I am so glad to have found this post. I began taking 10mg of Lexapro about 3 months after giving birth. My hair also started falling out about then but just figured it was the whole hormonal postpartum thing. After 16 months my hair is still falling out but is worse than ever. I have to wipe up two sink bowls full of hair after washing and drying. I can run my fingers through my hair when it is wet and get wads out. It is scary. Luckily I had really thick hair to begin with. I went to the dermatologist about it and she didn't even mention the Lexapro. She said I had low iron stores (ferritin). My regular doc did mention the Lexapro though. I feel deep down it is the drug. I am going off the drug cold turkey. It does make me feel much better but the hair loss thing is driving me nuts. I will come back and post here and let everyone know how long it takes for my hair to stop coming out ( assuming it does stop).
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing.
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i have been on 10 mg of lexapro for a few years and have always wondered if my thinning hair and texture change is due to the drug. The derm indicates that it is just normal thinning with age (mid life), but the overall change is so pronounced (to me anyway) that I feel there is a root cause. Thanks for the helpful information. For those of you that got off the Lexapro, how did you ease off of it, so that you did not have other effects? Thanks again.
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I have been on lexapro for almost two years and in the fall of 2007, I had lost so much hair that I had to go to my hair salon and have it shaved off. Since then, I have all of the hair on my body. This is referred to as Alopecia Universalis. I am a 42 year old woman and this has been a huge struggle for me!! I was taking 20 mg up until January of 2009. I have begun weaning myself off from it, in very small increments because the withdrawl from it is devastating. Anyway, I am down to 2.5 mg and hopefull will be entirely off from it by the beginning of March. Does anyone know of anyone who might be interested in a lawsuit?
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I started taking Lexapro in early August 2008, at my Doctors recommendation. I held out and choose to stay off medication for as long as I could. ( A few years of serious Anxiety). I stopped taking the medication in mid- December due to side effects.
After stopping the meds I began to notice more hair in the bottom of the shower, in the sink and on my clothes. I didnt think too much of it, considering I have always had a full head of thick hair.
Lately I am noticing rapid thinning and balding spots on the front of my head. ( I notice a significant difference every few days) I asked my doctor and pharmicist and they doubt it is the lexapro.
This has added to my anxiety and depression and I thought about starting another SSRI.
Has anyone else gone through this? Does it grow back the same?
Was it after stopping the Lexapro or while on it? The reason I ask is because it could be a withdrawl effect rather then a side effect? Thanks
After stopping the meds I began to notice more hair in the bottom of the shower, in the sink and on my clothes. I didnt think too much of it, considering I have always had a full head of thick hair.
Lately I am noticing rapid thinning and balding spots on the front of my head. ( I notice a significant difference every few days) I asked my doctor and pharmicist and they doubt it is the lexapro.
This has added to my anxiety and depression and I thought about starting another SSRI.
Has anyone else gone through this? Does it grow back the same?
Was it after stopping the Lexapro or while on it? The reason I ask is because it could be a withdrawl effect rather then a side effect? Thanks
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I am glad to have found this site because I am experiencing hair loss too. I am 67 years old and was on prozac for many years for anxiety. I went off the prozac because Iwas developing migraines. I saw several drs. and this was the final recommendation. 3 months later, I went on Lexapro- only 5mg. I was doing fine and it helped reduce my anxiety.
After about 4 months I began to notice that my hair was falling out. First I noticed more than ever in the shower than all over the bathroom floor. It continued and I complained to my Internist who did a a thyroid test which was normal. He recommended an endocronoligist who did a broad blood analysis with no significant information. At the same time I saw a dermatologist who found the side effect buried in the Lexapro info. They called it a rare side affect.
I went off the lexapro on Jan. 01, 2009. It is now 6 weeks or more that I have been off the lexapro and my hair is still falling out. I have small bald spots in the front of my hair.
I feel frantic about it. Talk about feeling anxious, this is the time an anti anxiety pill would be helpful. But the more I read about ssri's the more I discover that there is anecdotal evidence of hair loss with may of them.
Today, I am going to get a second opinion from another Dermatologist.
I am worried my hair will never come back.
Any thoughts would be helpful.
After about 4 months I began to notice that my hair was falling out. First I noticed more than ever in the shower than all over the bathroom floor. It continued and I complained to my Internist who did a a thyroid test which was normal. He recommended an endocronoligist who did a broad blood analysis with no significant information. At the same time I saw a dermatologist who found the side effect buried in the Lexapro info. They called it a rare side affect.
I went off the lexapro on Jan. 01, 2009. It is now 6 weeks or more that I have been off the lexapro and my hair is still falling out. I have small bald spots in the front of my hair.
I feel frantic about it. Talk about feeling anxious, this is the time an anti anxiety pill would be helpful. But the more I read about ssri's the more I discover that there is anecdotal evidence of hair loss with may of them.
Today, I am going to get a second opinion from another Dermatologist.
I am worried my hair will never come back.
Any thoughts would be helpful.
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I wrote on 1/27 about going off the lexapro cold turkey. It has been one month since I have taken it and I very cautiously say it is a little bit better. It is definitely still coming out too much - but not so much in the shower and with combing anymore - most of it comes out now with blow drying. I always blow dry my hair over the sink to gauge how much is coming out (silly). It has been a whirlwind month though. I haven't noticed too many mood changes since being off the lexapro - my patience is definitely shorter but that is the biggest thing I find. I tried using Nioxin shampoo and conditioner for hair loss - but it made it fall out twice as bad!! I got my hair cut which I think did help somewhat. I am now using Paul Mitchell Extra Body shampoo with Paul Mitchell Detangler conditioner. I also use the Paul Mitchell Extra Body leave in mousse which really works very well - I've never used mousse before.
I'll write again in another month - how is everyone else doing???
I'll write again in another month - how is everyone else doing???
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I'm 19 and male, and I have been on different doses of Lexapro for about 5 months (last was 20 mg). I have noticed since I cut my hair that my hair line is thinning and the whole top of my head is thinning. This has been devastating for me. I have recently quit cold turkey and I hope that my hair will grow back stronger now.
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I have been taking Lexapro for just 3 months and my hair is falling out in clumps! My Dr. wants me to switch to another SSRI ( I have Panic Disorder), like Zoloft. Has anyone with hair loss switched SSRI's and did you notice a difference in hair loss? Another question, has anyone else switched SSRI's and had any other side effects? Thank you for any light anyone can shed on this.
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Hi. I am 27 & started taking lexapro for a month now. Although this hair loss isnt listed as a side effect, I noticed how much I was losing in the shower last week. Clumps & clumps (i dont have much to spare) & the drain is full. & then again whilst blow drying. All over the bathroom floor!! This is devastating. Although I've only been on the drug for a month I've just stopped cold turkey. I'd rather be depressed and have hair than happy with no hair (which will eventually make me sadder). I started lexapro when I broke up with my boyfriend of 7 years. I was miserable & not coping at all. reading everyones replies has scared me even more as it seems that months after quitting it still keeps fallin out! I'm not vain, but I wouldnt cope too well with becoming bald at 27. Perhaps cos I've only been on it a month my hair will stop fallin out sooner??
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First of all, thanks to all of you for your posts. I began Lexapro in January and started experiencing hair loss in February. A liitle patch first and by March, it had broken off down to the new growth (all in the front). As a result, depression increased due to my embarrasment from going bald. My hair has always been resilient especially since I did a bout of Rio (a bad hair product that resulted in law suits and many bald African-American women literally), which resulted in breakage, but no baldness. My MD and my newfound dermatologist suggested that it was stress related. I am a single parent with two jobs. Stress has always been a part of my life - that's nothing new. I doubted the explanation and assumed it was related to an antibiotic I was taking. Now, I know it was the Lexapro. I haven't been taking it regularly since April and have not had any in over a month. My hair is now growing back as thick as it ever was. Its growing slowly, but growing none the less. I had some Wellbutrin left from my previous mail order prescription. I was on it for about 5 years with no side effects. Decided to resume the Wellbutrin today since I'm still down in the dumps a bit. I'm going to make sure I tell my MD about your posts so that she is aware of the risks associated with her prescribing Lexapro. They need to add this to the common side effects of Lexapro.
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I am a 32 year old male, and I was on Paxil for three years followed by Lexapro for six years after that, and I definitely experienced abnormal hair-thinning and eventual hair-loss, which I first noticed at age 24 -- exactly two years after I started the Paxil. It started as a gradual but consistent thinning of the hair on the front of the scalp (continuing consistently after I switched to Lexapro), and eventually became a streak of very thin hair in the middle front of the scalp. This is not normal male pattern baldness -- in fact it's almost as if the opposite areas were affected. I've always suspected it was the medicine and it's interesting to see that other people here feel they've had similar experiences with Lexapro and hair-loss.
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My question is for Debbie, if you are still checking this. I just wanted to know exactly how long you were on Lexapro? I feel like my situation is similar to yours... and your posts give me hope. I'm 24 and hair loss does not run in my family. This scares/depresses me more than my reasons for taking Lexapro in the first place.
I've been on Lexapro approximately 2 years, after being on other SSRI's like Zoloft and Paxil (~5 years on those). I began taking these meds when my parents divorced in 2001, as prescribed by my psychiatrist. Before I began any antidepressants, I had extremely thick, long, healthy hair. My hair has been gradually thinning since I started the meds, but I have noticed a significant change since I began Lexapro ~2 years ago. I began decreasing my dosage, and mid June '09 I completely stopped taking Lexapro.
Any responses are welcome!
I've been on Lexapro approximately 2 years, after being on other SSRI's like Zoloft and Paxil (~5 years on those). I began taking these meds when my parents divorced in 2001, as prescribed by my psychiatrist. Before I began any antidepressants, I had extremely thick, long, healthy hair. My hair has been gradually thinning since I started the meds, but I have noticed a significant change since I began Lexapro ~2 years ago. I began decreasing my dosage, and mid June '09 I completely stopped taking Lexapro.
Any responses are welcome!
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It sounds to me like antidperessants definitely lead to your hairloss and I'm sorry to hear that it happened. hopefully now that you're off it you will see an improvement in your hair quality and thickness. I just wanted to post in support of you here. Let me know how you're doing, okay? Let me know when it starts coming back in, okaY?
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I've been on lexapro for about 3 to 4 months, and my hair is falling out in handfuls. Just thinning, right now, but every time I wash, brush, or run my fingers through it, more falls out. Up until this week, it was a lot like the hair loss I had after my daughters were born, but it's starting to get even worse than that, and I'm suddenly paranoid that it will just keep going.
Someone upthread mentioned that they'd come off Lexapro and felt very short of patience. I started tapering off Lexapro a few weeks ago because I was also getting many horrible, scary bruises all over my arms and legs. (One of the "contact your doctor immediately"side effects. Scary.) I've been feeling very short-tempered, especially in the afternoon (I take the 5mg half-dose in the evening.) I was prescribed for anxiety, and have since changed my lifestyle (new job, better support system, etc.). And yet, I'm more short-tempered than I was before. Do you know if that's a symptom of tapering off, that might go away once I'm all the way off? If so, I probably don't need any SSRIs at all-- that would be all I'd be taking it for. I'm meeting with my psychiatrist and will ask him, but I couldn't get an appointment for a week and a half, and I'd like to research it before then.
Someone upthread mentioned that they'd come off Lexapro and felt very short of patience. I started tapering off Lexapro a few weeks ago because I was also getting many horrible, scary bruises all over my arms and legs. (One of the "contact your doctor immediately"side effects. Scary.) I've been feeling very short-tempered, especially in the afternoon (I take the 5mg half-dose in the evening.) I was prescribed for anxiety, and have since changed my lifestyle (new job, better support system, etc.). And yet, I'm more short-tempered than I was before. Do you know if that's a symptom of tapering off, that might go away once I'm all the way off? If so, I probably don't need any SSRIs at all-- that would be all I'd be taking it for. I'm meeting with my psychiatrist and will ask him, but I couldn't get an appointment for a week and a half, and I'd like to research it before then.
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I think that one of the better threads to read is on suboxone addiction, because they talk about effective ways to quit drug use, and that may help you out quite a bit. do you know where to find those forums?
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