List of Drugs that Cause Hair Loss

Hair loss is quite a stressful condition. Only the one who deals with it can understand how disgusting it is.

Hair loss is not a life-threatening problem but affects one's self-image. Hair loss is often caused by hormone changes when one gets older.

The other reason can be because of genetics. It can be caused by several reasons that can be difficult to determine.

The most surprising fact is that hair loss is caused due to certain medications. The most popular medicine that causes this is the Chemotherapy.

Rather than this, there are several other medicines, too. Here, we develop all the drugs that lead to hair loss.

Grab full details by reading this article.

List of medicines that cause hair loss

Not one or two, but many medicines may result in hair loss. Below mentioned are some of them.

Antidepressants

Antidepressants are a category of medicine used in treating mood disorders. It controls depression, anxiety, and similar disorders.

Antidepressants affect certain chemicals in the brain to treat certain bipolar disorders. It is known that various antidepressants cause hair loss.

Still, the reason for it is not apparent. Some well-known antidepressants are Bupropion, Fluvoxamine, Duloxetine, Desvenlafaxine, and others.

A study shows that Bupropion causes much more hair loss compared to all other antidepressants.

You may see that hair loss reverses a few weeks after you stop taking the medicine. However, always stop using it only after getting help from your healthcare provider.

Beta Blockers

Beta-blockers are a category of medicine used to treat high blood pressure and several other health issues.

Although not a standard bet, beta blockers can cause telogen effluvium. Some well-known beta blockers are Atenolol, Propranolol, and metoprolol.

Losartan, a blood pressure medicine, may also cause hair loss. But it doesn't cause hair loss in all cases.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a well-known cancer treatment. It helps by killing the cancer cells and providing relief from cancers.

Other than cancer cells, it kills other fast-growing cells. The fast-growing cells may also include hair cells.

Such hair loss is referred to as anagen effluvium. After receiving Chemotherapy, hair loss starts in a few days.

Some well-known medicines for Chemotherapy are Cyclophosphamide and Doxorubicin.

This hair loss can be controlled by brushing gently, cooling caps, and keeping heat-based styling devices away.

Although all these cannot fully control hair loss, they can limit it. Once you stop Chemotherapy, the hair loss problems disappear in 1-3 months.

Retinoids

Retinoids are a category of drugs that treat skin conditions like acne. This type of medicine helps in lowering inflammation.

Retinoids causes telogen effluvium. A well-known retinoid is Isotretinoin. In this case, hair loss happens in the form of clumps.

The higher the dose of retinoids you take, the more hair loss you experience. The hair loss caused by such medicines reverses after stopping the drug.

Anticoagulants

Anticoagulants are used to prevent blood clots in the body. It is also called blood thinner medicines.

The most reported side effect of anticoagulants is hair loss. The type of hair loss it causes is telogen effluvium.

Some well-known anticoagulants are Heparin, Apixaban, Warfarin, Rivaroxaban, and others. Some other anticoagulants don't result in hair loss.

Switching blood thinners after discussing it with the healthcare provider can help overcome excess hair loss.

Antithyroid Medicines

Antithyroid medicines are used to treat the thyroid. The thyroid itself causes hair loss. So, consecutively, thyroid medicines also cause hair loss.

Some thyroid medications include Propylthiouracil, Methimazole, and others. If you deal with excess hair loss after taking antithyroid drugs, inform your healthcare provider.

They will check your thyroid hormone levels in your body and adjust your dose to reduce hair loss.

Tamoxifen

Tamoxifen is a class of drugs used in the treatment of breast cancer. This drug works by blocking the effect of estrogen in the body.

It causes hair thinning and indirectly results in hair loss. However, the hair loss caused by such medicines is reversed after the treatment is stopped.

If you see excess hair loss while taking Tamoxifen, report the condition to your healthcare provider.

Allopurinol

Allopurinol is a category of medicine used in the treatment of gout. The side effect of such a drug is hair loss. But this has been reported in rare cases.

So, how and why Allopurinol causes hair loss has yet to be discovered. But if you see hair loss while taking Allopurinol, contact your healthcare provider.

Semaglutide medicines

A clinical trial shows that Semaglutide medications cause hair loss. Some well-known semaglutide medications include Ozempic, Wegovy, and more.

This medicine causes weight loss. So, it is still being determined whether the medicine causes hair loss or the weight loss results in hair loss.

In most cases, hair loss is reversed with weight adjustments. Report to your healthcare provider if you experience huge hair loss with it.

Anticonvulsants

Anticonvulsants are a class of drugs used to treat seizures. They stabilize the electrical activity in the brain.

The side effect of such medicine is hair loss. Pregabalin and valproic acid are anticonvulsant medications that cause hair loss.

How do you treat hair loss that happens due to medicines?

In most cases, Hair loss caused by medicines is not permanent. It reverses in a few weeks after you stop taking the drug.

Always remember that you must not stop the medicine yourself. Discussing with a healthcare provider is the best option.

Some other treatments are also available to avoid hair loss. The topical treatments include Minoxidil.

Finasteride tablets, Vitamin C, and Omega-3 may also help. However, your healthcare provider will say the correct treatment.

Conclusion

There are many causes of hair loss. Several treatment options are available to prevent hair loss. But try any treatment after consulting a healthcare provider.

If you are experiencing hair loss after taking other medicines, immediately inform your healthcare provider.