Are you losing your hair? There are many different reasons why it might be happening. It may have to do with things out of your control, like your genetics, your family history, or an illness or disease could also be to blame. Nevertheless, in many cases, certain types of medication are the reason for hair loss, and often, people don’t even realize it until they’ve lost most of their hair!
Here are a few common medications that could be causing your hair loss.
Anticoagulants
Anticoagulant medications can help prevent blood clots and complications in people with certain conditions, like heart disease. The type of hair loss caused by anticoagulants is known as telogen effluvium, which is hair loss that can affect the entire scalp. Hair loss typically begins after about 12 weeks of taking a medication. Anticoagulants that can lead to hair loss include heparin and warfarin.
Acne Medications
Popular acne medications containing vitamin A, like Accutane and Retin-A, are known for causing hair loss because of the high dosage of vitamin A and the suppression of your skin’s sebum production. Suppressing sebum production is why skin dryness is a common side effect of these medications. Scalp sebum is important for hair growth, which may be why some people experience hair thinning and loss while taking these drugs.
Chemotherapy Drugs
Chemotherapy drugs used to treat certain types of cancer and autoimmune illnesses can cause anagen effluvium. This hair loss includes eyelashes, eyebrows, and body hair. These drugs destroy the fast-growing cancer cells in your body, but they also attack and destroy other cells that grow quickly, like the roots of your hair. Regrowth will occur after treatments have ended in most cases.
Antidepressants
Certain medications used to treat depression and anxiety are known to cause telogen effluvium, like Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, Elavil, and Vivactil.
It’s a good idea to speak with your doctor if you notice hair loss while on a certain type of medication. The doctor may be able to prescribe something else that won’t affect your hair.
If you have lost a significant amount of hair due to a medication or another reason, NM Hair Replacement Studio can get you the help you need. We provide hair loss solutions for men and women in the Manhattan area and can show you how to regain your hair!
To learn more about the hair replacement services we can provide, call us at (718)267-2516 today.
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