Hair Loss in Psychopharmacology

    January 2000 in “ Annals of Clinical Psychiatry ”
    Yekaterina Mercke, Huaibao Sheng, Tehmina Khan, Steven Lippmann
    TLDR Some psychiatric medications can cause hair loss, but stopping or reducing the dose usually reverses it.
    Medication-induced alopecia was an occasional side effect of many psychopharmaceuticals, including mood stabilizers, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and antianxiety agents. Lithium caused hair loss in 12-19% of long-term users, while valproic acid and divalproex led to alopecia in up to 12% of patients, with incidences up to 28% at high concentrations. Carbamazepine-induced alopecia occurred in 6% or fewer cases. Tricyclic antidepressants, maprotilene, trazodone, and most new-generation antidepressants, as well as some antipsychotics and antianxiety agents, could also cause hair loss, though less commonly. Discontinuing the medication or reducing the dose almost always resulted in complete hair regrowth, but the effectiveness of mineral supplements was unclear.
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