Mood Stabilizers and Hair Loss
My husband is 40 and until recently had a head full of thick black hair, I noticed when he turns his head that you can clearly see his scalp and it has thinned out tremendously. He is on mood stabilizers for bipolar disorder and I know these will affect hair and cause hair loss. Will anything help his hair come back if this is related to his medication.
Medications to treat bipolar disorder (such as lithium) can cause hair loss. Just because you stop the offending medication, it does not guarantee that the hair will come back. More importantly, you should discuss any change in medication with your prescribing doctor. Sometimes, these drugs precipitate the genetic hair loss process. A good dermatologist (or a good doctor that specializes in hair, like myself) can make a diagnosis that will define any genetic component of what is happening to him. The drug Propecia (finasteride 1mg) might then help, at least by slowing or stopping the process. Try to surround the diagnosis. Some people who actually have hair loss from genetic causes, do not notice it until it gets more advanced. Could that also be the case?
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