many different types of drugs are thought to cause hair loss including: acne medications containing vitamin a (retinoids) antibiotics and antifungal drugs antidepressants birth control pills anticlotting drugs cholesterol-lowering drugs drugs that suppress the immune system drugs that treat breast cancer epilepsy drugs (anticonvulsants) high blood pressure medications (anti-hypertensives) such as beta-blockers ace inhibitors and diuretics hormone replacement therapy mood stabilizers nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (nsaids) parkinson's disease drugs steroids thyroid medications weight loss drugs. chemotherapy drugs often lead to the anagen effluvium type of hair loss. as these drugs kill cancer cells throughout the body they also can damage healthy cells including hair matrix cells. the hair typically starts to fall out within two weeks of starting chemotherapy and progresses more rapidly after one to two months according to the american cancer society. hair loss is more common and severe in patients taking combinations of chemotherapy drugs than in those who take just one drug. chemotherapy drugs that tend to cause hair loss include: adriamycin cyclophosphamide cactinomycin docetaxel doxorubicin etoposide ifosfamide irinotecan paclitaxel topotecan vinorelbine.
what types of drugs cause hair loss?