The most well-known medications that cause hair loss are chemotherapy drugs. But other medications can also have this side effect.
Let’s learn about these medications, how to reduce hair loss, and how to manage the side effect.
Why do some medications cause hair loss? How is it diagnosed?
Hair loss caused by medications is also known as drug-induced alopecia, and some medications can affect the hair growth cycle at different stages. Medications typically affect the growing stage, known as anagen, and the resting phase, known as telogen.
The medical term for each type of hair loss is anagen effluvium and telogen effluvium.
With anagen effluvium, you may notice hair loss within 14 days of taking a drug. With telogen effluvium, you may notice hair loss after 3 months.
Drug-induced alopecia, which is temporary, is diagnosed when you notice that you’re losing more hair than usual, find a noticeable amount of hair on your pillow, or have a lot more hair falling out when you brush.
To diagnose the condition, a healthcare professional will ask about your health history and what medications you take. They may also perform some tests, such as:
- a scalp biopsy
- scalp analysis
- blood tests
- hair pull test
In a hair pull test, a doctor or healthcare professional will hold 50–60 hairs between their index and middle fingers and thumb and gently pull from the scalp to the ends of the hair. A positive test will result in more than 5 or 6 hairs coming away from the scalp.
Medications that cause hair loss
Various medications can cause hair loss, and they each treat different conditions.
The list below looks at some of the conditions and their associated drugs.
- acne medications, like isotretinoin (Accutane)
- anticoagulants or blood thinners, like warfarin (Jantoven)
- cholesterol medications, like:
- clofibrate (Atronid-S)
- gemfibrozil (Lopid)
- anticonvulsants to treat seizures and epilepsy, like trimethadione (Tridone)
- antidepressants like:
- fluoxetine hydrochloride (Prozac)
- sertraline (Zoloft)
- paroxetine (Paxil)
- clomipramine (Anafranil)
- imipramine (Janimine)
- doxepin (Adapin)
- trimipramine (Surmontil)
- nortriptyline (Pamelor)
- amitriptyline (Elavil)
- desipramine (Norpramin)
- protriptyline (Vivactil)
- amoxapine (Asendin)
- haloperidol (Haldol)
- lithium (Lithobid)
- antifungal medication, like voriconazole (Vfend)
- glaucoma drugs, like timolol (Betimol)
- medications to treat gout, like allopurinol (Zyloprim)
- beta-blockers to treat heart conditions and high blood pressure, such as:
- atenolol (Tenormin)
- metoprolol (Lopressor)
- nadolol (Corgard)
- propranolol (Inderal)
- timolol (Timoptic)
- angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, like:
- enalapril (Vasotec)
- lisinopril (Qbrelis)
- hormonal medications, birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, or anabolic steroids, such as prednisone (Rayos)
- medications to treat inflammation, like:
- naproxen (Naprosyn)
- indomethacin (Indocin)
- sulindac (Clinoril)
- chemotherapy drugs, like methotrexate (Trexall)
- medications for Parkinson’s disease, such as carbidopa levodopa (Sinemet)
- drugs for thyroid disorders, including levothyroxine (Synthroid)
- ulcer medications, like:
- cimetidine (Tagamet)
- famotidine (Pepcid)
- diabetes medications, like metformin (Riomet)
If you need help covering the cost of medications, the free Optum Perks Discount Card could help you save up to 80% on prescription drugs. Follow the links on drug names for savings on that medication, or search for a specific drug here.
