A few months ago, a reader had written in asking about hair loss creams.  The list of side effects for the topical solutions was concerning to him.

He and his wife wanted to have a baby, and there were firm warnings on the label about not handling the stuff if pregnancy is an issue.  His concern was whether or not she could be affected by his use of it.

I am not an expert on hair loss or the creams used to treat it.  But I do know something of medications, especially the ones that cause it.

It turns out that this gentleman was taking both a blood pressure medication and also an antidepressant every day.  While they were effective at managing his anxiety and blood pressure symptoms, they weren’t doing anything to prevent the cause of the high blood pressure and anxiety.

Moreover, he was noticing that his ability to perform in the bedroom was also being affected.  He had chalked that up to the pressures of conception, but everything (including the swelling ankles) pointed to more of a medication issue than one of getting ‘psyched out.’

Of the myriad of side effects that medications can cause, hair loss is one that people kind of glance over and then dismiss.  It isn’t as dangerous as plummeting blood pressure, fainting, or stroke, so it doesn’t get much air time.

So, many people trot off to the pharmacy to plunk down another $60 every couple months for the foam or creams to treat hair loss, compresses for the swollen ankles, and so it goes, until they’re broke.

What is it about medicine that causes hair loss to begin with?  It helps to understand the different phases of the growth of hair- active and rest.

The active, or anagen phase lasts for a few years at a time.  During this phase, the hair is actively growing because the matrix cells in the follicle are busy dividing.  Hair loss at this phase that is caused by medication isn’t as common and is mostly associated to drugs used for chemotherapy.

Hair loss in this phase will usually also involve not only the scalp, but the whole body- eyebrows, lashes, legs, etc.

But the more common of medication –induced hair loss is during rest, or the telogen phase.  Under normal growth conditions, this is when the hair lies dormant, with no growth occurring for a period of a few months and then it just falls out.

Medications confuse the hair follicle, causing it to hibernate too soon, which then leads to the hair falling out.

These effects start to appear within even a few weeks of using the medication, but are often difficult to see at first, especially for people with thick hair.  Eventually, though, with long-term use the thinning will worsen to a noticeable state.

This doesn’t mean that if you are on medications that list hair loss as a side effect that you should just stop taking them.  What it means is that you should open a dialogue with your doctor to list your concerns.

Most of the medications listed as a culprit for hair loss are treatable with natural methods, though, so if you are taking medications for any of the following conditions and have noticeable hair loss, it’s time to talk to the doctor:

– High blood pressure
– Acne
– Birth control
– Anxiety
– Depression
– Obesity
– High cholesterol
– Hormone Replacement

Your doctor might balk at the idea of natural remedies at first, but if he or she knows you are considering adding a potentially dangerous and decidedly expensive hair restoration treatment to the cocktail of daily chemicals entering your bloodstream, there might be room for a conversation about lowering the dosage of some medications and increasing some alternative therapies.

It will help to do your homework as well.  Gather some data if you are noticing hair loss, swollen ankles, or other side effects that the medications list as common occurrences.  Even though hair loss might seem to be just a nuisance compared to the more severe side effects, it is still a problem if you 1) notice it and 2) are bothered by it.

And a nuisance becomes a serious problem if you are spending hundreds of dollars a year on continued use of chemicals that pose a risk of their own side effects.

For natural ways to free yourself from high blood pressure, try my 100% natural and safe Hypertension No More program today.

Warm regards,

Christian Goodman

El331005