Hair Loss 2 Weeks After Starting Lexapro?

It could have been coincidence, but I started shedding hair about 2 weeks after starting Lexapro. I was also taking agomelatine with it (a new expiremental antidepressant). I had been on agomelatine for several months without effect. I have taking Lexapro before and this didn’t happen. I stopped both about 5 weeks ago.

My questions is: If a medicine causes hair loss, how long after stopping it would the hair loss continue? I stopped both and I want to go back on the Lexapro for anxiety but i don’t want to start shedding again. How long does it take for medicine to START causing shedding, and how long does it take for it to STOP if it was in fact the Lexapro? I was on a very low dose (5 mg) for only 4 weeks, so it seems unlikely to do this.

I have researched telogen and anagen effluvium and I don’t know if this could be what happened? Or maybe it was just MPB kicking in again after 9 years of being on Propecia and was coincidence?

It seems like you have done your share of research. The hair loss could be coincidence after starting either medication, or it could be telogen effluvium, MPB, etc. Your guess is as good as mine. I don’t see anything in the literature about agomelatine (also known as Valdoxan) and hair loss, but many antidepressants are known to cause hair loss. I’ve written about Lexapro in the past.

If you have genetic male pattern baldness then I would think that would be high on the list of possible causes. If this was due to the medication, nobody would really know when or if your hair would grow back to its normal state. Hair loss and hair growth cycles are in the order of several months, so I would conservatively give it a year. Before stopping any prescribed medication, please speak with your doctor.