Drugs (Cause Hair Loss) – Page 36

December 14, 2006

I Take Prescription Drugs — Are Any Causing My Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

I am a 29 year old male ive been on propecia since my was 20 my hair desity and hair line stayed the same until recently. moved to another state and started on a taking xanex for anxiety and stress i started noticing a great deal of diffuse hairloss all over the top of my head i stopped the xanex and got on dut,minox,spiro,tricomin and thought that if the hairloss was due to the drugs it would grow back to the way it was previously but it did not seem to change i am now on klonopin and think i am noticing more loss are benzoziapines known for hairloss and if so would stopping them revert my hair to its old appearance?

Xanax is not yet blamed for hair loss, but stress is. Some of the other medications you are taking could cause hair loss. Stress may have been accelerating the act of your balding genes. Although hair loss is reported with use of some prescribed medication, it is not easy to hold them solely responsible for hair loss and a combination of factors are involved. Hair loss is stated as a rare complication of Klonopin, but could it be the cause of your hair loss? Hard to tell!

Get your hair mapped out for miniaturization and make a distinction between genetic hair loss and drug induced hair loss. If there is a genetic pattern, the miniaturization study will show that clearly.

December 5, 2006

Olux Foam and Dandruff – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

male – 15
Hey, Ive had dandruff on my hair for quite some time now. it is curly,black and kind of dry and short… recently the dandruff has seemed to be getting worse and my hair thinning ALOT… also it gets REALLy itchy when i start sweating (i do alot of sports..) and it is thinnning alot along the top and sides, it isnt itchy so much all the time, but the hair loss is very visible.. It also is itchy at times. i have been using ‘head and shoulders intensive treatment’ and was prescribed ‘olux foam, 0.05%’ which seemed to help, but havent gotten it re-prescribed for about 6 months to a year.. any help would be helpful.

Olux Foam is a topical steroid and it should not be used frequently as it will be absorbed by the body and eventually it would impact adrenal gland function. This medication is used for psoriasis (a disease which causes dandruff amongst other things). I believe if you read about it, you will learn more about what you are doing: Drugs.com – Olux Foam

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November 30, 2006

So What Supplements Should I Avoid? – Balding Blog

Hi Dr Rassman, you recently responded to one of my questions with this reply: No, I am not aware of any specific ingredients in any supplements (when taken as directed) that could cause hair loss. Some of the supplements that may have steroid type effects cause hair loss. Keep in mind any medications, supplements, and food when taken in excess can be harmful to your body. My question is, can you tell me what ingredients may have a steroid type effect so that I can know what to look out for? Thank you.

There are several types of medications with steroid activities, and I believe the ones that you are referring to are anabolic or androgenic steroids. Androgens are steroids that control the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics. They are also the ones used for muscle building purposes. Testosterone is the most well-known androgen and is prescribed for male patients who don’t produce it regularly, such as patients with delayed puberty. There are several other androgens including Dehydroepinephrone (DHEA), Androstenedione, Androstenediol, Androsterone, and Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) with somehow similar effects. The anabolic steroids may also be ingredients of other commercial products. They are used for treatment of body wasting in patients with AIDS and other diseases with loss of muscle mass. Athletes and others abuse these steroids to boost performance and also to improve physical appearance. The side effects of anabolic steroids could be severe and are not limited to hair loss, and it is necessary for anyone who takes these type of steroids to discuss their potential side effects with a doctor.

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November 27, 2006

Blood Pressure Medication and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Which other BP medications don’t cause hair loss and coughs like Lisinopril does?

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Any medication can potentially cause hair loss as one of the side effects. However, the most common cause of hair loss is not due to medications. If you are losing hair you should have doctor who specializes in hair to examine it for signs of miniaturization in specific pattern or distribution. To answer your question more specifically, there are no studies to compare the hair loss effects of a particular blood pressure medicine against another. That is the type of research I would love to see, but a research project that is unlikely to happen. More importantly, you should always consult with your doctor before stopping or changing any medications.

November 20, 2006

Vitamin A & D and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

(female) regarding hair loss. I have tried it all, propecia, rogaine, the works. what i’d like to know is, I take loads of vitamins and supplements. I have hashimoto’s which I read I should take among others Vit.A and/or omega 3 fish oils. I was taking 5,000-10,000 of A and 400 iu of D. Then I thought I should get my a & d from fish oil instead. I take (2) 2500 Vit a and 250 vit.d a day.My question now becomes this. Would I need to take the same amount of Vit.a & d in the fish oil as in a regular a/d capsule which is from say carotene. I know a & d can become toxic and causes loss of hair and I’m wondering if that is my problem. What is a safe amount?? And which/ or both do you suggest.

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As a rule, a normal healthy diet should provide you with ALL the essential vitamins and minerals for a normal healthy person. Millions of dollars are spent on marketing supplements to a health conscious society and it gives a skewed perspective on our health and subliminally gives us the message that we need to take these extra supplements to make us better (lose weight, grow hair, increase our sex drive, build muscle, feel happy, get smarter, reverse aging, etc). As long as things are not done in the extreme and it seems to help, there is nothing wrong with taking supplements. But there is no hard medical science to support majority of the claims.

With respect to Propecia, it is only FDA approved for male pattern hair loss in men. It is not approved for women. For more information on the use of Propecia in women, see: Treatments Available for Female Hair Loss. With respect to Rogaine, you can try it out, but it would take about a year to notice any benefit. I do not know if you had tried it for a year before you abandoned it. With respect to vitamins and supplements, if they work for you, then I see no reason to change the regimen. With respect to your thyroid condition, you should follow up with the doctor who is overseeing your treatment and follow his recommendation. It is not something you cure with just supplements.

November 16, 2006

Accelerated Hair Loss from Propecia is Disappointing – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,

Thank you for taking the time to read this message… I love your blog! I am 22 years old and have been taking propecia for about two and a half months now, and I have definitely lost a significant amount of hair since beginning the medication. It almost seems that propecia has accelerated my hair loss in these early stages. Is that even possible? I was hoping for the exact opposite effect, so I’m obviously pretty disappointed. If propecia will eventually work, will I also be able to regrow this hair lost in the first few months of taking the medication? Can you please explain this to me. Thank you!

Assuming that you do have genetic balding, I tell my patients to stay the course. Some people have reported a temporary acceleration of hair loss, but in actuality this is really acceleration of the hair cycling process. You should see the shedding stop in a few months and start seeing value at about the 8th month.

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November 16, 2006

Are Marijuana, Ecstasy, and Pain Killers Causing Me to Lose Hair? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

so ive had a full head of hair my whole life but around 18 i noticed my hair falling out. for about a year i messed around with different drugs like pot, pain killers, and ecstacy. in that year i noticed my hair falling out at a considerably fast rate. for about five months now ive been clean and have taked many steps toward improving my health but the problem doesnt seem to be getting better. what can i do to control it and will the hair return once i get it under control.

No to drugs Many drugs can trigger hair loss as a potential side effect. Male patterned genetic hair loss has four causes:

genetics
male hormones
time (age)
stress

You may have early signs of male pattern hair loss and the stress that you have put on your body with the drugs may have started the process a bit early. Or it is simply a coincidence that you noticed the hair loss around the time you were doing drugs. If you want to be proactive about your hair loss problem, you should find a good doctor who can examine your hair for signs of miniaturization and check your overall health status.

Its great to hear that you have cleaned yourself up! Say no to drugs!

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November 16, 2006

Switched from Minoxidil 15% to 5% and Now I’m Shedding – Balding Blog

Dear Dr,

I have been on Xandrox15 (on frontal/temporal area) for about 6 months till date. At first I thought it didnt help much so I switched back to Rogaine 5% about 3 weeks ago. About the 2nd week onwards, I started encountering major shedding on the hairline. Now, I can see the receding areas which wasnt so obvious before. Even my hair stylist commented it at the 3rd week when I went for a haircut (I visit him usually monthly).

My question is, could it be that minoxidil 15% was working for me and the switch to Rogaine 5 % (which i had been using for past 3 yrs and didnt help with regrowth but maybe a little in delaying the frontal hairloss) is causing the shed?

Thanks!

Minoxidil dependence (and shedding after stopping it) is mostly reported in the patients who had some improvement with medication. Although there is no documentation of dependence on higher doses of this medication, with decreasing the dose, I assume that dependence could be dose dependent. That means, if you are switching from a higher to a lower dose of medication, you may experience shedding or just losing the benefit of the high dose. Again, minoxidil dependence only occurs in hair that sees benefit from minoxidil. The better the hair thickness gets, the more the dependence upon minoxidil. If you continue to have shedding after that period, you must see a hair specialist to evaluate the miniaturization of your hair and make sure this hair loss is part of a regular “pattern” baldness and that there are no other factors involved. It is possible that the shedding is the result of your primary problem.

November 15, 2006

Hair Loss InformationFemale Hair Loss from Ortho Evra? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I’ve been getting an increased amount of emails from women that are experiencing hair loss and are under the belief that it could be their birth control. Although I have discussed various birth control pills and hair loss in the past, it is worth posting again for new readers. Here’s one recent email…

I am a 24 year old female. I took Ortho Evra for about 4 years, until I realized that i was experiencing many of the side effects (I had no idea they were all related to the medication). One of the most troubling is the rate and the amount of hair I have lost. I have been off the patch for about a year now..and my hair keeps falling out (patches on a daily basis). Apart from cold medicine, I dont take any medications, and I just don’t know what to do to get my hair back. Please, please tell me there is something i can do. Please help me, i am so scared!!!

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First off, you should have your hair mapped out for miniaturization as part of the work-up for female hair loss to evaluate and quantify the degree and distribution of miniaturized hairs which may indicate genetic hair loss characteristics and patterns.

Hair loss in women can sometimes be caused by underlying medical conditions, so it is important for you to be evaluated by your own physician before we proceed. If clinically appropriate, the following disease processes should be considered: anemia, thyroid disease, connective tissue disease, gynecological conditions and emotional stress. It is also important to review the use of medications that can cause hair loss, such as oral contraceptives, beta-blockers, Vitamin A, thyroid drugs, coumadin and prednisone. The following laboratory tests are often useful if underlying problems are suspected: Estradiol, FSH, LH, SHBG, Prolactin, T4, TSH, ANA, Iron, TIBC, Ferritin, Free and Total Testosterone. Any family doctor can do this.

You started off asking about Ortho Evra, so I might answer that this drug can cause hair loss, as well as increased facial or body hair growth (hirsutism). It seems that you can not win with any drug.

November 15, 2006

Lipodrene and Hair Loss – Balding Blog

I was taking Lipodrene for weight loss and it contains ephedrine group alkaloids in it. I have been losing my hair and it is getting to be a problem. I have stopped taking the Lipodrene but when will my hair stop falling out? What can I do to stop this? Help !!!!!!

We have answered similar questions in regards to ephedrine and pseudoephedrine and hair loss as their side effects. Although hair loss is not reported as a common side effect of these medications, it is mentioned in some websites (such as Bodybuilding.com) which go over side effects of bodybuilding medications. The mechanism of hair loss with these medications is not quite clear. Hair loss should be reversible after discontinuation of ephedrine with time. I am not aware of any studies indicating how long before recovering from this condition if it occurs.