The Relationship Between Stress Levels and Hair Loss (Telogen Effluvium) in First-Year Female Medical Students at Muhammadiyah University of Malang

A user experienced persistent headaches after a stressful week and questioned if 0.25mg finasteride could be the cause, despite using minoxidil for two years. Another user suggested stress is likely the main factor, not the medication, and advised consulting a healthcare provider if headaches persist.

Stress can trigger hair loss, with treatments like minoxidil, finasteride, and dutasteride being used to manage it. Some users report improvement with medications like Lexapro, while others emphasize the impact of stress and life events on hair health.

The user experienced significant hair shedding after switching from finasteride to dutasteride, which was attributed to telogen effluvium likely worsened by stress and an abrupt medication change. The user returned to finasteride and started oral minoxidil, resulting in hair recovery to 80-90% of its original state.

A 21-year-old male experiencing hair loss again despite using topical minoxidil (5%) for a year, possibly due to stress-related telogen effluvium. He is advised to continue using minoxidil and consider stress-reduction strategies while consulting a doctor for further evaluation.

A 22-year-old experienced significant hair loss due to high stress, SSRI side effects, and Androgenic Alopecia, and has seen some regrowth after starting finasteride and using ketoconazole shampoo. They are inquiring if continued use of finasteride and stress reduction alone can lead to further hair regrowth.

Stress can lead to hair loss by affecting hair-follicle stem cells, and this loss is harder to recover from if one has male pattern baldness (MPB). Treatments like finasteride and minoxidil are used to address hair loss, but stress-related hair loss differs from androgenic alopecia.