Is My Son’s Hair Loss Caused by His Asthma Medications?
Hello. I have a 19 year old son who is an actor and his hair is thinning so much we can see his scalp. He takes singulair and advair for asthma and I was wondering if you know if any of these could be a cause. My husbands’ side of the family has a lot of bald men as well as his mom’s brothers. Not my family so much, except my mom and sis have pretty thin hair. He is really worried as he is an upcoming actor. Propecia is so expensive…Is there anyway to get it cheaper and how would one know if stress is the cause..Applying to colleges was very stressful and being a freshman as well. I know he could eat better and have told him to take vitamins. I just don’t know how to help him! Would appreciate any advice..
Genetic balding in men is commonly known as androgenic alopecia (AGA) or male pattern baldness (MPB). It does not matter if the mother or father or grandparents had a full head of hair. It does not always follow a specific family tree pattern. Keep in mind that even if you have hair loss, it does not necessarily mean you will go completely bald. It varies for many men. While there is no cure for AGA/MPB, there are medications and surgery which can help. As far as over-the-counter supplements, vitamins, shampoos, or other products, they promise a cure but they often fall way short. Consumers will spend millions if not billions each year on such promises of hair growth. In the end, even proven medical and surgical treatments have limitations.
I highly doubt asthma medications (Singulair, etc) or stress has much to do with your son’s hair thinning. If your son (not you) is bothered by the thinning, he should see a physician to discuss his options, such as Propecia (finasteride 1mg). Propecia is a brand name drug that is relatively expensive because of its U.S. Patent protection. Propecia is the only FDA approved oral medication for the treatment of AGA/MPB. Since Propecia is under patent protection, generic finasteride in 1mg strength is not available in the United States; however, generic finasteride in 5mg strength is. As such, in the interest of finances, some patients (after discussion with their physician) may choose to have a prescription of finasteride in 5mg strength and break it up in the equivalent dose as Propecia. Ideally this would be breaking up the pill in 5 pieces, but that is not practical and most patients break it up in 4 pieces.
dr rassman, if it doesnt matter if the parents or grandparents are balding anot, then how does the genetic or heredity cause of MPB come about? please shed some light
Even though this article says otherwise, I honestly believe that Asthma Medication is probably the cause of baldness too. According to your son’s symptoms, that is exactly what happened to me, exactly that age. I’m 30 now and complete bald.
Funny thing is my parents, grandparents, uncles on both side of my family are only beginning to bald and they are way past 50.
Another funny thing is that I end up working with another guy who was my age with the same pattern of baldness, only to find out that he also been on asthma medication all of his life.
The only other connections that we are both first born children and we tend to stress more than our siblings, but I wouldn’t think that I should be bald this early in life.
Actually a recently published study (early 2012) suggests that a certain lipid molecule, prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), inhibits hair growth in mice. Much higher levels of this substance were then identified in the scalps of balding vs. non-balding men.
PGD2 is a natural chemical that is released by the body in response to allergens. It is a major factor in the development of asthma as one of its functions is to constrict airways, making it tougher to breathe until its effects wear off. It could be possible that your son genetically produces more of this molecule and/or releases it more often (contributing to his asthma), in which case it could also be contributing to his hair loss. They are already undergoing clinical trials for drugs to counteract PGD2 to help with asthma symptoms, it would be interesting to see if these would also counteract his hair loss?
My daughter started loosing her hair at 18. She has asthma and I believe the medication for the disease can cause hair loss. She uses albuterol , singular and some times a steroid . I want to as a young women can she take propecia ?