Category: Drugs (Cause Hair Loss)

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Hair Loss Worse After Rogaine, Part 2 – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I didn’t understand your point about whether the probability of the rogaine working for me outweighed the risk of continued hair loss. If the shedding from rogaine is temporary, and will grow back, what is the risk of continued hair loss? Will the hair still come back if I discontinue the rogaine (which I have)? Especially since I only used it a handful of times? When should I start seeing some signs of regrowth, if there will be any?

Sincerely,
“Sorry I ever used rogaine”

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The original question / answer can be found at: Hair Loss Worse After Rogaine

Minoxidil can cause irritation of the skin and some people get hair loss by the drying effect that they see with minoxidil. I had suggested that you stop using it because the topical effects of the medication will go away within days of stopping it. The question that you are asking, which essentially is how long you have to wait for the process to reverse, is difficult for me to answer. I have no information on the cause of your hair loss, if the process was an acceleration of the genetic process and if this process is continuing. I need to know your diagnosis and get an examination which are two essential elements to getting you where you want to be. With a short run of minoxidil, I would expect that there should be no long term response to this medication, but that is just a guess.

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Hair Loss 5 Years After Taking Accutane – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman, I am a 21 year-old male and 2 years ago a friend mentioned to me that my hair was thinning. I had never noticed, I wore hats all the time, but then I started to notice shedding and thinning. I took acutane when I was younger (16 years old). Balding is not in my genes. I stress about it a lot. Do you think my hair loss has anything to do with accutane? I have seen doctors and they have just suggested rogaine or propecia if it starts excelerating. I would love any advice or tips you could present to me. I know I am not ready for a transplant, but what can I do to slow this down? I recently have started using nioxin hair therapy shampoo and condidtioner, haven’t really noticed much. Thanks a lot.

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I am not certain if accutane could cause your hair loss after not taking it for more than 5 years. Starting Propecia and Rogaine is a good idea in an attempt to regrow, stop, or slow down your hair loss. As for Nioxin hair shampoo, I am not completely sold on this product for hair regrowth, but it is a good shampoo. If you have good result from this shampoo, then I think you should continue using it. If you have concerns that you are really going bald, I recommended that you call me at 800-NEW-HAIR to schedule a free consultation in Los Angeles or San Jose. You need to have your scalp mapped out for miniaturization and a proper diagnosis made by an expert.

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DHEA and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doc Rassman:
Hope everything’s been going well with you on your end…had a quick question, there’s an over the counter supplement, believe some sort of hormone based supplement, called DHEA that’s supposed to help recuperation after exercise…says essentially that the body manufactures it naturally and starts tapering off in the 20s. Do you know anything about it and if so would I have any concerns about taking it regularly as one of the potential effects I understand would possibly be hair loss although what I’m reading says that side effect would be extremely rare. Does the supplement work and is it worth taking, even at reduced amounts…ps, I’m 35 years now so i was thinking if i were to start taking it I would simply just take half dose. thanks for your time…

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DHEA is one of the medications that may accelerate hair loss, so I would not go that route. There are safety issues related to this very potent medication, which many people use as an anti-aging medication. I have generally been less enthusiastic about things that I do not understand the long term impact of. Some of the literature I’ve read addresses the world of the unknown, and DHEA certainly fits into that world.

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Coumadin and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I am 50 years old/F and have been taking Coumadin fo 8 years. I’ve had thin baby fine hair all my life and it’s been getting even thinner over the years. Last year I finally bought a wig. What effect does Coumadin have on hair loss?

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Coumadin has hair loss as a known side effect. You need to have a hair diagnosis in hand as discussed on the many pages of this blog and then approach the problem with a good hair doctor.

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Why Does Accutane Cause Hair Loss? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Hello Dr. Rassman. I’m a 25 yr old female and I recently took accutane for 6 months(have been off it now for 7 months). I knew hairloss was one of the side effects but I took my chances. My hair was fine during the whole treatment…didn’t have any thinning whatsoever. About 5 months ago, however, my hair started thinning and has gotten progressively worse since then. It’s especially thin on the sides above my ears, and my hairline is much thinner. The top of my head is much thinner also. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what accutane does to actually cause the hairloss, it would probably help to start there. I’ve been reading online about what others in my situation are doing and I started on the Nioxin hair system, started taking milk thistle for my liver, and a B-Complex vitamin to help with the hairloss. My doctor said to wait it out and that it should be temporary. I don’t really like that idea. It keeps getting worse and I want to put a stop to it. Please help me! I’d appreciate any information you could spare…thank you so much

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I am not certain of the specific mechanism causing hair loss by Accutane. The package insert of Accutane stated that this drug may lead to alopecia, but it was rare. Accutane causes dry skin, skin fragility, erythematous rash, vasculitis, and decreased red blood cell formation which may contribute to hair loss. In general, Accutane may contribute to hair loss by creating a not so optimal environment for hair growth and it clearly does impact the glandular elements of the hair, which will make the hair dry and fragile as the amounts of sebum production drops. Rogaine may help improve hair loss, but it also drys the scalp further. I recommended that you see a dermatologist to evaluate your hair loss in person. However, there are many causes of hair loss which also must be evaluated, such as thyroid problem, eczema, infection, autoimmune problems, weight loss, stress, etc.

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Depo-Provera and Hair Loss – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

I took the depo shot for 3 years, but I haven’t taken it in 7 years and now I’m having hair loss. Could it be from the shot? I did have it after I had my baby 7 years ago.

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The use of such medications may contribute to the onset of genetic balding. The mechanisms are not clear, but once the process starts, it is possible that it may not reverse. This would explain the persistence of some thinning over time.

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Hair Loss InformationHair Loss Worse After Rogaine – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

Doc…I’m really scared, confused, and upset with myself.
I had some thinning and receding at the hair line, and a little bit on the crown of my head. I decided to give rogaine a try to improve the situation. I used it about 5-6 times, but also used it on the front of my hairline. After a few days, I noticed that the hair seemed to be thinning a lot, and that my hairline had receded, especially at the temples. So after using the rogaine for a few days, I went from some thinning in the temples and crown to having a receding hairline, with even greater thinness in the temples and top. At this point, when my hair is wet, I see much more scalp, and it makes me want to throw up. It basically thinned out my hair everywhere, especially in the problem areas. Basically, I feel that I took a situation that wasn’t really that bad, and made it much worse. I’m kicking myself for having not just left it alone.

My questions:
1) Since I’ve stopped the rogaine, will the hair that seems to have fallen out return? If it will come back, about how long will it take to go back to the way it was before I used the rogaine? (I’ve read on some forums about rogaine “shed”, but does this hair come back all of the time?)
2) Can rogaine cause a receding hairline? Could I have done permanent damage to any of the hair by using the rogaine (such as if the follicles were already thinning/in trouble)?

Thanks so much for your help. I’m really struggling with this, and I’m looking for some peace of mind.

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Hair shedding from Rogaine is temporary. New hair should grow in a few months. Hair growth works in cycles. When rogaine causes hair shedding it may induce the hair shaft to fall off; the follicle would then enter a dormant phase in the cycle (temporarily) while the matrix is restructured for future growth, hopefully with a thicker and stronger hair shaft. Thus, initially, you may appear to lose more hair, but after waiting for many months you may have thicker and stronger hair with any new hair growth, assuming the Rogaine works. It is very scary for some patients to experience the shedding phase (unusual) and considering the extreme reaction to the Rogaine, I wonder if the statistical probability of working in your situation offsets the risk of continued hair loss. If it works, it generally takes 6-8 months. More significant growth may occur (in less than half of patients) who take this medication. In general Rogaine may cause either more hair growth, stop further hair loss, prolong the hair cycle where hair exists in its best ‘show’ state, or it may be limited to slow down the hair loss process if it works at all.

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

is there any blood pressure medication that will not cause one’s hair to fall out. i have been on lisinopril for 6 months and have noticed my hair thinning greatly. i was taking metformin but stopped because i heard it too can also cause hair loss. Is this true? PLEASE HELP!!!!

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My advice is for you to review all of the blood pressure medications through the internet search engines such as Google or Yahoo. The drug side effects on hair loss are clearly published. Your blood pressure control must take a higher priority than hair loss, but moving between drugs with a good doctor helping you is a good idea. It is possible that the drugs are not the cause of your hair loss and you are just experiencing hair loss from an acceleration of the genetic process, so get a hair doctor to help you with that as well.

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Accutane Specialist? – Hair Loss Information – Balding Blog

What type of a specialist do I need to go see if I am expereincing hair loss/thinning as a result of taking accutane?

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You need to see a dermatologist who would first look at the accutane treatment, determine its value and then ascertain the risks of taking the drug as they balance against the benefits. There are substitutes for accutane in some people. Hair loss is a high price to pay, but a good dermatologist can balance this process for you.