This report describes a case of significant hair loss in a 51-year-old woman treated with paroxetine, which improved after stopping the medication, highlighting the complex nature of drug-associated alopecia.
This article provides an overview of the indications, interactions, and various potential adverse reactions associated with several drugs, but it reports no specific new results.
June 2021 in “Psychiatria Danubina” The antidepressant escitalopram likely caused hair loss in a patient.
117 citations
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August 2008 in “Sociology of Health and Illness” This review analyzes how the pharmaceutical industry's emphasis on lifestyle drugs and marketing practices leads to the integration of pharmaceuticals into everyday life, with a domestic focus and view of drugs as quick solutions.
55 citations
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December 2006 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” This review discusses the potential for SSRIs to cause serious skin reactions and suggests considering alternative antidepressants if such reactions occur.
July 2005 in “SKINmed/Skinmed” This study reported that BRL 7660 significantly reduced sebum secretion and acne symptoms in human studies with topical administration, but the placebo effect and commercial pressures halted further investigations.
10 citations
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April 2007 in “Aesthetic Plastic Surgery” This study demonstrated the feasibility of a new patient-controlled method for tissue expansion that achieved full expansion in about 3 weeks with minimal complications after mastectomy.
January 2017 in “ScholarWorks - WMU (Western Michigan University)” This case report suggests that Citalopram may cause reversible hair loss in some patients, as evidenced by hair regrowth after discontinuing the drug.
25 citations
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January 2006 in “Pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety” This study concluded that alopecia is a rare side effect of SSRIs, with sertraline showing a higher association compared to citalopram, particularly among women.
2 citations
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March 2016 in “Düşünen Adam” This case report describes alopecia associated with escitalopram use, which improved upon switching to duloxetine, and examines existing literature on antidepressant-related hair loss.
In this study, researchers found that female rats exhibited more pronounced panic-related escape behavior during hypoxia, particularly in the diestrus phase, and that low-dose fluoxetine reduced this behavior, suggesting its potential for managing panic disorder symptoms related to hormonal cycles in women.
6 citations
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December 2008 in “Clinics in Dermatology” This study presents four cases of delusions of parasitosis and introduces escitalopram as a potential therapy, highlighting its fewer side effects compared to the commonly used pimozide.
September 2025 in “Healthcare” This review discusses the off-label use of SSRIs to manage inappropriate sexual behavior in elderly dementia patients and highlights the unclear risk of post-SSRI sexual dysfunction, noting a need for high-quality clinical trials.
11 citations
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April 2023 in “Annals of General Psychiatry” This study found that males treated with serotonergic antidepressants had an increased risk of erectile dysfunction, with an adjusted odds ratio of 3.2, and the risk for post-SSRI sexual dysfunction was 0.46%, emphasizing the importance of informed consent due to these potential irreversible side effects.
October 2016 in “Iranian journal of psychiatry and behavioral sciences” This case study reports instances of hair loss in two patients taking sertraline, suggesting that even low doses of SSRIs might cause this rare side effect, which could impact treatment adherence.
20 citations
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September 2019 in “Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences” This review discusses post-SSRI sexual dysfunction syndrome and highlights its significant clinical and regulatory implications, but reports no new findings.
April 2017 in “European Psychiatry” This study found that antidepressants may affect loving relationships differently by gender, with women on TCAs experiencing more sexual side effects and men on SSRIs reporting reduced feelings of love and attachment.
5 citations
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February 2013 in “Klinik Psikofarmakoloji Bulteni-bulletin of Clinical Psychopharmacology” This case report observed that an adolescent female experienced hair loss with fluoxetine and sertraline, which resolved with venlafaxine, suggesting potential alopecia as an adverse reaction to these SSRIs.
April 2017 in “European Psychiatry” This case report describes a 64-year-old woman who developed delusions after starting citalopram, highlighting citalopram-induced psychosis in older adults as a potential but rare side effect.
1 citations
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August 2017 in “International clinical psychopharmacology” This study found that bupropion was associated with a higher risk of hair loss compared to other antidepressants, with paroxetine presenting the lowest risk.
December 2006 in “The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update” This review discusses various psychiatric treatments including antipsychotics, insomnia medication, and mood stabilizers, but reports no new clinical results; the authors comment on existing findings and approvals.
January 2005 in “Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja)” This article reviews the implications of post-SSRI sexual dysfunction syndrome and underscores the need for further epidemiological research to understand the condition and potential treatments, without offering new results.
July 2023 in “Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)” In this study, the authors propose that drugs like trazodone and antipsychotics such as chlorpromazine, which can induce priapism, may help restore libido synaptic circuits, offering potential treatment for post-finasteride syndrome and post-SSRI sexual dysfunction.
April 2011 in “Reactions Weekly”
March 2026 in “Frontiers in Bioscience-Elite” This study found that duloxetine and escitalopram exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, while buspirone had selective effects, and finasteride disrupted yeast virulence traits, suggesting these drugs could be repurposed as antimicrobial therapies.
May 2023 in “Reactions Weekly” January 2013 in “Reactions Weekly”
1 citations
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October 2016 in “Iranian journal of psychiatry and behavioral sciences” This study presents two case reports where patients experienced hair loss during treatment with the SSRI sertraline, highlighting this rare but potential side effect.
8 citations
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July 2003 in “Journal of the American Geriatrics Society” This case study documents a potential relationship between venlafaxine use and the onset of paranoia, which resolved upon discontinuation and recurred when reintroduced.
September 2012 in “DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals)” This study found that D-004, a lipid extract from royal palm fruit, has a moderate antidepressant effect in mice, which may help treat depressive symptoms in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.