Medicines that can cause hair loss and scalp problems

Hair loss

Medicines that can cause hair loss include:

• Medicines 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, consult your doctor about switching to another birth control pill or another contraceptive method. Shedding may begin 2 or 3 months after you stop taking birth control pills and continue for up to 6 months.
• Blood thinners (anticoagulants), such as heparin or warfarin (Coumadin).
• Arthritis medicines, such as indomethacin.
• Migraine headache medicines, such as methysergide.
• Seizure medicines, such as valproic acid, carbamazepine, and trimethadione.
• Gout medicines, such as allopurinol and colchicine.
• Bipolar disorder medicines, such as lithium.
• Vitamin A in high doses.
• Vaccinations, especially for hepatitis B.
• Amphetamines, such as dextroamphetamine (for example, Dexedrine) or methamphetamine.
• Heart medicines such as propranolol (for example, Inderal) or metoprolol (for example, Lopressor and Toprol XL).

Scalp problems

Medicines that can cause scalp problems include:

• Aspirin.
• Antibiotics, such as penicillin, amoxicillin, Bactrim, Gantrisin, and Keflex.
• Barbiturates, such as amobarbital or pentobarbital.

If you think a medicine may be causing your hair loss or scalp problem, contact your doctor to discuss your symptoms. Your doctor may adjust your dosage or change or discontinue your medicine.

• Call the doctor who prescribed the medicine to determine whether you should stop taking the medicine or take a different one. An appointment may not be necessary.
• If you are taking a nonprescription medicine, stop taking it. If you feel you need to continue taking the medicine, call your doctor.