How can I tell if my recent hair loss is natural or a medication side effect?
June 14, 2009 7:16 PM Subscribe
I'm a mid-20s male who recently noticed some hair loss around the time I stopped taking the anti-depressant Remeron. Some online research tells me that hair loss is a fairly rare but not unheard-of side effect of this medication. How can I tell if my hair loss is actually from the medication, and how long does it typically take to start seeing new hair growth after stopping such a medication?
I was on Remeron (mirtazapine) for approximately one month, taking 30mg once per day. I stopped taking it altogether approximately two months ago. It was around that same time that I began to notice the hair loss, which seems isolated to the center-front part of my scalp. It appears to have gotten a little worse since then, and I haven't see any new growth as of today. It's probably not too noticeable to most people who see me, but I have to style it fairly carefully to achieve that.
Prior to this, I only had some fairly minor thinning on the back crown area of my scalp, which seems unchanged at this time.
As a result, I'm unsure if the hair loss in the front is due to the medication or the onset of male pattern baldness. Of course, I could wait another few months and see what happens, but I intend to be more proactive than that. And please, no suggestions of shaving it all off or just accepting it - that's not what I'm asking about at this time.
My main questions are:
1. Is it normal for medication to cause hair loss in one isolated area, rather than all over?
2. How long does it usually take to start seeing new growth after stopping a medication that caused hair loss?
I was on Remeron (mirtazapine) for approximately one month, taking 30mg once per day. I stopped taking it altogether approximately two months ago. It was around that same time that I began to notice the hair loss, which seems isolated to the center-front part of my scalp. It appears to have gotten a little worse since then, and I haven't see any new growth as of today. It's probably not too noticeable to most people who see me, but I have to style it fairly carefully to achieve that.
Prior to this, I only had some fairly minor thinning on the back crown area of my scalp, which seems unchanged at this time.
As a result, I'm unsure if the hair loss in the front is due to the medication or the onset of male pattern baldness. Of course, I could wait another few months and see what happens, but I intend to be more proactive than that. And please, no suggestions of shaving it all off or just accepting it - that's not what I'm asking about at this time.
My main questions are:
1. Is it normal for medication to cause hair loss in one isolated area, rather than all over?
2. How long does it usually take to start seeing new growth after stopping a medication that caused hair loss?
don't let the $60/month price tag on propecia scare you into accepting baldness.
No, you should probably let the side effects of Finasteride (aka Propecia, Proscar) do that for you - specifically the possible link between Finasteride and depression
posted by namewithoutwords at 5:43 AM on June 15, 2009 [1 favorite]
No, you should probably let the side effects of Finasteride (aka Propecia, Proscar) do that for you - specifically the possible link between Finasteride and depression
posted by namewithoutwords at 5:43 AM on June 15, 2009 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by tumbleweedjack at 9:26 PM on June 14, 2009 [1 favorite]