Medications and medical treatments that cause hair loss

Both medications and medical treatments can cause hair loss.

Medications

Many medications that can cause hair loss include:

• Medications used to treat cancer (chemotherapy).
• Birth control pills.
  • Women who lose hair while taking birth control pills usually have an inherited tendency toward hair thinning. If hair thinning occurs, a woman can consult her doctor about switching to another birth control pill or another contraceptive method.
  • When a woman stops using oral contraceptives, her hair may begin shedding 2 or 3 months later. This may continue for 6 months and then it usually stops.
• Blood thinners (anticoagulants), such as heparin or warfarin.
• Arthritis medications, such as indomethacin.
• Migraine headache medications, such as methysergide.
• Seizures medications, such as valproic acid, carbamazepine, and trimethadione.
• Gout medications, such as allopurinol and colchicine.
• Bipolar disorder medications, such as lithium.
• High doses of vitamin A.
• Vaccinations, especially for hepatitis B.
• Amphetamines, such as dextroamphetamine (for example, Dexedrine) or methamphetamine.
• Beta-blockers such as propranolol (for example, Inderal) or metoprolol (for example, Lopressor or Toprol XL).

If you think a medication may be causing your scalp problem, contact your health professional to discuss your symptoms. Your health professional may adjust your dosage or change or discontinue your medicine.

Medical treatments

Medical treatments that can cause hair loss include:

• High-dose X-rays used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors (radiation therapy).
• Major surgery. Increased hair shedding often occurs within 1 to 3 months after surgery. The condition generally reverses itself within a few months.