What Medications Cause Hair Loss and When to Suspect Them

Hair loss is a common concern for both men and women. While it is not life-threatening, it can affect how you see yourself and lower your quality of life. Aging, hormone changes, and genetics are well-known reasons for hair thinning. But some medications can also lead to hair loss or thinning.

Chemotherapy is the medication people most often connect with hair loss. But which other drugs can cause it? And is there anything you can do about it? Here is a closer look at the medications most often linked to hair loss.

Key Takeaways

• Medications may interrupt the hair cycle and lead to sudden shedding or gradual thinning.

• Chemotherapy often causes fast hair loss, while many other medications trigger telogen effluvium.

• The risk of hair loss can vary based on the drug, the dose, and your individual sensitivity.

• Medication-related hair loss is often temporary and may improve after treatment changes.

How Medications Cause Hair Loss

Medications can disrupt your normal hair growth cycle and lead to either sudden or gradual hair loss. The most common form is telogen effluvium. This happens when a drug causes more hair follicles to move into the resting, or telogen, phase too early.

A few months later, those hairs shed at the same time, which can cause noticeable thinning or heavier shedding. This kind of hair loss is usually temporary and often reverses once the medication is changed or stopped.

A more severe but less common type is anagen effluvium. In this case, the medication disrupts hair during its active growing, or anagen, phase. This usually happens with chemotherapy and can cause rapid, widespread hair loss soon after treatment begins. Because anagen hairs are actively growing, this kind of loss is often much more noticeable.

Some medications may also affect hormones, trigger inflammation, or reduce nutrient absorption. All of those can indirectly affect hair health. Hair loss can vary widely from one person to another depending on the drug, the dose, and your own sensitivity.

18 Medications That Can Cause Hair Loss

Some medications have a stronger link to hair shedding than others, and the pattern may look different depending on how the drug affects the hair growth cycle. In many cases, the loss is temporary and improves once the medication is changed or stopped with medical guidance. Below are 18 medications that can cause hair loss, along with what to know about how each one may affect your hair.

1. Retinoids

Retinoids are medications used to treat skin conditions such as acne and skin discoloration. They come from vitamin A and help lower inflammation while increasing cell turnover.

Oral retinoids, like isotretinoin (Absorica), are known to cause telogen effluvium in some people. Telogen effluvium means hair sheds in larger amounts than usual. For example, you may notice extra hair in your brush or in the shower.

Hair loss seems to happen more often with higher doses of oral retinoids. But it is often reversible after treatment ends. You will usually take oral retinoids for 15 to 20 weeks. If hair loss becomes severe or concerning, talk with your healthcare team. They may decide to stop the medication earlier.

2. Antidepressants

Antidepressants are medications used to treat mood disorders such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. They work by changing certain chemicals in the brain.

Several antidepressants may cause hair loss, although the exact reason is not clear. Common antidepressants that may cause hair loss include:

• Bupropion (Wellbutrin SR, Wellbutrin XL)

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluvoxamine (Luvox)

• Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), such as duloxetine (Cymbalta), venlafaxine (Effexor XR), and desvenlafaxine (Pristiq)

According to one study, bupropion may carry a higher risk of hair loss than other antidepressants.

Hair loss usually reverses after you stop taking an antidepressant. But you should not stop one on your own. Doing that can cause serious side effects, especially if you have been taking it for a while. Your prescriber can help you stop safely if you think the medication is causing troublesome hair loss.

3. Antibiotics

In rare cases, antibiotics may contribute to hair loss by lowering the body’s vitamin B and hemoglobin levels. Deficiencies in biotin, or vitamin B7, are linked to hair loss, but that is usually related to an underlying condition.

There are no direct studies proving that antibiotics cause hair loss. Antibiotics can also affect gut bacteria and create microbiome imbalance. Some newer research suggests a link between poor gut microflora and poor hair growth, but stronger evidence is still needed.

4. NSAIDs

NSAIDs, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are pain relievers such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin. These drugs may cause hair loss by creating stress that pushes hair into the telogen stage too early. Hair loss may show up about 2 months after you start the medication.

One study measured iron and zinc levels in rats after ibuprofen was given for 60 days. Iron and zinc are important for hair growth. Researchers found that the rats’ iron and zinc levels dropped significantly, and 70% of the rats studied had alopecia.

If you are having a hair transplant procedure, NSAIDs are usually not advised because they may interfere with treatment success.

5. Birth Control Pills

Hair loss is a less common side effect of birth control, but it can happen in some cases. It may be more likely with pills that contain certain types of progestins called androgenic progestins. These progestins can also cause unwanted hair growth on other parts of the body.

Birth control pills may make your hair seem thinner. You may notice the change about 3 months after you start taking them. But major hair loss or balding is unlikely. If you are worried about hair changes from birth control pills, talk to your prescriber. They may be able to switch you to an option that is less likely to affect your hair.

6. Testosterone Therapy

The evidence linking testosterone therapy to hair loss is more anecdotal. Higher dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, levels from testosterone treatment may lead to hair loss. DHT is a byproduct of testosterone. It can shrink hair follicles and eventually stop them from producing hair.

7. Weight Loss Medications

Some amphetamine-derived medications used for weight loss can cause alopecia areata. The exact mechanism is not yet clear, but it may be related to high cortisol levels caused by amphetamines. High cortisol may be one trigger for alopecia areata.

However, rapid weight loss can also cause hair loss. That usually shows up as telogen effluvium rather than alopecia areata, so getting a proper diagnosis is important if you want to identify the real cause.

8. Anticonvulsants

Anticonvulsants, also called antiepileptics or anti-seizure medications, are used to treat and prevent seizures. They work by stabilizing electrical activity in the brain. Some are also prescribed for mood disorders such as bipolar disorder.

Hair loss is a reported side effect of some anticonvulsant medications. One review found that hair loss was more common with valproic acid (Depakote) and pregabalin (Lyrica) but less common with levetiracetam (Keppra).

9. Beta Blockers

Beta blockers are medications used to treat high blood pressure and other heart conditions. Beta blockers may cause telogen effluvium in some people, though it is not common.

Common beta blockers include:

• Propranolol (Inderal)

• Atenolol (Tenormin)

• Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL)

10. Anticoagulants

Anticoagulants are medications used to treat and prevent blood clots. These drugs are also called blood thinners. They work by helping stop clots from forming.

Hair loss is a possible side effect of anticoagulants. It may appear anywhere from weeks to years after you start the medication. Telogen effluvium seems to be the most common kind of hair loss linked to anticoagulants, but the exact cause is not known.

Anticoagulants associated with hair loss include:

• Heparin

• Warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven)

• Apixaban (Eliquis)

• Rivaroxaban (Xarelto)

If hair loss becomes a problem, your prescriber may try switching you to another blood thinner. But you should not make changes to your anticoagulant medication without their approval.

11. Antithyroid Medications

Thyroid conditions can cause hair loss on their own. Antithyroid medications used to treat an overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism, can also contribute to hair loss. Examples include methimazole and propylthiouracil.

Let your prescriber know if hair loss becomes a concern while you are taking an antithyroid medication. They may want to check your thyroid hormone levels and adjust your medication if needed.

12. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a common cancer treatment that works by killing cancer cells. But it also affects other fast-growing cells in the body, including hair cells. This type of hair loss is called anagen effluvium.

Hair loss usually starts days to weeks after chemotherapy begins. The effects are often fairly noticeable after 1 to 2 months. Common chemotherapy drugs that can cause hair loss include cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) and doxorubicin.

Cooling caps, gentle brushing, and avoiding heat-based styling tools may help lessen hair loss. But there is no guaranteed way to prevent it. The good news is that hair often grows back within 3 months after chemotherapy treatment ends.

13. Certain Arthritis Medications

Certain medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune conditions may also cause hair loss. For example, traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, such as methotrexate and leflunomide (Arava), can cause hair loss because they may stop or slow hair growth.

Although rare, biologic DMARDs such as etanercept (Enbrel) and adalimumab (Humira) can also cause hair loss. But it is still not fully understood why this happens.

14. Tamoxifen

Tamoxifen is a medication used to treat or prevent breast cancer. It is known to cause hair loss or thinning because it blocks estrogen.

Hair will usually regrow after treatment is finished. But you will often take tamoxifen for several years. Talk with your prescriber about treatment options if hair loss becomes bothersome while you are taking it.

15. GLP-1 Medications

Some people taking GLP-1 related medications, such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound), reported hair loss in clinical trials. It is not clear whether this comes from the medication itself or from the weight loss seen with these medications. That is because rapid weight loss is already a known cause of hair loss.

In most cases, hair loss should improve as your body adjusts to a GLP-1 related medication. But let your prescriber know if it does not. It is possible you are not getting enough nutrients, or there may be another cause that needs attention.

16. Allopurinol

Allopurinol (Zyloprim) is a medication used to treat gout. It has been linked to hair loss, but the evidence comes from limited case reports. So it is not clear how often hair loss happens with allopurinol. If it does happen, let your prescriber know. Another gout medication may be a better fit for you.

17. Levodopa

Sinemet (carbidopa / levodopa) is a medication used to treat Parkinson’s disease symptoms. Levodopa, one of the ingredients in Sinemet, may cause hair loss. Levodopa acts like dopamine in the body, and dopamine seems to prevent hair growth in some people. Bromocriptine (Parlodel) is another dopamine-like medication that may also cause hair loss.

Hair loss from levodopa or bromocriptine is not common, but let your prescriber know if it happens. They can help you stop Sinemet safely if needed. But do not stop it on your own. Suddenly stopping levodopa can be dangerous.

18. Azole Antifungal Medications

Oral azole antifungal medications can cause hair loss, especially with high doses or long-term use. Examples include:

• Fluconazole (Diflucan)

• Clotrimazole

• Voriconazole (Vfend)

In many cases, the hair loss is reversible and regrowth begins after you stop taking the azole antifungal. But for some people, it may continue.

Identify What Medications Cause Hair Loss for Faster Answers

Explore related Keyoma blogs on hair thinning before you assume your shedding is random or only temporary. One detail that matters more than most people realize is that hair loss from some medications can appear weeks to years after you start them, which makes the real cause easy to miss.

That delay changes how you should think about your hair. What looks sudden is not always new, and what feels only cosmetic may point back to something more specific.

The smartest next step is to keep learning from trusted hair-focused guidance so you can spot patterns earlier, protect your scalp more intentionally, and make better decisions about what your hair needs now.