Hair Loss and Medications

On a daily basis, millions of people around the world depend onmedications that may have adverse effects on the body, includingtheir hair. While women and menwith pattern baldness may not be able to reverse the effectsof their hair loss, others may be dealing with a temporarysituation.Temporary hair loss can occur in: women who suddenly stop takingbirth control pills; pregnant women at the end of theirpregnancies; chemotherapy patients; and patients on certainmedications.Pregnancy and the Cause of Temporary Hair Loss:At the end of a woman's pregnancy estrogen levels can dropdrastically. As a result, the body may shed an excessive amountof hair. Fortunately, this hair loss is almost always temporary.Your hair should start re-growing within a matter of a fewweeks. ChemotherapyIt's very well known that chemotherapy can cause hair loss inpatients. Most people are willing to tolerate baldness in thecase of life-threatening disease, such as cancer. Patients taking medications should consult their doctors onpossible side effects that the drug may cause. If you'recurrently taking a medication and experiencing hair loss, youshould consult with your physician immediately. Your hair losscan very likely be related to your medication if you are takingone of the following drugs:Cholesterol-lowering Medication: clofibrate (Atromis-S) andgemfibrozil (Lopid) Parkinson Medications: levodopa (Dopar, Larodopa) Ulcer Medications: cimetidine (Tagamet), ranitidine (Zantac) andfamotidine (Pepcid) Anticoagulents: Coumarin and Heparin Treatment for Gout: Allopurinol (Loporin, Zyloprim) Antiarthritics: penicillamine, auranofin (Ridaura), indomethacin(i\\Indocin), naproxen (Naprosyn), sulindac (ClinorilÒ), andmethotrexate (FolexÒ) Medications derived from vitamin-A: isotretinoin (Accutane) andetretinate (Tegison) Anticonvulsants for Epilepsy: trimethadione (Tridione) Antidepressants: tricyclics, amphetamines Beta blocker drugs for high blood pressure: atenolol (Tenormin),metoprolol (Lopressor), nadolol (Corgard), propranolol (Inderal)and timolol (Blocadren) Antithyroid agents: carbimazole, Iodine, thiocyanate, thiouracil In addition to this list of drugs, many blood thinners and malehormones can cause hair loss as well. If the medication you aretaking is linked to temporary hair loss, a different medicationmay be prescribed. Remember, temporary hair loss meansreversible. Your hair will almost always grow back.