Drugs that Cause Hair Loss

As you know, drugs and medications may come with side effects, some are mild, but even a simple over the counter medication can cause problems if you take an overdose, or are sensitive. Many medications are safe, but some, usually those that are strong and designed for hard medical conditions may cause more side effects. Most people are unaware of the side effects and many doctors fail to explain these to their patients. In the long run some drugs may even cause damages, so make sure you always ask your doctor about side effects, and read the labels user guide that comes with the med. One of the possible side-effects for many prescription drugs is hair loss.

Some medications can trigger different types of hair loss including male and female pattern baldness. Chemotherapy and radiation used for cancer treatment cause temporary hair loss, but there are many other medical treatments which have negative effect on hair growth.

The following list of drugs is taken form from the official American Hair Loss Association website. These drugs might cause hair loss. For your convenience, the medications are listed in alphabetical order by the conditions they treat.
Acne
Vitamin A derivatives used 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:
•    Atronid-S (clofibrate)
•    Lopid (gemfibrozil)
Convulsions/ Epilepsy
•    Anticonvulsants, including:
•    Tridone (trimethadione)
Anti-Depression
•    Antidepression drugs, including:
•    Prozac (fluoxetine hydrochloride)
•    Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride)
•    Paxil (paroxetine)
•    Anafranil (clomipramine)
•    Janimine (imipramine)
•    Tofranil (imipramine)
•    Tofranil PM (imipramine)
•    Adapin (doxepin)
•    Sinequan (doxepin)
•    Surmontil (trimipramine)
•    Pamelor (nortriptyline)
•    Ventyl (nortriptyline)
•    Elavin (amitriptyline)
•    Endep (amitriptyline)
•    Norpramin (desipramine)
•    Pertofrane (desipramine)
•    Vivactil (protriptyline hydrochloride)
•    Asendin (amoxapine)
•    Haldol ( haloperidol)
Diet
•    Amphetamines
Fungus
•    Antifungals
Glaucoma
Beta-blocker drugs, including:
•    Timoptic Eye Drops (timolol)
•    Timoptic Ocudose (timolol)
•    Timoptic XC (timolol)
Gout
•    Lopurin (allopurinol)
•    Zyloprim (allopurinol)
Heart
That include drugs used to treat high blood pressure:
•    Tenormin (atenolol)
•    Lopressor (metoprolol)
•    Corgard (nadolol)
•    Inderal and Inderal LA (propanolol)
•    Blocadren (timolol)
Hormonal Conditions
Drugs that effect hormones may cause hair loss, these drugs excludes DHT blockers, such as finasteride and dutasteride, which are used as hair loss treatments.
•    Birth Control Pills
•    Hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) for women (estrogen or progesterone)
•    Male androgenic hormones and all forms of testosterone
•    Anabolic steriods
•    Prednisone and other steroids
Inflammation
Anti-inflammatory drugs, including pain killers, and meds for swelling and injury.
•    Arthritis drugs
•    Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs including:
•    Naprosyn (naproxen)
•    Anaprox (naproxen)
•    Anaprox DS (naproxen)
•    Indocin (indomethacin)
•    Indocin SR (indomethacin)
•    Clinoril (sulindac)
An anti-inflammatory which can be used as a chemotherapy treatment:
•    Methotrexate (MTX)
•    Rheumatex (methotrexate)
•    Folex (methotrexate)
Parkinson’s Disease
•    Levadopa / L-dopa (dopar, larodopa)
Thyroid Disorders
•    Many of the drugs used to treat the thyroid
Ulcer
Indigestion, stomach difficulties, and ulcers treatments:
•    Tagamet (cimetidine)
•    Zantac (ranitidine)
•    Pepcid (famotidine)
If you are taking a  prescribed medication that is not on the list, make sure you understand its side-effects. You can ask your doctor, get info online, learn from medication guidebooks, and from the brochures comes with with the drug. If your medication cause hair loss, consult with with your doctor, you may switch to a different drug, and/or add hair loss treatment to stop hair loss and restore your hair.