Female hair loss can have many causes and it can often take some time to identify which ones are really to blame. One common cause is medication, which can cause side-effects including loss or damage to hair.
The way in which medication damages hair is in interrupting the natural hair growth cycle. This cycle has two main phases – anagen and telogen. The anagen phase is when the hair follicles grow, and it can last for three to four years. The telogen phase is the resting stage, when the hair follicles recover for around three months before falling out.
Medication can interfere with this cycle, either stopping the anagen phase in some way or sending too many hairs into the telogen phase. This can cause mass shedding, where a lot of hair falls out at once.
Medications
There are many medications which could cause hair loss as a side-effect in some cases. Always check with your doctor if you have any concerns.
• Anticoagulants (blood thinners)
• Epilepsy medications
• Oral contraceptives
• Acne medication
• Antidepressants
• Antifungal medications
• Antibiotics
• Hormone replacement therapy (for women – progesterone or oestrogen)
• Steroids
• Mood stabilisers
• Chemotherapy medications
• Thyroid medications
• Immunosuppressant medications
• Cholesterol-lowering medication