Does Protonix cause hair loss? I have been taking protonix (pantoprazole generic brand) for about two months and my hair is falling out by the hand full.
Many patients all over the world with acid reflux that take Protonix (pantoprazole) still have hair, but with that being said, hair loss is a known side effect of this drug. It is rare, however. See WebMD for a complete list of potential side effects.
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Hey doctor,
Thanks so much for your time. This would be very helpful for me if you could answer this question! My question is, does miniaturization for sure mean that one has male pattern baldness or can miniaturization be a result of other causes of hair loss (i.e. meds). I’ve been taking minocycline for 4 years because of acne prescribed by a doctor and I also have A LOT of miniaturization. Is this just coincidence or could there be other reasons for miniaturization/baldingThanks for your time!
There could be other reasons besides genetic male pattern baldness. Get a good examination by a doctor who knows about this. Miniaturization could be drug induced along with a variety of other diseases.
Minocycline is not known to cause hair loss, but I suppose it could be a rare side effect (I’ve read conflicting reports online about it being a side effect at all). The official documentation does not mention it.
(female) When hair loss is caused by a medication, in my case Abilify – an antipsychotic I’m using for bipolar disorder – does medication such as nioxin work to prevent the loss or promote growth? I’ve started to notice large amounts of hair loss which began soon after starting Abilify. One of the rare side effects mentioned in Abilify literature is unusual hair thinning, apparently I’m experiencing this rare side effect.
I do not believe that Nioxin will help regrow your hair. Minoxidil might be worth a try, but be sure to read the warnings on the packaging. At this time, minoxidil is the only FDA approved medication for treating female hair loss.
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Dr. Rassman:
Regarding a chemical burn from blonde highlighting: 20 YO female was under hair dryer c. 4-5 minutes when burning sensation was felt on the L upper scalp; a 30 volume developer was mixed w/ionic powder with foil wraps. A baseball sized area now (6 mos or so later)has damaged hair follicles requiring two surgeries (apparently infusion for hydration first and then some over-flapping of productive skin over damaged skin ?). To properly examine this area to determine what caused the burn, would you recommend examination by a dermatologist or some other medical specialist?
Thanks so much.
I would recommend an examination by a dermatologist for chemical burns to the scalp that caused hair loss. I’m not clear if you were just told two surgeries would be required, or if you actually had two surgeries to correct this. If you have had surgery, you might want to get a second opinion if you are not comfortable with the management or the outcome.
I think I have more questions for you than answers. I think an examination is critical for me to make any sense of your case.
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Hey Dr. Rassman I have some question
- My doctor says that to take one pill of 5mg finasteride (proscar) every 5 days amounts to take 1mg finasteride each days, i’m not sure he’s right, what do you think about it?
- I have less than 20% of miniaturized hair all over my scalp (about 6% all over), but miniaturized hairs have not an equal diameters. Do you considered this as a MPB?
- When consider you that the MPB is stabilized? No more miniaturization on the scalp?
- Is the finasteride bad for the body-building (whithout steroids or anything else of course)?
thanks!
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Hey, thank you for keeping this blog – it’s a great help! I’m an 18 year old male with a little bit of paranoia (nobody else thinks I’m losing hair). I’ve been reading about miniaturization. I noticed that some of the hair that comes out when I’m washing my head is finer than other hair. I have no idea if this is normal or not – what do you think?
It is normal to lose around 100 hairs every day as new ones grow in. If you have product in your hair (hair spray, gel, wax, etc), it may keep some of those hairs trapped until you shower, and then appear to have a bunch of hairs coming out at once… when in reality, it was just your normal daily hair cycling.
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Dear Doctor,
I’m a 41-year old female and in the last six months my eyebrows started falling out to the point of almost complete “eyebrow baldness” (I don’t wax or tweeze them, so that’s not it). The dermatologist I saw did a scalp test and that was all fine and bloodwork done revealed nothing abnormal. He has prescribed twice-a-day application of topical Clobex. Does that sound like it’s on the right track of proper treatment? What about those “eyebrow growth stimulator” lotions I’ve heard about. Are they worth trying?Thanks for your time and have a great day. Kind regards
Clobex is a topical steroid, so I would ask your prescribing physician what the working diagnosis is. Biotin deficiency has been strongly linked to hair loss and, when severe, can even lead to loss of the eyebrows and lashes. Deficiency is rare, but can be caused by excessive consumption of raw eggs, which contain high levels of the protein avidin, which binds biotin strongly. Biotin can be taken orally.
Another diagnosis that needs to be ruled out is alopecia areata, and a biopsy may be indicated for this. The Internet is not a place for a comprehensive review of your problem, but your doctor should be able to go over this with you if he spends the right amount of time, as I do with every patient I see.
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I didn’t really understand your answer to the best time to take propecia. You said the best time is in the morning because you get the half life of the drug being 4 hours thus reducing
concentration. Wouldn’t you want full concentration for better effects?
Like I’ve said in past blog posts, the best time to take Propecia (finasteride 1mg) is in the morning when your testosterone levels are at the highest. In reality and practicality, the best time to take Propecia is anytime you can remember to take it on a consistent (daily) basis.
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Hi, i admitantly had a bit of a dig at the answers on this site being a little generic, repetitive and indirect in my opinion. So i have a question of my own. How accurate is the following information? This information makes sense to me. Thanks i appreciate it.
The mother has two ‘Xs’ and will always give her kid an ‘X’. The father has one ‘X’ and a ‘Y’ and will give the kid one or the other. The father, therefore, determines the sex of the child. If he gives you ‘X’ then you’re ‘XX’-a GIRL, if he gives you ‘Y’ then you’re ‘XY’-a BOY.
“X-linked” disorders are defects in one of the thousands of genes found on the ‘X’ chromosome. These disorders can range from severe mental retardation to more harmless things like color blindness or PATTERN BALDNESS. The reason that males are more susceptible to an X-linked disorder is that when mom gives her son an ‘X’ carrying the defective gene, dad gives the son a ‘Y’, which cannot back up the defective ‘X’. Women seldom get these disorders since the chances of getting two bad ‘Xs’ for the exact same gene are quite slim.
So as far as whose fault it is, blame both parents-Mom for giving it to you, and dad for not backing you up.
Now another point should be made about where to look for the bald ‘X’ in a mother’s family. You have to look at EITHER the (1) mother’s father OR (2) her brothers:
(1) Grandpa has the bald ‘X’ (and is bald) and passed it to your mom/her sisters-who give it to half of their sons. (remember mom’s brothers would only get the ‘Y’ and would not be bald in this case).
(2) Grandpa has a good ‘X’, but Grandma has bald ‘X’/good ‘X’ and gives a 50/50 ratio to kids, so half of mom’s brothers are bald.If you are grandson of all this, then in scenario (1) you have 50% chance at baldness, scenario (2), a 25% chance.
Both (1) AND (2) are possible in the same family, but would be rare and might lead to bald women in the family (depending on other factors such as testosterone levels)
I am not a geneticist. I am a physician. And the genetic argument as you pose is a simplified understanding of high school biology or college biology 101 at best.
The inherited traits are far more complex than X or Y chromosomes. While it is true that the father’s XY chromosome determines the sex of the unborn child, the balding gene is not in the Y chromosome. There are things called expression that distort our understanding of the genetics. Actually, no one really knows. That is why you cannot and will not find the answer… yet.
hi there.
I ve been on propecia for six years with great results. The last couple of months i noticed a lot of hair loss. about 100 pieces of hair per day. Do you think it stopped working? maybe I should take 2 pills per day? or switch to another drug. or even go for hair planting.
Thanks so much
Propecia does not stop working. It is just that your genetic hair loss pattern may be showing. Propecia is continuing to work by slowing the hair loss. If you stop taking Propecia at this point you will notice a more rapid hair loss. If you increase it, it may have value at double the dose. The way to determine the effect of Propecia is to do comparison miniaturization studies over time. Then you know when and if it stopped working. Counting hairs does not do it for me. Discuss the possibility of increasing your daily dosage with your prescribing doctor.
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