Posted on Tuesday, April 01, 2008 - 12:49 pm:

Accutane and Hair Loss - Does Accutane Cause Hair Loss?

Drug induced hair loss can be very upsetting and frustrating. People take medications to treat one problem and then discover the medication has caused another problem. Some medications are known to cause hair loss, such as chemotherapy medications and some oral contraceptives. The news about Accutane is very recent. It may be among the medications that causes drug induced hair loss.

What is Accutane and what is its purpose?

Accutane is a prescription drug used by doctors and dermatologists to treat moderate to severe acne. It is taken orally as a pill. Generally, it is used when other acne treatments have been unsuccessful. Accutane appears to work very well to treat patients with severe acne. However, some users of Accutane have noticed temporary and permanent hair loss is a very undesirable side effect of taking Accutane. Hair loss is listed as a possible side effect of Accutane use. The fact that it is a relatively rare side effect does not help the ten percent of users who may develop problems with hair loss. Accutane may result in temporary or permanent hair loss as a side effect.

Who has been affected by this?

Both men and women have reported this problem. Some people who claim that Accutane has caused hair loss have noticed it immediately after starting the medication. Most often the people who are affected are teenagers and young adults in their early twenties. This is an especially difficult time to have to deal with hair loss.

Some patients have noticed a loss of hair after several months of treatment with Accutane and others notice it after they have stopped the medication. Some patients have permanent hair loss but others have had their hair re-grow after stopping the medication.

Most people who have experienced this problem with Accutane do have their hair grow back in within a year's time. The degree of baldness in response to Accutane use is also widely varied. Some people have just thinning of their hair, while others have gone nearly bald. Of course, there are people with differing amounts of hair loss in between.

What can be expected in the future?

Hair loss is only one possible side effect of taking Accutane, but some users have chosen to sue the manufacturers for their hair loss. It is too soon to tell what effect these lawsuits will have. Since hair loss appears to be a disturbing side effect from taking Accutane, people are advised to think carefully about that before beginning to use Accutane to treat acne.