Drugs (Cause Hair Loss) – Page 41

June 13, 2006

Human Growth Hormone and Hair Loss – Balding Blog

Doc, all the recent talk about baseball players and Human Growth Hormone got me thinking about whether or not a person injecting HGH is likely to speed up their hairloss.

I know certain steroids will definately speed up hairloss but HGH, to my knowledge, is not considered a “steroid”. Shopping around the internet for propecia/proscar (not the generic kind) I came accross a site that offers HGH under the name Jintropin. It has some great benefits listed, but injecting HGH must have some serious side effects.

I believe that you are correct. I have had a number of patients who were taking HGH and had acceleration of their hair loss.

June 6, 2006

Accutane Warning from a Woman Who Took It – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi,
I took Accutane 2 times for the past 3.5 years and have lost about 70% of my hair. I has improved a tiny bit, but it’s not the same every since. It is very thin and dry, and UGLY looking. I also developed lots of other problems after this crapy drug: vision problems, dry eyes, dry skin, joint pain, high billirubin and thyroid problems. And it didn’t even cure my acne! My hair stopped falling out about 7-8 months ago, and I still don’t have any regrowth, I have very-very little… There is no family history of hairloss, my 78y.o. grandmother has better hair than I do. Accutane has be taking off of the market, it’s very nasty drug, I wish more people would know about it!

This is one of the worst hair related comments I have received about Accutane. The list of potential side effects is long (see below). The doctors who prescribe it know more about the frequency of such side effects than I do as I only see the worst examples of the hair related problems from it, so I can not advise people who are reading this blog on what to do if they are prescribed Accutane. Speak with your doctor, ask all of the right questions, read the material that comes with the drug and look up more information, starting here:

June 1, 2006

Ingrown Hairs on Scalp After Accutane Use – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman,

Up until the age of 18 I had a great head of hair, no problems at all. I had acne though and couldn’t stand it so I opted to take accutane. About a month after I started I noticed my hairline receded a little and continued through my course. It didn’t recede that much so I wasn’t terribly worried. Unfortunately after stopping accutane it continued to recede slowly and now 6 years later i’ve lost a lot of hair and not only that but while my hairline was receding every single hair on my head seems to have changed and become thinner and you can see my scalp easily. Later on I aquired some scalp problem where I am getting many many ingrown hairs on my scalp and I never had that before Accutane, it really did a number on my scalp. Everyday I wear a baseball hat because of these problems and my social life is long gone. Biggest mistake of my life taking that stuff. Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

Block Quote

Your hair loss may be due to the Accutane use. Some people who have taken this drug also report changes in hair character and often a finer hair results. These changes may be permanent. Your hair problems may also be a separate problem reflecting male patterned hair loss. Either way, if you are continuing to lose hair and want a medical solution, you should seek a good specialist to map out your scalp for miniaturization to correctly diagnose the contribution of the genetic components for your hair loss. A good dermatologist should be able to diagnose your ingrown hair problem, which sounds like some form of chronic folliculitis.

May 26, 2006

Hair Loss InformationEyelash Loss After Accutane Use – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dear Dr Rassman

I have had eyelash loss after accutane use. i still lose eyelashes and it has been for over 12 weeks. i contacted several doctors but they do not know what the reason can be. i just used accutane for 2 weeks, but still i have a problems. i still waiting for your feedback. i check my e-mail every day, i hope you can help me whith it.

Block Quote

Hair loss is a known side effect of Accutane. Unfortunately for you, the hair loss occurs from your eyelashes. Hair loss from Accutane often is reversible if you wait up to a year, but the eyebrow tends to be more sensitive and as such, may not recover. You will still need to wait it out for a year.

May 25, 2006

Nexium and Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Dr. Rassman,
Thank you so much for your answer concerning the two shoulder injections of cortisone!
I also have acid reflux,& had taken nexium, but stopped it after noticing hair loss more accelerated than usual. Are you aware of any hair loss associated with Nexium, as this drug seems to work best with GERD, & will regrowth occur after suspension? Also does regrowth generally occur with hair lost to seborrheic dermatitis, if treated? Thank you again for your prolific insight!

Block Quote

Nexium can cause hair loss, though it is a rare side effect. Seborrheic dermatitis rarely produces hair loss unless you scratch it and produce traction alopecia by continuously pulling at your hair.

May 24, 2006

Hydroxyzine, Chemo, and Female Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I have a good quarter size balding spot on the top back of head. I am a 44 year old woman, along with this ,I have been experiencing itching on skin as well as head. I am 5 years out of remission from Lymphoma, in which I had chemo and radiation……is this linked? Doctors purscribed HYDROXYZINE…every 6 hours..25mg…it makes me drowsy, but, if I don’t take regurally, i found after 3days..i stopped, the itch comes back…more and more hairs fall from my head…seems only these from the top spot…help

Block Quote

It is not clear from your question if the bald spot came on after the chemotherapy and radiation. If it did not and the cancer has not returned, then I would doubt that these are connected. If you scratch over and over again, you can break off hair and produce a bald spot. You need a good doctor to put the story together and examine you, then you will know what is happening.

May 18, 2006

Will Hair Lost From Cortisone Injections Grow Back? – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Dr. Rassman,
I had 3 HT’s, the last approx 2 yrs ago . I have seborrheic dermatitis, & am trying to control it. 4 months ago I had 2 cortisone shots in my right shoulder & started to notice a consistant shedding of transplanted hairs. I have very fine hair, 61 yrs. old & am concerned. Can hair fallout be affected by cortisone injections, will it grow back? Thank you so much!

Only time will tell. I suspect that it will grow back. Men in your age group have ’strong’ hair able to handle many insults. A couple of shots of steroids should not be a big enough insult to knock out the hair permanently (my opinion). Write to me in 3-5 more months and let me know if the hair returns.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):

May 17, 2006

Took Accutane Years Ago, Now Hair Sheds and Grows Back – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman,

I have been experiencing a problem with hair shedding ever since I took accutane 3 years ago. It seems to be cyclical in nature. It sheds every 3-4 months but then grows right back. I’ve looked this up on the internet and what I’ve concluded is that I have chronic telogen effluvium brought on by accutane. I don’t have much miniturization…that’s when the hair falls out and is replaced by a thinner hair and then by a thinner hair right? Each strand of hair on my head is still as thick as it always was it’s just that I keep shedding massive amounts of hair every 3-4 months. Everytime I think it’s stopped for good, it starts shedding again. Also i have very straight hair and ever since I took accutane it seems that I now have hairs that are kind of curly or bent looking if that makes any sense. I don’t know what to do…I’m tired of it falling out. Please help.`

Block Quote

I have heard of problems like yours from Accutane, but I do not have a suggestion in the short term. In the long term, I would expect that this cyclical process will become less and less of a problem, but you will have to wait it out. If I become aware of any solutions, I will let everyone know through this blog and write to you as well. If any of my readers have a solution, please share.

May 8, 2006

Oxycodone and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

My husband is taking oxycode 40 mg. twice a day for his illness, but is losing a lot of hair. He is also on a few other meds for high blood pressure and cholesterol, and narco for pain. Could this be causing the tremendous hair loss?

If his illness is a chronic illness, I would think that this is the first place to look for hair loss causes. I need to know more about his chronic disease to answer your question intelligently. Oxycodone is not the most common drug that is known to cause hair loss, but it has been reported to have hair loss as a rare side effect.

May 8, 2006

Paxil and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information by Dr. William Rassman

Hi Doctor,
I started taking Paxil about 3 months ago and have recently been expieriencing increased hairloss. Prior to taking paxil I hadn’t expierienced hairloss for about a year. Do you think there is a connection between the paxil and the hairloss, and is the hairloss irreversible if it is?

It is not clear if you are male or female, which is important in the way I construct the answer. I will assume that you are a male. If you had hair loss 1 year ago when you were not on Paxil, maybe this a coincidence, maybe not. Hair growth and hair loss both go in cycles, so perhaps you just kicked in the loss cycle.

As I stated in a blog entry from just last week, but it is worth repeating –

I have three important points to make with regards to medications causing hair loss:

Before identifying a drug as a possible cause of hair loss, you should find other medical causes.
People take medications for a health problem. You should not stop taking a medication just because you think it may be causing hair loss. Your health should come before your hair (especially if you are not certain that the medication is causing the hair loss).
Most importantly, you should follow up with your doctor for medication changes and concerns.

Paid advertisements (not an endorsement):