Minocycline and Hair Loss
hello. I was taking minocycline for about 3 months due to acne. 10mg total a day. I stopped the treatment and through out I noticed that my hair was falling out, but not too much to cause concern. during this past 2 weeks my hair is falling out in big patches and i don’t know what to do? what do you recommend? thank you!
As I’ve said before, many drugs can cause hair loss, but if you are losing big patches of hair, then you need to be evaluated by a doctor (dermatologist) and can not assume that this is caused from the drug you had taken. You need to get a complete physical exam and history reviewed by this doctor. With all of that being said, I do not know of a direct link between minocycline and hair loss.
i, too, had been on antibiotics for breakouts. i was on various antibiotics(doxy, tetra, mino) for 2 years(way too long). during that time i had minimal to no hairloss. 1 month after i went off, i have started thinning in the hairline. very interesting
i went on mino for acne. during this time my hair started to fall out more rapidly. doc says its not the mino but my hair was fine until i started mino and now its alll falling out
My daughter has been taking minocycline for the past two months and another acne drug for the past 9 mons. I just started noticing that her hair is thinning. This is unacceptable!
Yep, I went on minocycline about 2 months ago, was told to take when breakouts (acne) occurred. My hair has been getting thinner and thinner on top.
I keep hearing people say that it’s not the minocycline, but I didn’t have this problem until I started taking it. You can be damn sure I’m gonna stop.
I’ve been taking minocycline for 6 months to treat severe acne. Recently, I’ve noticed that my hair is thinning. I know my body and know that it’s more than just coincidence. Before I started taking minocycline, which worked wonders on clearing up my face, I had very little signs of a receding hair line and my hair grew out very fast. Now, my hair is receding at an alarming rate and I’ve noticed a slower rate of hair growth. I guess it comes down to making a choice between having acne or being bald.
Hi!..I had started taking minocycline a few years ago to treat my acne. I would use it for an average of 3-4 months and then would stop for another 4 months. I continued this trend for about three years. I have been complaining to my doctor about my thinning hair. I realized after reading all the comments from the rest of you that I did not have this problem prior to using minocycline. I had a head full of long hair. Now, I keep it short, so that the thinning isnt so obvious. Anyway, I went back to my doctor a few days ago inquiring about my acne, and he put me back on minocycline! I’m hesitant to go back on it, wondering if it’ll lead me to the ultimate end of becoming bald! I guess it is a choice as Tim said, it’s either treating the acne, or risk going bald. Acne, I believe can be treated, through perhaps other methods. Hair restoration on the other hand can in most cases be permanent. This sucks.
yeah ive been taking minocycline for like 4-5months and the 1st month i noticed a lil hairloss but it remained the same didnt grow back or keep receeding so yeah i hope its not the medicine
I am a forty something female, who started taking antibiotics some 10 years ago. I started taking erythromycin and then progressed to minocycline. I feel that the over-use of antibiotics has caused some serious problems. Minocycline can cause hair loss, and it does. My hair has is shedding after another course. I think the best thing is to find out what is causing the acne and then treat the cause. Minocycline is excellent as a treatment for acne, however side effects are awful. I also experienced depression and fever/chills. I have decided to suffer acne, and try and understand what the underlying cause is.
Antibiotics are not the answer.
Im 18, have been taking minocycline for 3 years, and for the first 2 years had no problems with it, but for the past 6 months my hair has been falling out in the bath, on my pillow, and even when I touch it. I have always thought that it was just Male Pattern Baldness, yet my mother phoned my Dr and told him about the hairloss and he revealed that Minocyline IS linked to alopecia. Ive been advised to stop the medication and have just been for blood tests today. Im hoping my acne does not return. My Dr has also revealed that when discontinuing Minocycline, it can take up to a year to see hair re-growth.
I was on Minocycline off and on for 3 years. Worked pretty well for acne, but after starting another cycle in January, I noticed immediate hair thinning, joint pain, fatigue and cold sensitivity. I have been off for 5 months now. Joint pain is much better, as is the fatigue and cold sensitivity. Hair is a slight bit better, but not even close to where it previously was. There is no doubt in my mind this is all related to Mino. I am reading a lot about Candida overgrowth caused by long term antibiotics as well. It really disrupts your whole system. I wish I never took mino.
RE: my last comment
Except = Excerpt
so the conclusion is that yes MINOCYCLYNE CAN CAUSE HAIRLOSS/ THINNING. i thought i was the only one with this thought in my head considering my whole family has a full head of hair. Thank god i came across this. now my question is when i stop using this antibiotic will my hair come back to its thick normal self?
It could be that your hair naturally started thinning and it just so happens that you were taking mynocycline at the time. You also have to realize that it isn’t strange that all these people are having similar problems with hair loss because they googled the same thing you did.
What about if you’re only taking this drug for a month?
I was prescribed minocycline by my doctor for a mildly itchy skin rash on my neck and chest. I read the warnings, which seemed pretty typical of antibiotics and took the pills exactly as prescribed. I couldn’t stand the dizzyness so stopped them after 13 days and now, guess what. Yup, you guessed correctly my hair is thinning at a rapid and alarming rate. I was right up there with Chewbaca from star wars and always had a head of super thick hair. Everyone commented on it. But, not anymore it’s thin and plastered against my head as there is so little of it. Nothing has changed in my life except for this drug. I’m going to call the FDA and complain. I don’t want to be bald because of an oversight somewhere. These docs are glorified pill pushers.
Hair thinning after taking minocycline for roscea. It can all so cause Drug Induced Lupus. Never will I take it again.
Hi, my 18 year old son has been on Minocycline for 3 months. A month after stopping the medication, his hair began to fall out and within 2 months he has 50% less hair. What are the symptoms for drug induced Lupus and is this condition reversible?
I too am having issues with hair loss. I thought it was my blood pressure meds, so I got off of those. I have hair loss when on Minocyclin, however, if I stop, it thickens back up. So I am done with it. It isn’t worth it and too expensive, since I don’t have Health Insurance.
by the way, I don’t need my BP meds anymore thanks to a 70 lb weight loss and exercise.
I’m 20 years of age, and had been using minomycon for acne on my back and shoulders from coming off steroid cycle that was April 2013 it is now 4th of May 2014 and I’m experiencing extreme hair loss even the follicle comes out with white tips.
Prior to using minimucin I had little hair loss due to not using a pct. but it restored now after Being on mino as of recent I stopped taking it atleast 4-5 months ago and it’s still shedding like crazy
Mind you prior to any of the steroids and mino my hair was the thickest thing you could lay eyes on !!!
Please help I don’t know what to do
I was taking Minocyline for about one month. 50 mg twice a day. After about 2.5 weeks of talking I notice fairly rapid hair lose. I already have thin and fine hair so this has been a huge blow to me. At first I didn’t connect the two and thought maybe it was my thyroid but after some searching I saw that others are losing their hair while taking this drug as well. I stopped taking after a month of being on it. It’s been three weeks since I’ve stopped and my hair continues to fall out. I wonder how long this will continue for. I directly relate this to the drug and no other medical reason.
I have been on Minocycline mean this is my second go-around with it like a one month at a time and my hair is falling out at alarming rates and I already have been here to begin with I will be calling the maker of Minocycline is there a chance my hair will grow back and I see that there is no replies to these complaints in this blog
Don’t take mino. Not worth the risk. I started taking it and after the first month I noticed my hair was thinning. I’m 17 years old. It is now 11 months later and it hasn’t grown back. If I could make the choice whether to have acne or have thin hair, now that I have thin hair and no acne, I would take the acne back in a heartbeat just to have hair of my previous thickness again.
I have been on minocyline for 7 months 200 mg daily. I noticed at month 3 my hair on my head was starting to fall out and in round patches. Also, at month 6 the fair on my face is falling out in round patches. My dermatologist told me to stop right away and one is not to be on this drug for more than 30 days at a time. I have been reading it takes 3-12 months for hair to grow back!!! I’m getting steroid injections from my dermatologist in all my balding spots. This should speed the process for hair growth i was told. Please don’t take this drug ever! BALDING!!!
Minocyline has been reported to be associated with hair loss.
William Rassman, M.D.
I am a cosmetologist and have been so for over 25 years. I’ve been doing extensive research on hairloss for several years. Recently I’ve been experiencing hair loss myself. I have rosacea, the kind that results in acne like bumps. It creeps into my scalp also. After finding out that I have an inflammatory condition found in my lungs, it’s all starting to make sense. My pulmonologist is drawing lines connecting imflamation in my skin and scalp to this. Many people who have acne or other inflammatory conditions also experience hairloss. This is believed to stem from inflammation brought in by either infection, autoimmune disease or allergic response. I have rosacea and hairloss. I’ve not taken any oral antibiotic for this although it has been prescribed (minocyline) . This drug is used to treat inflammation, not so much as an antibiotic. I’ve used metrocream on my face with no great results. My dermatologist switched me to soolantra andnit is working wonders on my breakouts and redness. She says this cream works to fight against the allergic response to skin mites. So interesting that the inflammation is due to an allergy. It’s probably also in my scalp too. If you have an inflammatory skin condition you most likely also have the same in your scalp. Because the cycle of the hair growth and shedding, you might be experiencing the loss a while after the inflammation began at least 6 months or so. I’m curious how many of you have experienced other inflammatory problems like IBD, joint pain, high blood pressure.
Stress from inflammatory disease can be a cause of hair loss. It sounds like you solved the problem. Your story is a good one so thanks for posting it