hair loss with lexapro

I am writing in order to check if other people had such unpleasant experience with lexapro like I did. As if depression is not severe enough. I have been on lexapro for a couple of months and have experienced excess hair loss. You can not imagine how frustrating this is. I mean, lexapro is the only one to blame as I haven’t used any other drugs and I have no genetic predisposition for baldness.

Besides hair loss but my periods very severely influenced by this drug. I had my period for 2 weeks once. The moment I went back to Wellbutrin the side effects were gone, so I suggest you switch.

ACCORDING TO MY DERM, DR., GYNO, AND PHARMACIST, LEXAPRO CAUSED MY HAIR LOSS. I'VE BEEN OFF OF LEXAPRO FOR 4 MONTHS AND IT HAS STOPPED COMING OUT IN CLUMPS--THANK GOD!

DEBBIE (34 YRS. OLD)

P.S. LEXAPRO WAS THE ONLY MED I HAD BEEN ON.

Definitely Hairloss! I have been on it for 5 months and have noticed a significant amount of hairloss. At 55 years old I don't have much to spare! Guess I'll switch to another SSI!

I was on Lexapro for over 3 years and have been experiencing steady hair loss the whole time. Five weeks ago I came off "cold turkey". I'm 50 years old and had a thick head of hair and am very depressed over this. Does anyone know how long I should give this to make sure it was the Lexapro?

Debbie, can you please tell me how long you were off Lexapro before your hair stopped falling out. I've been off 5 weeks and it's still falling out!

I last checked in and wrote in Nov. 2006. To answer the question directed towards me, it took about 4 months for my hair to stop falling out after I stopped Lexapro cold turkey. That's the same # of months my derm told me it would take to get out of my system. I noticed a noticable difference in hair fallout after 3 months of being off and hair regrowth 5 or 6 months off of it. I DO WANT TO CAUTION PEOPLE TO CHECK WITH YOUR DR. BEFORE GOING OFF ANY MEDS, AS I DID. THE ONLY REASON I WAS ON LEXAPRO WAS BECAUSE MY MOM DIED OF CANCER AND I WAS SAD. I HAVE NO HISTORY OF DEPRESSION OR ANY BIPOLAR PROBLEMS. I DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO GO OFF WITHOUT TALKING TO THEIR DOCTOR.

Debbie (I'm 35 now)

SuziA wrote:

I was on Lexapro for over 3 years and have been experiencing steady hair loss the whole time. Five weeks ago I came off "cold turkey". I'm 50 years old and had a thick head of hair and am very depressed over this. Does anyone know how long I should give this to make sure it was the Lexapro? Debbie, can you please tell me how long you were off Lexapro before your hair stopped falling out. I've been off 5 weeks and it's still falling out!

To answer your question, it should stop falling out in clumps in 3-4 months, at least it took that long for me. Hair regrowth in 5-6 months. I have a full head of head now.

Debbie

I was on lexapro last year for stress and lost a BIG patch of hair, but the docs said it was the stress. Since I went off and now I am back on it -- and it happened again. My doc now thinks it is the lexapro. For those of you that have lost hair -- HAVE FAITH - THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED TO ME, ALL MY HAIR GREW BACK LIKE NORMAL. Go off the drug and you should be fine!!!!

Hi--I'm new here and have been searching the internet for information on hair loss and Lexapro. In March 2007 I was put on 10mg per day. By late April I'd already noticed a pronounced difference in my hair texture, body, shape and the hairs started coming out more than I'd experienced before. I have always had very fine hair, and nice curly waves with good sheen. In fact, so much of it that when it was humid I would sweat from my head.

I initially thought it was stress and anxiety (from the depression) but then realized it must be the medication. So I finally went off it in early April 2008 because I was feeling better but also because my hair has always been one of my best features and ok, I'm a bit vain about it.

It is now mid-July. My hair texture is the same and it is thin and still falls out. This is gross but I can even pull out my pubic hair and underarm hair without yanking hard. I guess the toxicity build up takes time to leave the body from what I'm hearing in other posts. I am hopeful that by the end of the year my hair will be somewhat restored to its former glory.

That I'm in my mid 40s so initially, apart from the stress (and knowing someone who lost all her hair in a nasty divorce--alopecia) I thought, mmm, maybe it is just perimenopause. I've always had fine thin, curly hair but better texture than now and also LOTS of hair, despite how fine it is. And my curls...now my hair looks as if I'd have a bad perm growing out all the time. And life is bad enough at times without chronic "bad hair days" to boot!