Drug Induced Hair Loss and Medication

Many people are not aware that there are several prescription drugs that can cause drug induced hair loss. One of the top drugs that immediately comes to mind is the drug which is used for chemotherapy and the treatment of cancer. People who undergo chemotherapy will usually lose the hair off their entire body during the time the drug is in their system. The good news about this is that the hair will usually grow back once the drug is discontinued.

With chemotherapy drugs you will usually have a certain amount of time which the drug is taken. This may be a few weeks or a few months. Other drugs which are prescribed may be needed to the individual for the rest of their lives. Some of these drugs may cause permanent baldness but your doctor will rarely tell you about this side effect of the drug. Before beginning any new prescription you should ask your doctor or your pharmacists about any side effects the drug may have. It is possible that another drug will work just as well without the negative side effects.

Hair loss drugs can be used to treat acne. The drugs which are derived from vitamin A such as accutane may cause hair loss in some individuals. People who take anticoagulants may experience a thinning of the hair along with the thinning of the blood. One of the most common blood thinners is coumadin. This is a drug that is often prescribed by physicians but in some people it may cause hair loss.

People with high cholesterol may suffer from drug induced hair loss if they are prescribed atromid or lopid. Since a large number of people must take cholesterol medicine daily it is best to discuss the prospect of hair loss with your doctor and see if they can prescribe a drug to you that does not have that side effect.

In our society today there is a lot of everyday stress and many people suffer from depression. A great number of antidepressants may cause drug induced hair loss. The same thing goes for weight loss drugs that contain amphetamines. Overweight people are so concerned with the extra weight they need to lose that they are not even aware that some of the drugs they take for weight loss will also cause hair loss.

People should be aware that there are many drugs that are prescribed today that might induce hair loss. This is something that should be discussed with your doctor when he prescribes new medication. This is especially important for women because female hair loss is not as accepted in society as it is in males.