new thread
Hi all,
I am curious to know if any of you have experienced hair loss or thinning after taking certain medications. I have been growing my hair out for over 5 years now without a hair cut. It's down just shy of my butt. I noticed that it seems to be thinning and I am losing more hair than normal when I shower. I suspect its due to a new medication my dr. put my on about 4 months ago. Its a stimulant medication. I may stop taking the medication. If it is indeed the medication causing it, I wonder if it's possible my hair will thicken back up. Anyone else have experience with this? Thanks in advance.
owias
Some medications have hair loss as a side effect, have you tried searching online for side effects for your particular med? If you haven't been on the med for very long, stopping it will reverse the hair loss, and the hair will grow back. Some meds cause permanent hair loss from long term use. I was on a med for a few years that caused noticeable thinning and loss, once I switched to a different type, the process reversed itself, and the hair gradually returned.
There are a surprising number of medications that can cause hair thinning/loss, some prescription, some OTC. Look up your medication by name like "___________ (insert med name in blank) side effects" using a search engine, and see what comes up in results. If the result confirms your suspicion that the med might be the issue, see if your doctor can switch you to a different one that doesn't have that side effect.
Thank you for the reply Just Carol. Yes, I've done some research on it and asked around in a medication forum. I haven't heard from anyone specifically that they have had the issue. The company lists it as a rare side effect and there are those who claim it's other factors, not the medication. There are also those who say its more than just a rare side effect. I'm not too worried about it at this point, but was curious to know if anyone else had issues with this. I think I'm more concerned with whether or not it can be reversed or if the thinning and loss is permanent. Time will tell I guess. Thank you again for the reply. Take care.
As nice as it is to have long hair you should also be
mindful of the condition the medication is intended to
treat. Which is why it is critical to talk to your
doctor. There is medication where it can be very dangerous to
stop using.
Thank you all for the replies. I am going to discuss things with my dr. for sure. Take care.
Thank you for discussing it with your doctor. We need to keep all the long haired men around for many years.
You just might be that individual for whom the rare side effect happens. I can't use a certain type of medication, because I happened to experiences a very rare side effect. I was switched to others in the same class, and it didn't matter. When I stopped any of them, the side effect eased, when starting another, it returned. Some side effects go away with some medications, after your body has adjusted to them, so the issue could resolve on it's own. If you haven't been on it very long, permanent damage is unlikely. You can always discuss it with the prescribing doctor at your next regular appointment.
Again I can't emphasize enough to talk to your doctor before stopping/changing/or modifying your medications. While having long hair is nice it's not worth it if you're going to have a heart attack, an organ failure, or a flair up of what the medication is
treating. Some medication warn you to talk to your doctor before
stopping the medication.
Now that having been said you should talk to your doctor before doing anything. Stopping the medication may have adverse effects
on the condition you're taking the medication for.
Yes there are medications that will do that.
That having been said talk to your doctor before you stop taking the medication.
I knew a guy who went bald (ish) from taking anti-epilepsy medication. He didn't have long hair, so I suppose it could have been worse.
