TLDR A woman lost her hair after taking acyclovir, but it grew back when she stopped the medication.
In a case report from 2014, a 32-year-old female developed alopecia after being treated with oral acyclovir for herpetic keratouveitis. The patient was prescribed prednisolone acetate, atropine sulfate, and 400 mg of oral acyclovir twice daily. Although her keratouveitis improved within three weeks, she experienced significant hair loss without any drug eruptions. Upon discontinuation of oral acyclovir, her alopecia completely resolved after three months. This case suggests that alopecia may be a rare but possible side effect of oral acyclovir treatment. Prior to this report, alopecia induced by acyclovir had not been documented. The patient did not have any other conditions or was taking any other medications that could have caused the hair loss. The mechanism by which acyclovir may cause hair loss is not clear, but the full recovery of hair after stopping the medication indicates a likely association.
13 citations
,
January 2011 in “Lung India” Stopping isoniazid can reverse hair loss caused by the drug.
40 citations
,
August 2006 in “Current Drug Safety” Some drugs can cause hair loss, excessive growth, or color changes, often reversible but sometimes permanent.
16 citations
,
December 2001 in “The Journal of Dermatology” A woman recovered from hair loss and skin eruptions after stopping a tuberculosis drug and using steroids.
147 citations
,
April 1994 in “Drug Safety” Some drugs can cause hair loss or increase hair growth, but these effects are usually reversible when the drug is stopped.
54 citations
,
June 1990 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” HIV can cause various severe or unusual skin conditions that help indicate the presence and stage of the disease.
7 citations
,
December 2008 in “Expert Review of Dermatology” The document concludes that various childhood hair and nail disorders exist, some may improve on their own, and advances in genetics and immunology could enhance treatment and counseling.
January 2018 in “Springer eBooks” Athletes need effective management of skin disorders for their performance and well-being.
2 citations
,
January 2014 in “Springer eBooks” The book details skin conditions in older adults, their link to mental health, cancer treatment importance, hair loss remedies, and managing autoimmune and itchy skin.
May 1993 in “Current problems in dermatology” Skin symptoms are important for diagnosing infections in children.
