How Medications Cause Hair Loss

Baldness is not really considered a medical ailment, but it could be brought about by medical conditions or ailments as well as excessive and prolonged use of medications. Baldness that is caused due to these reasons is common to men as well as women. The hair loss that is experienced by women is of a diffused pattern and is more often than not hereditary, either from her mother’s or father’s side. In some cases, the hair line along the forehead starts thinning and the forehead becomes more and more visible.

Daily hair loss of about 100 hairs is considered normal for human beings and it hardly makes any noticeable difference as the human scalp contains on an average several millions of hair strands.

Medicines that bring about Thinning of Hair or Baldness in Men & Women

Some of the medicines that typically cause baldness in men and women alike include:

* Drugs such as Dilantin that are used in the treatment of seizures.

* Clofibrate, Atromis-S and other similar drugs that are taken by men as well as women for reducing their cholesterol or fat levels in their body or level of fat that is present in the heart’s lining.

* Anti depressants such as Prozac, lithium, Elavil and other similar drugs.

* Various drugs that are taken to treat anxiety disorder.

* Medications that are taken for the treatment of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.

* Regular use of steroids for various reasons including building muscle mass.

* Drugs that are taken to treat and control diabetes and hypertension.

There are several other medications that bring about hair loss and baldness, but these cause different reactions in women and in men.

Some women could suffer from hair loss upon taking drugs that help them postpone their menstrual cycle or due to the consumption of anti-coagulants. Excessive consumption of oral contraceptives could be one of the other major causes of hair loss in women. Skin problems and the application of medicines or creams that could be allergic is another possible cause of baldness. Also, women who undergo breast implants or hormone replace therapy are at a greater risk for various adverse effects including hair loss. Eyebrow and eyelash transplant are two other causes of hair loss.

Excessive usage of medicines in an attempt to reduce hunger can sometimes result in hair loss. Exercise extreme caution when taking diet pills and other medications that help weight loss, as they can also induce hair-loss and baldness. At the first signs that you may be losing hair, stop taking the medication immediately and consult a doctor as soon as possible in order to get it under control.

Make it a habit to follow a healthy balanced diet so as to avoid the adverse effects of dieting and dieting medications. Handle hair gently when washing it. Rubbing your hair vigorously when washing causes hair follicles to get damaged. Hair strands also tend to break when subjected to hair dryers often. Hair tends to break when wet and therefore it should only be set when it is dry.