This article was reviewed by Knox Beasley, MD.
Sertraline (Zoloft) is often prescribed to ease symptoms of depression. But like other antidepressants, Zoloft comes with side effects. Maybe you’ve read that antidepressants can trigger hair loss — a change that certainly won’t help your mood or outlook.
So does sertraline cause hair loss? While it’s rare, it is possible.
One side effect that some people report with sertraline treatment is temporary hair loss, which may show up as bald patches or overall hair thinning.
The specific type of hair loss associated with antidepressants like sertraline is called telogen effluvium, which is temporary hair loss defined by excessive, non-scarring shedding of hair. Telogen effluvium can be caused by a range of factors like stress, depression, traumatic injury, and medications. Read on to learn more about antidepressants and their connection to hair loss. We’ll explore this relationship in more detail, along with treatment options for hair loss related to medication.
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Do Antidepressants Cause Hair Loss?
If you’ve been asking yourself, “Does sertraline cause hair loss,” you’re probably also wondering if other antidepressants pose the same risk, and whether you should consider switching medications to avoid hair loss.
Unfortunately, the risk of hair loss from antidepressant medication is not restricted to sertraline. In fact, the list of antidepressants that may cause diffuse hair loss is not short, and it includes other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine inhibitors (SNRIs).
These include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil) and venlafaxine (Effexor XR). Citalopram (Celexa) may also cause hair loss. In addition, tricyclic antidepressants and mood stabilizers carry a minimal risk of medicine-induced alopecia, according to an early review in the Annals of Clinical Psychiatry.
A 2018 study investigating hair loss risk and a variety of antidepressants found that bupropion (Wellbutrin) was associated with the highest risk of hair loss compared to others, including sertraline. Bupropion is part of a class of antidepressants called norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitors (NDRIs).
Individuals taking the mood stabilizers lithium, valproate, and carbamazepine may notice an increased degree of hair loss, according to another report.
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Treatment Options for Zoloft Hair Loss (and Other Antidepressants)
First, it must be said: Do not stop taking your prescription medications in an effort to make your hair grow back without speaking to your healthcare provider.
It’s critical to seek medical attention before altering antidepressant dosage in any way. If you suddenly stop taking your medication, you may experience withdrawal symptoms, like severe mood swings. Instead, work closely with your healthcare provider on ways to manage your medication use and possible discontinuation, as well as any other depression treatment you’re receiving.
It’s also important to remember that hair loss due to telogen effluvium is temporary, and may simply go away as you adjust to a new medication. Of course, you should still seek medical advice if you notice thinning hair, but keep taking antidepressants as directed until specifically advised otherwise.
Besides, you won’t necessarily need to discontinue sertraline if you’re experiencing hair loss; there are many other treatments available to prevent continued hair loss. Keep reading to learn more about them.
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Medication
There are a few hair loss medications that are promising in encouraging hair regrowth. One popular option is finasteride, a prescription medication commonly used to treat male pattern baldness.
Finasteride works by preventing the body from converting testosterone into DHT, a process that can cause hair loss.
Many people have found success with finasteride: In one study of more that 500 Japanese men with androgenic alopecia,, 99.1 percent of the men who took finasteride over a 10-year period stopped their hair loss from worsening. Of those men, 91.5 percent of them noticed regrowth.
Finasteride is a tablet that is taken daily. You can easily purchase finasteride online after obtaining a consultation with a healthcare professional. (Which you can also do online.)
Minoxidil is another popular treatment for hair loss. It’s a topical treatment that comes in liquid and foam formulas. Many start with this because the FDA-approved medication doesn’t require a prescription.
While the exact mechanism of minoxidil is unknown, it’s believed to work by stimulating hair follicles to enter the anagen (growth) phase.
Minoxidil also increases blood flow to your scalp, which can stimulate hair growth. In fact, a 2019 review published in Drug Design, Development and Therapy found that minoxidil improved hair growth in those who suffer from pattern hair loss.
Finasteride and minoxidil work well on their own, but they can be especially effective when used together. In a 2015 study of 450 Chinese men with androgenic alopecia, 94.1 percent of men taking both finasteride and minoxidil saw an improvement in hair growth. These results were greater than the 80.5 percent of participants who saw an improvement using just finasteride, and the 50 percent of participants who saw an improvement using only minoxidil.
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Botox
Though known primarily for its ability to smooth wrinkles, botulinum toxin (Botox) has many medical applications. It’s used to treat migraines, overactive bladder, and several other conditions. And in a 2022 study, researchers found that Botox injections were effective treatments for telogen effluvium. If side effects did occur, they were mostly minor and well-tolerated.
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Hair Loss Shampoo
Another option to treat cases of hair loss or promote regrowth is to use a shampoo specifically made to thicken hair and stimulate growth.
Thickening shampoo often includes an ingredient called saw palmetto, a plant extract believed to reduce hair loss.
When an International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology study compared finasteride and saw palmetto to see how they performed in encouraging hair regrowth, finasteride was found to be most effective, but saw palmetto also appeared to help.
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Biotin
Biotin — known as the healthy hair vitamin — is naturally found in foods like eggs, milk and bananas.
If you’re not getting enough naturally in your diet, a biotin supplement could help. We offer a biotin gummy that includes additional vitamins shown to support healthy hair.
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Stop Smoking
There are so many reasons to quit smoking: The habit wreaks havoc on your health and can lead to very serious (even fatal) health conditions.
On top of that, researchers have found a link between smoking and hair loss.While smoke is a pollutant that can damage your hair, cigarettes have also been found to damage the DNA of your hair follicles.
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Does Sertraline Cause Hair Loss? Final Thoughts
Given that conditions like stress can cause hair loss, it’s fair to ask, “Does sertraline cause hair loss or is my hair loss due to other factors?”
It’s not always easy to pinpoint the cause of hair loss. But it’s important to understand that, although rare, hair loss is a potential side effect of taking an antidepressant.
The type of hair loss sertraline and other antidepressants can trigger is called telogen effluvium — which is essentially excessive shedding.
Thankfully, there are treatments that can help reverse this type of temporary hair loss and encourage regrowth.
If you are experiencing hair loss of any type, it’s a good idea to speak with a healthcare professional to determine any underlying causes and the best treatment options for you.
This article originally appeared on Hims.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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