We’re living in a world that offers a pill for just about anything. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48.7 percent of Americans took at least one prescription drug within the last 30 days.
Depending on the medications in question, there is a long list of concerns due to potential side effects. Although severe adverse effects are possible, more minor reactions, such as hair loss, can also reduce quality of life.
Medications and Hair Loss
Medications can be unpredictable because we are all unique in terms of our physiology. Side effects may not be apparent in some patients, but they could cause a serious reaction within another. For hair loss, certain medications are known to cause this condition, including gout meds, male and female hormones, antidepressants, blood thinners and beta-blockers.
Antidepressants
Between the years 1999 and 2012, the percentage of Americans on antidepressants nearly doubled. These potent drugs cause what’s known as telogen effluvium, which occurs when the body is under stress.
When undergoing childbirth, surgery, mental stress or, in this case, the combined effect of poor mental health and medication, the hair follicle prematurely enters the resting stage before falling out.
Blood Thinners
Considering that millions of Americans take anticoagulants, its no surprise the U.S. spends approximately $1 billion on blood thinners annually.
Both heparin and warfarin have been associated with hair loss, and when patients take rivaroxaban and dabigatran, up to 4.4 percent of them may experience alopecia.
Once again, the effect is believed to occur based on telogen effluvium. Shockingly, this effect often goes unnoticed, since there is a latency period between initial drug exposure and an increase in hair loss.
Beta Blockers
Prescribed to those who suffer from high blood pressure and migraines, as well as a long list of other conditions, beta-blockers are known to cause significant hair thinning in some patients.
More specifically, metoprolol and propranolol have been shown to induce hair loss. These drugs cause hair to shed prematurely, and the result is both thinning and bald patches.
Drug-induced hair loss is reversible in most cases; however, many experts agree that the exact cause of hair loss is generally unknown. In what other ways are these medications influencing your health? From Prozac to anti-seizure drugs, and everything in between, these medications clearly produce adverse effects.
Its time to reduce our reliance on so many medications, promoting a more balanced, active lifestyle — all without the need for 4 pills a day.
At Genesis II we’re aware of the multiple causes of hair loss, including drug induced hair loss, and we know how to treat all causes of hair loss. With hair restoration, there are a host of options to consider but only one phone call you need to make. To schedule a free hair and scalp analysis call us at (315) 458-1074 or to contact us via email click here.
Photo Credit: jarmoluk Via Pixabay
Sources
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/drug-use-therapeutic.htm
http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2467552
https://archive.ahrq.gov/news/newsletters/research-activities/jan10/0110RA1.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4819463/
