How quickly could anti-anxiety drug aggravate hair loss?

[peridot]

A few days ago I started Clonazepam due to sleeping problems. After a few weeks of much-reduced shed, I suddenly had a massive spike—like 5 times the amount of hair came out compared to recent weeks. A quick Google search suggests hair loss can be a rare side effect of Clonaz.

Of course there are other factors. I've now been on Proscar for about 3 weeks, spironolactone for about 3 months (I'm a woman, obviously).

Should I quit the Clonaz. or do you think the shed is likely unrelated (could the side effect really set in that quickly)? If I don't quit & it is related, is this hair gone for good (while someone without alopecia could grow it back, I assume I can't)?

Sigh, sigh, sigh. Thanks.

 

[Knendell]

I have been taking the same drug as you have for a long time now and I don't think it did anything to speed up the loss. I take alot of antidepressants too. I would rather not be taking them but I have to.

 

[optimus prime]

I was suffering from lack of sleep. That was last year Jan, 07. I couldn't sleep properly for about a 1-2 months. I also went through a stressful period before the sleeping problems. About the same time the sleeping problem occurred I had massive hair shedding all over. This lasted for quite some time. About 4 months.

I guess it depends what is causing your sleep loss. If you’re stressed then the shedding could be stress related. I read that if one is stressed or anxious it can cause your body to use more vitamins and nutrients. The first to lose out is the hair, causing it to shed.

I later went on Fluoxetine to control my anxiety. As far as I know it didn't speed up the shedding. By the time I came off it 6 months later the shedding had stopped completely.

I started Proscar in Jan 08 and I started to shed a week ago for the first time in about 7 months.

 

[peridot]

Thanks guys. Yeah, you're right, this is probably a dread shed from Proscar kicking in (or from spironolactone, which I just found out can kick in at about 3 mos.).

Well, hang in there, get some sleep. I've been reading a lot lately in fashion magazines about the "thinning hair epidemic" among women, supposedly 1 in 4, so you would not believe how many of us truly do symphathize with what used to be considered a male problem. (I guess this is the price of equality--you now get anorexia, we get to go bald!)