication with the doctor who prescribed the medication is also imperative to find out if the dosage can be reduced or stopped.  Sometimes alternative medications with fewer hair loss side effects can be substituted.

When hair loss is due to a medication you are taking, it is likely that hair growth will return to normal once the medication is discontinued.  HairCheck™ measurements can scientifically track changes in hair growth in order to determine whether hair loss is stable, getting worse or improving.

Treatments such as Minoxidil (Rogaine™), Finasteride (Propecia™), nutritional supplements and Low Level Laser Therapy can be used to help rejuvenate hair that has thinned out due to medications.

Hair loss and Chemotherapy 

Chemotherapy often causes the more immediate type of hair loss because it interrupts the growth phase of the hair follicle.  It tends to start around two weeks, but gets progressively worse in 4-8 weeks causing loss of scalp hair and other locations including eyebrows and eyelashes.

Combinations of multiple chemotherapy drugs often cause more severe loss than those who are treated with only one drug.  After chemotherapy, hair usually regrows although it may change in texture become more curly or straight, or it may remain thin even after chemotherapy is discontinued.

Chemotherapy drugs that are known to cause hair loss:

• adriamycin
• cyclophosphamide
• cactinomycin
• docetaxel
• doxorubicin
• etoposide
• ifosfamide
• irinotecan
• paclitaxel
• topotecan
• vinorelbine

Treatment with minoxidil and/or low level laser therapy can help regrow hair that is slow to return to normal

Always Seek Qualified Advice of an Experienced Hair Restoration Physician

It is always recommended to seek the advice and the evaluation of a qualified and experienced Hair Restoration Physician in order to help you diagnose and track the hair loss condition.