Antidepressives

[DecafJane]

My hair is growing like a weed.

[Arashi]

I was on Lexapro for a while and I don't recall having any hair loss problems with it.

[SarieQ]

Thank you all for your input. From what I see here, it's all a matter of how it mixes with your own body chemistry. My hair is falling out bad now as it is so I'm hoping that it won't continue once I'm on something. I tried to go on one a few years ago (can't remember which one) and I got terrible vertigo, couldn't wake up--even with DH shaking me, and I was irritable as all hell! I hope things go better this time.

[soprano]

Hope you get to feeling better soon!

I'm on an old-fashioned tricyclic (Pamelor) for migraine prevention (I think that it's pretty rare for anyone to take tricyclics for depression anymore, because the side effects tend to be worse than with SSRIs) and have had no trouble with my hair. I do have awful dry mouth.

[FrannyG]

I've been on several SSRIs and SSNRIs (not all at the same time) over the years, but none of them have caused me any hair loss.

[Ms Monnie]

I had rather drastic thinning on Zoloft, but it happened slowly throughout the year I was taking it rather than causing a big shed so I didn't notice it until I had come off it. It helped enormously in other areas, but yeah, I became very depressed about my hair instead.

[Samikha]

Your doctor is the one who will really know about this - most medications have a dozen or more possible side effects, but it's usually pretty rare for any of them to occur unless it's very strong medicine. Very individual, as you see.

Ask about potential side effects - prepare questions in advance. Be sure to tell him/her that you are growing out your hair, that it is a positive experience, and that it is important for you to feel well. That is the purpose of this medication. Doctors can sometimes be dismissive about appearances. So it's up to us to explain to them how we feel about ourselves and how our appearance affects our mood. They are not psychics, but they always try to help.

Lastly, I hope you feel better soon! It's important to realize just how much about our bodies are governed by chemistry and that mood swings and depression are very different things. And this is obvious, but if you get bad physical effects from the medicine, stop! The cure shouldn't be worse than the disease.

[sibylla]

I´m on Paroxetine 4 years now. I´ve taken Citalopram, Effexor and others I can´t remember. The only medication I know of a friend who has suffered hairloss is Lamictal but you can take Tegretol wich doesn´t affect the hair. Other medication that hasn´t affected my hair is atarax,buspiron and Imovane.

[Hue]

SarieQ, I'd seriously suggest taking precise measurements before you start on a medication, if this is any sort of a concern for you. That is, get an objective standard to measure any future perceived loss against.

Our minds do such funny things, and perception is so fluid. If you later become concerned about hair loss associated with taking a given medication -- especially if that medication is helpful otherwise in important ways -- it would sure be a lot better to judge the extent of the effect by solid numbers rather than what looks to be happening when you shower.

Best of luck, sugar. It's a hard time, but it gets better. *hugs

[bunnii]

I was on citalopram and it reduced my growth a bit, maybe a third and it got me down worse than what was getting me down to get me on them in the first place lol. I hope it all goes well for you