Medical Conditions That Can Cause Hair Loss

Drug induced hair loss

Whether you just noticed a thinning of hair, receding of hair from the head or already been diagnosed for male/female pattern baldness you should consult with your doctor regarding the possibility of drug induced hair loss.

Many drugs prescribed by doctors may trigger the onset of hair loss in the form of male or female pattern baldness. Following is a list of medical condition that you should check the drug manufacturer instructions and warnings. You should not rely solely on this list; there might be new drugs that are left out:

Acne

All Vitamin A derived drugs offered as treatments for acne or other conditions, including:

• Accutane (isotretinoin)

Blood

Anticoagulants (blood thinners), including:

• Panwarfin (warfarin sodium)
• Sofarin (warfarin sodium)
• Coumadin (warfarin sodium)
• Heparin injections

Cholesterol

Cholesterol lowering drugs, including:

• Atromid-S (clofibrate)
• Lopid (gemfibrozil)

Convulsions/Epilepsy

• Anticonvulsants

Depression

Antidepression drugs, including:

• Anafranil (clomipramine)
• Elavil (amitriptyline)
• Norpramin (desipramine)
• Pamelor (nortriptyline)
• Paxil (paroxetine)
• Prozac (fluoxetine)
• Sinequan (doxepin)
• Surmontil (trimipramine)
• Tofranil (imipramine)
• Vivactil (protriptyline)
• Zoloft (sertraline)

Diet/Weight Loss

• Amphetamines

Fungus

• Antifungals

Glaucoma

Beta-blocker drugs, including:

• Timoptic Eye Drops (timolol)
• Timoptic Ocudose (timolol)
• Timoptic XE (timolol)

Gout

• Zyloprim (allopurinol)

Heart/High Blood Pressure

Heart related drug prescriptions, including the beta-blockers (which are also used to treat high blood pressure) and include:

• Tenormin (atenolol)
• Lopressor (metoprolol)
• Corgard (nadolol)
• Inderal and Inderal LA (propanolol)
• Blocadren (timolol)

Hormonal Conditions

All hormone-containing drugs and drugs prescribed for hormone-related, reproductive, male-specific, and female-specific conditions and situations have the potential to cause hair loss, including:

• Birth control pills
• Hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) for women (estrogen or progesterone)
• Male androgenic hormones and all forms of testosterone
• Anabolic steroids
• Prednisone and other steroids

Inflammation

Many anti-inflammatory drugs, including those prescribed for localized pain, swelling, and injury.

• Arthritis drugs
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs including:
  • Naprosyn (naproxen)
  • Anaprox (naproxen)
  • Anaprox DS (naproxen)
  • Indocin (indomethacin)
  • Indocin SR (indomethacin)
  • Clinoril (sulindac)

Anti-inflammatories that are also used as a chemotherapy drug:

• Methotrexate (MTX)
• Rheumatrex (methotrexate)

Parkinson’s disease

• Levadopa/L-dopa (Dopar, Laradopa)

Thyroid disorders

• Many of the drugs used to treat the thyroid; ask your doctor.

Ulcer

Many of the drugs used to treat indigestion, stomach difficulties, and ulcers, including over-the-counter dosages and prescription dosages.

• Tagamet (cimetidine)
• Zantac (ranitidine)
• Pepcid (famotidine)

Natural-Hairloss-treatments cites the American Hair Loss Association as a reference