Nexium and Hair Loss?
Dr. Rassman,
Thank you so much for your answer concerning the two shoulder injections of cortisone!
I also have acid reflux,& had taken nexium, but stopped it after noticing hair loss more accelerated than usual. Are you aware of any hair loss associated with Nexium, as this drug seems to work best with GERD, & will regrowth occur after suspension? Also does regrowth generally occur with hair lost to seborrheic dermatitis, if treated? Thank you again for your prolific insight!
Nexium can cause hair loss, though it is a rare side effect. Seborrheic dermatitis rarely produces hair loss unless you scratch it and produce traction alopecia by continuously pulling at your hair.
I just stopped taking Nexium because I started using hair. Will it regrow?
Me too! Very fast hair loss. It was so thick just a few months ago. Will it grow back? (I kinda suspected the Nexium)
Ok I was at my wits end trying to figure out why my hair is fallin out like crazy. The only prescriptions I take are Advair for 6 years, Spiriva for about 3 years and was taking Prevacid for 6 years then all of a sudden my insurance didnt want to pay for it anymore so my doctor changed me over to Nexium 40mgs. I have been on it for at least 6 months now and for the past 4 months my hair started falling out. You can see the hair follicle (?Spell) on the ends of it. Now I think I am ready to start taking something else for GERD before I go bald. I have been taking every vitamin under the sun that is good for your hair and it has done no good at all. Will my hair grow back after I stop taking it? I am so glad I found this site! Thank you so much! I have Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, I dont need hair loss on top of that. Lisa
Do you have hair grow back after taking it?
My hair has been falling out since I started Nexium for reflux. I stopped taking the drug. It also caused bloating and constant bowl movements. I will not take this drug ever again. Do you know if I will see any of this hair again?
I would like to have this side effect listed way up there on common problems.
Yes…I noticed the same thing …after reading the above comments. So I went to look up side effects…’nexium hair loss’ found you guys. Wow I am off the purple pill as of tonight. I was on it only for 3 weeks. I noticed hair in my comb alot of it too much….the only different thing I was taking was the nexium….
No one tells you these things a shame, for so many people who don’t connect it….very unfair.
***(Anyone have their hair grow back after stopping the purple pill ??)
**Please share your comments with me ASAP!
I had thick blonde hair and it thinned out. I ordered something called ‘thicker, longer hair’…over internett. Going to try it. My sister tryed it for length…couldn’t believe how long her hair grew in 3 months much thicker too! Well hope this info. helps ya’s.
Can’t wait to start the treatment cheap too.
ok, we’ve established that nexium seems to cause hair loss. but does anyone know if the hair grows back after recession?
The hairloss seems to be on the top of my head not the sides or back as much. Is this the same for everyone else? Does male patten baldness seem to happen overnight? No family history either.
definately have hair loss on top too, but none on sides or back. anybody see it fill back in after stopping nexium?
I experienced the same from Nexium. I have been off for one week and am still experiencing RAPID hair loss – a huge handfull with every shower. I was told from the PA whom I saw for blood work to expect a month of more hairloss before things start to reverse. I am also made an appointments with doctor and a dermatologist. I may not have hair if it goes another month.
so my doctor thinks i’m nuts…says should be no hair loss from Nexium, yet i took it one month, hair started coming out when combing after washing it-even when i use mousse & hair combs thru totally easy- then as weeks went on- 2 more months on nexium now-3 months total- and i’ve reached my boiling point- hair loss coming out has doubled & nothing has helped- thinning hair shampoo was bought & hair vitamins and no help…so i stopped Nexium… i also had 13 lbs weight gain in 2 months & am a 45 yr old female & have weighed 120 ALL my life & am at 135 after 2 months nexium also so either acid reflux/throat dysphagia feeling or fat & bald? gee what a choice ! I am waiting for a 2 wks to see where i am at hair loss wise & weight wise~ later, terri
I had gert when I was 25 years of age and have change tablets a number of time. I am 44 years of age and have been on Nexium for 2 months and stopped when I noticed baldness on the top of my head. I reverted back to Losec but it continues to fall out. Not happy because both sides of my family have lots of hair even at the age of 70 years + .
Lisa, (sorry this is 9 months late lol) I have also been experiencing significant hair loss but through web searches I have connected it to the advair disc I and you also take (I do not take nexium, I only found this page from a search pulling up your post). I have been on the discus for around 4 years now with no noticable side effects… wow… what a wonder drug right? NOT – People have been reporting hair loss while on Advair after several years of use which is no wonder as it does have a steroid component. NOT cool esp. when I have very fine hair to start with. Off to call my doc and see if I can’t get onto something better.
I think your issue might be a combo of the two meds, both of which seem to be causing this problem.
My hair started falling out by the handful. I went to the doctor in tears and a sandwich bag full of hair from that morning only and the doctor looked up Nexium and it is one of the side effects. I have been off of nexium for about 1 1/2 months and the hair is starting to regrow and slowed down on falling out. The doctor said that the nexium works to stop acid production and you have to have acid in your hair folicle for it to grow and w/o acid it does not grow, it falls out. Went from pretty long hair to short very fine thin hair. My doctor put me on calicium supplements for acid reflux.Take with food and he said the calicum supplement absorbs the extra acid in your stomach. I had really horrible reflux and the calicum supplements are working great!
I experienced the same problem while on Nexium, Prilosec and Pepsid AC. After approx. 2 months after stopping the medicine, I did notice new hair regrowth. Since I couldn’t use the prescription medicine,I investigated an alternate route. Believe it or not, I found out that drinking a small amount of apple cider vinegar mixed with water during the day helped. I read that the body needs acid if you introduce acid into the body, it won’t produce as much. I also took acidophilous pills as well to help maintain a balance in my intestines. Acidophilus is the active bacteria found in yogurt. Hope this info is helpful.
I took nexium on and off for a couple of years and started having hair loss on different parts of my body. The dermatologist gave me cortisone injections and said that would help, but it really didn’t help much. I had loss of hair on my head, face, arms and legs. I don’t care so much about the arms and legs, but the face and head are embarrassing. No one in my family is bald. My dad died with a thick head of hair at the age of 80. I’ve noticed that the hair follicles seems to still be healthy, but no hair growing- or very fine blonde hair coming through (my hair is naturally thick and black). I stopped taking Nexium and I’ve noticed the spots on my hands and arms starting to grow back, but my head still has spots where it looks like my hair is receding and on top is much thinner than it used to be.
I would definitely agree that HAIR LOSS should be way up at the top of the list for side effects. I have a hiatal hernia with pretty bad heartburn, so I have had a hard time dealing with any kind of acid, sugar, etc.
I’ve been taking Biotin and natural supplements in hopes of making my hair stronger. We’ll see how it goes.
Frustrated-
My boyfriend of 4 years has terrible heartburn and Nexium has been his savior….but his hair is falling out now and does not look as shinny and healthy as it once did. He has been taking it for a year now. If he stops will his hair grow back???
I took Nexium for a year (GERD, LPRD) and stopped a month ago because it caused depression and worsened my osteoporosis, among a dozen other side effects. Just made the connection between Nexium and hair loss after reading these posts. Thank you! Why at age 55 did I have the hair (head and body) of a 90 year old? Duh. Since stopping the Nexium, I doubled the calcium/D regimen to 1200/800 mg twice a day. Don’t know about my head, but other hair (like eyebrows)is definitely growing back. Taking just 1 Tums right before bed helped a lot with reflux, btw.
I am 31 year-old male and I have taken nexium — recently switched to Prilosec for the last month — for about 2.5 years and have noticed thinning of my hair on the sides about a year ago. I didn’t think much it because I always get a buzz hair cut on the sides. But yesterday my hairdresser noticed how severe the thinning was so I was freaking out and decided to look up on the Web about the side effects of nexium. Eureka! I’m going to completely stop taking nexium and Prilosec! I wish they had warned me about the side effects…. I just hope my hair grows back!
Hair loss? please tell me if anyone has had hair loss using the Advair disc?
Patricia
I’m another who’s been taking Nexium for a few years now and whose hair seems to b out in handfuls. I had a very thick head of hair even though I’m in my late 50’s but have noticed these past few months just how much comes out when I comb, wash or dry it, also lots on the pillow in the morning. I thought the loss was due to my hairdryer or hotbrush but I’m no longer using them so much and the loss is getting worse, not better.
I feel that because Nexium stops acid production it can also stop the proper breakdown of foods and therefore we aren’t getting enough nutrients, no matter how good our diet. My consultant admitted the Nexium can result in low levels of some vitamins. I certainly don’t want to lose my hair and so have decided to stop Nexium and try to manage the acid reflux some other way. I wish I’d been warned about this when I started taking the drug, but wasn’t. I just hope it grows back as I hate the feeling of being ‘thin on top’, even though it’s not really noticeable to other people.
I have been taking Prevacid for about 2-3 years and never noticed this issue. About 2.5 months ago I was prescribed Nexium and in the last month have noticed rapid thinning on the top of my head. Like many of the commenters on this page, male pattern baldness does not run in my family, so I was shocked to see this happening to me. This morning something told me to search for any relation to Nexium and hair-loss and I found this page. It was a rude awakening to see that there are side effects related to this problem and yet I couldn’t find them listed, nor was I told about them at my ENT. I’m 29 and officially stopped my Nexium-usage today. I just hope that once the final doses run their course that regrowth will occur. Has anyone been off Nexium long enough to see any positive results?
Also, forgot to mention that like one of the commenters above, the hair-loss isn’t yet visable to an outsider, but when you know your own body, you see the effects. My wife too recognized the change as well.
Stated in the paper,
Undesirable effects,
Rare: Alopecia.
Me, too! I am a 52 year old female who was prescribed Prilosec for gerd by my allergist. I took it for about 5 weeks when I noticed my scalp peeking through. I have had to have my hair cut every three weeks my entire life and have had to have my hair thinned out every other cut. My hair was coarse, thick. Over night my hair has become thin and weak. It has been five weeks since I quit Prilosec (from my investigations, it seems most any of these drugs can cause this). I would estimate I have lost about 30% of my hair (top, crown and sides). I began taking all hair vitamins, good multi-vitamin, Biotin. I was able to completely control my reflux with apple cider vinegar, water with a pinch of baking soda. Seems to be gone. Go figure…no drugs. I have no signs of regrowth, whatsoever. HAS ANYONE REGROWN THEIR HAIR? I read on one site where a physician stated he didn’t think it would regrow. I am truly terrified. I just made an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic to see a specialist, but it will be two months until an opening. I wonder if I will have any hair left. This is heartbreaking.
Man…I’ve been on Nexium for about 8 months…
Started noticing my hair thinning recently so I did some research on biotins and found this article.
I’m going to stop taking Nexium and change my diet so I can control my acid reflux naturally.
Jennifer, you and i did the exact same thing. I too went to visit my GP with a freezer bag full of the hair i had found on my pillow when i woke up that morning. Having your hair fall out esp when you’ve been complimented on having nice hair all your life is hard. My hairdresser is always telling me how full my hair is. Well it was very long and full but now that its thinned out i will have to get it cut short to give it more volume =( I take pride in my appearance and it makes you feel so down seeing all your hair drop to the floor as you walk around the house or in the shower. Every time i look down on my lap i’d see more and more hair… And for all your wondering, yes if it is a side-effect from a drug then t will grow back! Just give it a month or so to feel the results. Nexium should leave your system in days not months my doctor says. I myself have been on Nexium for almost 3 weeks now after having terrible excruciating pains in my chest one night and almost being rushed over to the hospital. Did some research online and found out it was acid reflux, doctor confirmed it, blood test was normal so he handed me some Nexium 40mg. It has helped, i’ve only had unbearable pains once since that night, it lasted about 2 hours but having my hair fall out by the handful is just not worth it. I’ve looked into natural remedies and have too read about the apple cider vinegar like Karen. Not sure if this would work for those who produce too much acid. Apparently you can have acid reflux from not only producing too much acid but also producing too little acid. In this case i would try the apple cider. I know of the 1 teaspoon of honey to sooth and heal your esophogus. I know of the red apples also. They didnt really do much for me. Instead, I am now going to take Acidophilus as a friend who once had acid reflux suggested to me, i will also take calcium as Jennifer was saying it works great for her and i will take Zyrtec which the doctor told me to take… Apparently its what they were giving patients 10yrs ago before drugs like Nexium existed. I will also start drinking Aloe Vera juice from the supermarket. I will try all this and post back to let anyone out there who’s wondering know how i go and if it is at all effective. Im only 23 years old and come from a Mediterranean background so not being able to eat all of my beloved foods is just torture for me. Thank you to everyone who posted their very helpful comments. Hope my post can help someone too.
Sorry i made a mistake. I was told by doc to take ZANTAC not Zyrtec…. My mistake. Hope none of you get confused!
Hello All,
I am 42 Male,been on Nexium 40mg for two years. I have had severe hair loss and Seb-Dermatitis on my face and Scalp.
I have severe dandruff and red patches on my face. My hair is falling out, I had a full head of hair. Can someone Like Vannessa get back to us and let us know if hair grew back? And also please post the directions on how to use the Apple Cider Vinegar/baking soda solution to control GERD.Do all the Proton Pump Inhibitors cause hair loss?? I have taken prevacid also.. Please HELP. Thanks to all of you.
Many of you have posted messages re. the connection they were experimenting between nexium and hairloos. I have had the same unfortunate side effects- I have taken the pill for about 2 weeks only, and have stopped now (also for 2 weeks). My hair is still falling. Has any of you experimented a regrowth some time after stopping talking the pill? many thanks in advance for your answers.
Oh thank goodness someone started this site. I am a 54 year old woman who has always had thick wonderful hair. My hair is the one thing people always noticed and commented on. Since taking generic forms of Nexim on and off for the past 8 months, I have lost 80 percent of my hair. I sopped taking it a month ago, and my hair is still falling out. iiiieeee. A few months ago I started to panic and went to a “specialist” about my hair loss, he said “yes, you are going bald, and what did you expect, you ar 54 years old” I couldn’t believe it… after all these years with thick luxurious hair, all of a sudden I’m going bald? That’s when I started searching for some other answers and found this site…I’m hoping and praying it grows back.
Like many other posters, I have always had very thick hair, my mother and grandmother both had thick hair until they died (at 85 and 91 respectively). I noticed a couple of months back my hair seemed to be getting thinner, but put it down to the effect of the light shining through my grey roots (I am 57) as I dye my hair dark. It also seemed a lot greasier.
By last month it was clear my hair was getting thinner – a lot thinner with less hair per square inch and what hair there was was thinner (my hair is quite fine but very springy and grows quite densely, or rather it did). Then last week I cut my hand and had to get my husband to help wash my hair and even he commented how thin it was. I thought it must be my age but I looked at all my friends of the same age and their hair was thicker.
So I tried to think when it started and it seemed quite recently. Then I thought again and wondered if I was taking anything that could cause it. I have quite a bad hiatal hernia and usually take ranitidine for the acid reflux at night. But lately the reflux got quite bad and I switched to Omeprazole which cuts off the acid production completely.
I had this once previously on prescription from my doctor but only for ten days. Now it is off prescription so I thought I would try it again. So I checked there were no known serious side effects and kept on taking it.
I realised this coincided with my hair loss and I was not taking any other drug. So I wondered if that might be the cause. I typed heartburn and hair loss into google and came up with all these sites about omeprazole and hair loss. There was my answer.
I am not sure if the original ranitidine caused hair loss, I don\’t think so. It is an H2 antagonist, ie cuts down on acid production. Omeprazole is a PTP (proton pump inhibitor) and cuts out the acid altogether. Needing acid to grow hair makes sense, and I have always had low levels of folic acid.
More men than women get hernias. So when a man is taking omeprazole and gets hair loss he is told it is male baldness. When an older women gets hair loss while taking it is is ascribed to the menopause. Only younger women may be taken seriously which is probably why the hair loss stats are underestimated.
I have now stopped taking omeprazole and am trying to cope with the reflux by eating more digestible food more slowly earlier in the evening and sleeping propped up. I don\’t know if my hair will grow back, in theory it should as drug related hair loss is supposed to stop when the drug is stopped. If my remaining hair even gets thicker that would be an improvement.
I have been diagnosed with reflux and my doctor put me on nexium. I have been on it for about 4 months. I have just started to lose my hair and its coming out rapidly after he upped my dosage from 20 mg to 40mg. Went to the docs and he laughed when i asked whether it could be the nexium thats making it fall out. Im really starting to worry, my hair is falling out worse and worse as each day passes and ive stopped straightening my hair and blowdrying it and even have started taking vitamins and nothing is stopping it. after discovering this sight i am convinced that it must be the nexium and am going to stop taking it! but am scared it may not grow back… how long did it take for the hair to stop falling out for everybody when they stopped taking the nexium?
I took omeprazole (Prilosec or Zanprol)to control hearburn caused by a hernia. It eventually dawned on me it must be the reason for my thinning hair (I practically have a bald patch now on the top of my head) after I read up on the web, that thinning hair loss as a result of the drug reducing production of folic acid which you need to grow healthy hair.
So I have stopped taking Prilosec and am taking vitamin supplements which include folic acid. To control the acid reflux I now eat my evening meal much earlier at night, and do not eat any meat or spicy food after 7.00 pm. (If I need a snack I eat custard or yoghurt or a small piece of cheesecake). I also take calcium tablets with my last meal of the day to help digest it. And I sleep propped up with several pillows. All this has been a great help in controlling my heartburn.
My sister has a closed friend who is a nutritionist and she told her it is becoming increasingly well known that these drugs cause hair loss. As I said in previous post, because there are other causes of hair loss, doctors first reaction is to attribute your hair loss to these alternative causes.
Is it working, don’t know yet as I have only been off it for a month. Will keep you posted.
Hi, I am so glad I found this Blog. I am a 27 female and have fine hair to begin with but never had any problems with it falling out or thinning out. I started taking prilosec 6 weeks ago for an ulcer. I noticed I have been loosing alot of hair as well out of no where and I also notice it looks thin on the sides of my hairline / scalp. I am so upset I went to see my dermo, asked the gastro. and family doctor about this and one out of three of them say yes i have heard of it but the others say no prilosec does not cause this something else would… After reading these blogs i feel a little better. I stopped the prilosec for a week now. Will the hair grow back? It is insane that prilosec and nexium do not list this as one of there side effects, its serious to me and very damaging the idea of potentially going bald.. Enough to seriously make me worry and get another ulcer. I wonder if there are any class action lawsuits about this drug and hidden side effects. We as patients and consumers should be warned of all of the potential side effects.
Sorry for the above typo, “that is one out of the three of them have said they have seen this.”
Does anyone know if there are any class action lawsuits going on to attach to since Prilosec hid the fact that one can loose their hair on this drug. Which to me is very serious and damaging as a 27 ur old female patient, with no ever hair conditions before this to date! Im furious!
PRILOSEC BLOCKS B12 Vitamin from your body….
Look it up its all over the internet…
B-12 deficiency can cause a type of anemia that is characterized by fewer but larger red blood cells. Other effects include walking and balance disturbances, a loss of vibration sensation, confusion, and, in seriously advanced cases, dementia. Since the body requires B12 to an inadequate supply of B12 can expose nerves to damage.
Symptoms of B-12 deficiency and B-12-related anemia include:
•Feeling tired or weak
•Pale appearance to the lining of lower eyelids
•Palpitations, fast or irregular heart beat.
•Faintness and breathlessness.
•Hair loss ****************
•Bruising that occurs without reason
•Dizziness
•Long or unusually heavy menstrual periods
I was researching Nexium because of constant diarrhea since starting it over a year ago. That’s one side effect that I only learned about from TV commercials. No one tells you these things.
I took Zantac for years, then after an episode of internal bleeding, they put me on Nexium for its healing effect. After a few weeks, the gastro-doc said I could stop it, but my family doc said since it helps the GERD to just stay on it. I had not connected my thinning hair till I saw this blog. Thanks so much for the suggestions of other things to take. I’m going to find other ways to manage the GERD and hope to get off Nexium. Good luck to all of us in regaining the hair.
I started losing hair after being on Nexium but didn’t make the connection. I had a hysterectomy in Nov. 2008, and a year later I stopped taking my estrogen because it caused incontinence (I verified by JAMA study). In January of this year, I decided to take Nexium every day, along with my Celebrex, since NSAIDS cause acid reflux and I was diagnosed with GERDS years ago. After huge chunks of hair loss, I thought the problem was hormonal imbalance and started the estrogen again. I’d rather wear Depends than be bald.
The estrogen and Biotin did lessen the hair loss. Then I found a new problem—constant swelling of my feet, ankles, legs and thighs. Yesterday, I researched and found that Nexium can cause general edema, but is rare (< 1%). I stopped taking Nexium and time will tell whether my fluid retention disappears and my hair stops falling out. For the first time, in a long time, I was miserable with heartburn last night. I had heard about apple cider vinegar for acid reflux and only tried the distilled since it’s what I have. I’m planning to buy the natural with the mother included and see if it works. Check out earthclinic.com for other natural remedies.
I also used Prilosec to 2 weeks and its been 3 months after I stopped using it, but still losing hair both in my head and eye brows. I am not sure when it is gonna stop. Any advise from anyone to stop hair loss?
It is clear that Prilosec or Nexium causes hair loss. But does anyone know about regrowth / stoping hair loss after the damage is done.
After happily taking Rabeprazole for over a year, received letter from docs saying now too expensive and put me on an CHEAPER version – Omeprazole. In the nine weeks or so I have now lost almost a third of my hair,as well as having palpitations and feelings of depression.
Went back to docs, have now been put on a SLIGHTLY MORE EXPENSIVE version (4 days), hair still falling out at an alarming rate, also feelings of dizziness and depression, palpitations subsided. Bet he wouldn’t give his wife the cheaper version!! Can’t believe they put their patients through this for the sake of a few extra pound!!
Try taking Vitamin B every day to get rid of the reflux. It might sound stupid, but just try it for a while
In February I was diagnosed with ulcer that was caused by Helicobacteria Pylori. I was prescribed a course of anti-biotics and then Nexium for 3 months. I started to lose hair whilst on Nexium and still losing hair even though the medication was finished in May. I recently visited a hair clinic in London and have been prescribed Minoxidil which apparerently is the only medication that is endorsed by the Medical Society to prevent hair loss and in some cases encourage re-growth. I am going to start using it tomorrow and will post here to let you know how I get on. In the meantime.
I’m a 25 year-old male that had been prescribed Prilosec and other PPIs for around 2 years starting when I was 21 years-old. I noticed rapid hair loss but wrote it off as the flu or an infection that I was going through at the time. Little did I know how fast it would progress and cause a good sized bald spot on the upper part of my head. I finally got the hint and ceased taking PPIs, but I’m sorry to report my hair never fully recovered. I even went to see a dermatologist and told him the situation and he just responded that Rogaine was my only hope. He, like the other doctors, didn’t believe that Prilosec could cause hair loss. He told me it was Male-pattern baldness, when my father goes to him as well, and he knows there’s no family history of it.
I have lost all faith in doctors and in western medicine as gneeral. I’m desperately trying the whole Rogaine thing, and it seems to be helping a litte, but I still hate the fact that I’m bald at 25. I would love to sue them, the doctor, anybody, just for enough money for a hair transplant or something. It really isn’t fair… my reflux wasn’t even that bad……
if you want to get bald or have alopecia, the easiest way is to take dhea or prisolec or any heartburn medication like zantec- this is why american men and women are al getting hair loss- thanks big parma
THANKS FOR THIS ARTICLE. I believe that Nexium is to write now that the hair loss is not rare but routine!! I have lost hair after only two weeks of Nexium very quickly. I am 27 year old patient from Italy. Hello.
Thank you all for your input , I’m 54 and have been taking
nexium for almost 09 yrs. I take 40 mg. and am supposed to take 80mg . but I do 40mg and watch what I eat . my Hiatal Hernia is pretty bad and I also have bleeding ulcers and a bad stomach lining . but its been about a year since I noticed my hair falling and that is the only medication I take , I have tried prelosec and prevacid and Zegard , but nothing else works for me . don’t know what I have to do, but maybe the doctor does. for now I continue to loose hair , without it I can’t hardly drink water.nevertheless eat. but nice to know what may be triggering my hair loss.
I started prilosec about a year ago, I have always had full hair. In the past two months my hair is thinning and balding. My dad is 70 with full hair and my younger brother has a full head of hair. Is proilsec causing this. My wife tells me I am going though mid life crisis, I disagree every morning my hair is thinner and balding. Any advise?
Had a tone of side effects from prilosec. I stopped as soon as I linked the two. It has been 7 months since I stopped. Hair is still falling out. I m a 25 year old female. My heartburn wasnt that bad, the doctor just prescribed this as if it were the most harmful drug. THIS IS POISON! WILL HAIR EVER REGROW? no one is giving me any hope wherever I read about hair loss from omeprazole. Does it lead to alopecia. God, I d love to sue whoever is giving this poison to people. I stopped believing in doctors who are paid by the pharmaceutical companies. If anyone had had their hair recuperate please let others know. Thanks!
Please try the NIH website where the National Institute of Health studies Peppermint oil and hair loss, very detailed and insightful study. I’ve been losing hair over the last 6 months, been on Nexium for a year. and have tried the oil for 1 month, It seems to be working, my hair seems fuller and stronger and I don’t notice so many falling out. This could help you.
I have also been taking Nexium for 4 years and have had hair loss at an alarming rate. I can’t even begin to count how many doctors and how many times I have been to try and find out why my hair is falling out. They all tell me that it is male pattern baldness or Hormonal. I’m at at my wits end with my hair. Ia’m using Rogaine, it does seem to help some, it’s just that when the new comes in from using the Rogaine it just falls out but now after reading all the writes about Nexium I will go off of it and see what happens. but I will have to find something for my heartburn. I would rather have heartburn then be bald. I was reading about Apple cider, does anyone have the actual recipe like how much to drink per day? Looking forward to hearing back.
If I stop taking medium will my hair grow back? Also how long will it take to grow back
I ment nexium
All my life I have had such thick healthy long hair. I’ve been dating my boyfriend for almost a year who was taking Nexium. Even though I have never taken nexium, I am getting the side effects. Over half of my hair has fallen out since I met him, unexplained anxiety and exhaustion are just some of my symptoms. I have never experienced any symptoms like these before except for mild anxiety, in a stressful event. Other symptoms have been very unusual skin rashes and candida. I know it may sound weird but I really believe it’s the nexium my boyfriend has been taking and I think it really is affecting me too. Has anyone’s partner experienced unexplained side effects like this? Please note that I am a usually a very healthy and fit person with healthy thick long hair. This has been so shocking and scary for me. Also, I am not, and have never taken nexium myself, only my boyfriend has. I would love to hear from people who are getting side effects from their partner taking nexium.
Hi everyone! I empathize with everyone on here. I had been suffering with acid reflux for almost a year. It came out of nowhere and had been taking Periot which is a PPI for almost that entire time. I have to say to anyone taking PPIs and H2 blockers to expect possible hairloss. I had begun to experience severe hair loss 2 months ago due to taking both kinds of drugs. I had approached my doctor and he said that PPIs don’t cause hair loss! Ha! then we are all crazy right? Well after discontinuing the PPI my hair loss had stopped falling out. I used to have very full and thick hair and it is half its thickness now. After experiencing this I went to a Naturopathic doctor who put me on a diet of easily digestible foods and on probiotics 10 billion per pill 2 pills 2, two times a day. Plus a GI kit, clacium magnesium to combat reflux and help Tighten the LES valve. I was also instructed to take a teaspoon of apple Cidar vinegar with each main meal.
I also am dealing with a Hiatus hernia which she gave me a natural remedy to heal. Drink several glasses of water and jump off a step. Doing this a few times with force, but not too much! as you don’t want to throw your back out! It helped alot! My reflux is much better!
There is hope everyone! Our hair will grow back. As soon as we are utilizing our vitamins properly the hair should return. As it was a drug induced hair loss it will probably take awhile. My Naturopathic doctor tells me not to worry. I hope this post helps some of you!
This blog has been a tremendous help. I have been taking Nexium (40 mg) for the past 3-4 mos. & was recently told to double this dosage for reflux. I have fine blonde hair, but noticed remarkable thinning recently & have been very upset on a daily basis. Went to doc who said it must be hormonal due to my age/menopausal. I will be stopping the PPI completely, am taking hair & B vitamins plus doing the organic apple cidar vinegar (with the mother) mixed with water, which has helped tremendously. Also 1-2 Tums at bedtime. I pray everyone’s hair is restored & will report back!
Leah, I also take cal/mag but what is a GI kit? Thanks :)
Hi Kathy,
A GI kit, is a gastrointestinal repair kit. It has a variety of natural herbs and supplements to help rebuild the mucosa in the stomach and intestinal tract. My hair has regrown alot since I stopped the PPIs and am feeling better. Still not out of the woods though! What are you currently taking?
I have been on 40mgs per day for years and two years started losing my hair. I’ve lost about 60%. I’m so glad I found this site since I assumed it was genetic but to start losing it so dramatically, and so fast was extremely scary. (I’m 57) My doctor had no answers. I stopped taking Nexium 3 days ago will see if it comes back or the hair loss stops. We should all ban together and sue this company for not warning people better. This is horrible.
I’ve been taking Nexium for the last 8 months and I noticed hair loss. At first, I didn’t think much about it but I did further research and found this blog. I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection faster.
I’m going to be taking Centrum vitamins and Apple Cider Vinegar.
I started Prilosec on january 24th, 2012 for ersosions in my stomach, esophagitis, gastritis gerd. Wasn’t infected with H. Pylori. As soon as I started the prilosec, heartburn went away forever pretty much. 4 days later, I got food poisoning for the first time. 3.5 weeks later I looked in the mirror for the first time and felt something wasn’t right. I could see the top of my scalp through my hair in the crown of my head. I thought to myself– “has this been here? I’m vain, did I ever notice this before?”
I proceeded to go to dermatologists who tell me i have male pattern… that if it was drug induced hair loss, it would be diffuse on my whole head. It’s 6 months later and i’m still on the prilosec and would really like to know if it’s the PPI causing my thick beautiful hair to start thinning and balding. There is NO hairloss in my father, mother, aunts, uncles, or grandparents! I am 28 years old.
I am n nexium (40 mg) – almost 4 yrs. Have no body hair left including eyebrows and eyelashes. Am almost totally bald on top of head and is now thinning more on sides and back. Even went to FDA site searching for answers. Also had B12 deficiency and had to take B12 injections. Am now on 1000 mg daily of B12. I am of the opinion that this was all caused by nexium. There must be a lot of people in the 1% that the FDA and others don’t know about. I suggest everyone experiencing these problems write to FDA and maybe something will come of it.
Someone suggested apple cider vinegar (with mother) for GERD. What is “with mother”?
I have been taking Nexium for 3 months now. My HAIR IS FALLING out by the brush fulls!!! I had taken it two years ago for one year and stopped. It seems to grow back but now after starting it again for silent acid reflux it is falling out BAD. I have long blonde hair and it is thinning so much on the top and sides. I am seeing the doctor today and will ask him what I can so. My father is a retired Chiropractor and he has always suggested apple cider vinegar and water. I should have listened to him. I have to rake my bedroom rug before I vacuum because there is so much hair on the floor. SUPER WORRIED and I will have to find something else for my acid reflux. I don’t want to go bald!
I was taking Omeprazole from march 2010 until July 2011. I had noticed I had been losing more hair than usual but it wasnt until last July when my partner noticed he could see my scalp through my hair that I realised I was having quite bad hairloss. I imediatly stopped taking the omeprazole in July 2011 but my hair has kept falling out can anyone tell me if it will grow back? If not if any one has any ideas how to stop the hairloss or to speed up regrowth I would be very grateful.
Yes, I’m another who has experienced hair loss from what I can only believe is nexium. I’ve been on it for about 3 months and noticed dramatic thinning on top of my head. Up until recently I’ve always had a very, very generous amount of hair and it’s alarming how fine and damaged my hair has become. It’s amazing as it’s seems as though it has happened just overnight. Or in the time I’ve been on the medication.
I stopped taking the medication immediately. I don’t know how things will go but I hope these thin patches on the side of my head thicken back up.
I guess I can’t say that it’s 100% the nexium, but the evidence sure points to it.
I looked at the Nexium as I’ve only been taking it for a few months and so logically I’d point my finger at it as the culprit. I was surprised how many others are doing the same thing.
It’s made me very worried and self conscious. I mean, I have friends who are receding in their hairline, but they’ve had years and years of it thinning to get used to it. I seem to have had it happen extremely rapidly, so it’s coming as somewhat of a shock.
Couldn’t hear the word. Pity as have some helpful info for people with stomach problems, gerd and hernias etc. Drink goats milk at night especially the expensive raw kind. It’s gross but it works. Carrot juice has been proven to heal ulcers too. Stay off Nexium Zantac and Omaprazole – all bad for you. Just makes lots of money for the drug companies!
Nexium caused for me too hair loss to the point of baldness. This means Nexium= alopecia
So that we know for sure. My point is did anyone has experience regrowth after stopping Nexium or other PPI?? If yes please be more specific on how long you have been using it and how long after your hair came to normal status again. Me i was using it for 4 months and i just stopped it because of this. If most of the people did not experience regrowth it means that Nexium cause PERMANENT ALOPECIA and we should sue the big pharma for beeing corrupted and hiding such a big side effect.
Please post more for this issue
Hello,
I just found this yesterday. I am a 35 year old female who has always had heaps of hair. It was thin but there was lots of it. I started Nexium in January for 6 weeks for reflux. It helped with the symptoms and I feel better. As soon as I stopped in February I noticed a widening of my middle part and it has just got worse over the last few months. Now my scalp is visible on the middle part and having dark hair it is terrible. I spent a fortune and saw specialist and he said it was hereditary and I just had to deal with it. I was not to do anything for six months and take a picture to see if it got worse. I am not waiting for that. I started taking every vitamin under the sun. Then I came across an article about low stomach acid and hair loss. This is was I believe that has happened to me. I believe that taking Nexium it an inhibitor of creating acid. However the effect that’s been that I am not getting the vitamins from my food. My body is starving due to low acid. Until I correct this I will continue to lose hair. Hair and nails are the first to go instead other vital organs. I have started a natural treatment of apple cider vinegar and digestive bitters to increase the acid. If this does not work I will go to the next natural step of Hcl-betaine. This is to restore the stomach acid to a level that works to absorb the nutrients from the food I am eating. I am hoping this will help for my hair to come back. I only started today. I will post in two to three months. I am hoping my hair will come back. Good luck everyone.
Please do not fear. My hair fell out in handfuls after hospital admission and 2 weeks therapy of anti acids which I took after discharged. 2 months later the hair loss began and I cried. I was practically bald. It was assumed the malnutrition at the time due to digestive problem was to blame but it took a while to get there with the real problem – anti acids! Yes the hair needs acid to grow. It has been 20 months since the hair fall and 16 months since stopping anti acids. In all that time I took hair pills etc, but no real improvement, just slight. Recently I heard about sea kelp supplements and started taking them. After 2 months – my hair is coming through in leaps and bounds – can’t believe it. Now – it could be the sea kelp or it could be the hair recovering after stopping acid pills. Telogen effluvium is the name for hair loss due to medication, major surgery and malnutrition (I had all three at same time) It takes 6 months to 72 months to recover. So please have faith – it will come back, you must just be patient. And – by the way, long after stopping the acid pills, the hair loss slowed down but did continue so don’t worry about that either. Just keep your faith, be patient and take necessary supplements. Be warned because too many vitamins are harmful and counter productive. I take a sea kelp every other day, oil of primrose – these restore an equilibrium which hair growth needs and a hair pill daily for general vitamins. Check with GP what to take and do not listen to any doctor who tells you acid pills do not cause hair loss. They do but it is reversible if you keep calm.
PS Forgot to mention, stress also delays recovery from hair loss. I know this is not easy when you are losing hair. I would read something on the web and go into a blind panic, sweating, heart racing, true anxiety attack. This did not help. Also, sites about telogen effluvium say 6 months for recovery, this is just not true. If you must find out all you can about medication induced hair loss etc, listen to those who have been through it. Just keep calm and believe that it will return as mine did, and it will. Finally, if you want to try the supplements, go with a reputable company/chemist. My GP prescribed the oil of primrose and the other two mentioned above I checked with him. This is very important. You will get there, it really does take time, patience and calm.
I am sorry to hear about everyone’s hairloss, I know how distressing it is. I started to lose mine after taking Omeprazole for a short amount of time. I stopped taking it in Oct last year. After stopping I had serious hair fall for 3 months. It finally stopped falling in Jan this year. I am sorry to report that although there was some regrowth at the back of my head, the rest has remained the same & there is of yet, no signs of new growth elsewhere. This is extremely upsetting as it is nearly a year since I stopped. If anyone has grown back their full head of hair, I would love to know. I am 39, female & lead a fit & healthy life. I had very thick hair before and both my parents are in there 70s & still have thick heads of hair. I wish everyone the best & hope that you have more success growing your hair back than I have. It makes me very angry that hairloss is listed as ‘a very rare side effect’ for this drug, when it clearly is not the case.
Dear Emma I don’t know if you managed to read the above, but I just wanted to reiterate what I said earlier. I lost handfuls of hair with these drugs to the point where I was almost bald at the back and on top. It continued to fall out although not as much for almost 20 months. Washing it terrified me. I was told it would recover in 6 – 12 months – when it did not I thought that would be it and resigned the rest of my life like this. Then all of a sudden, hair loss stopped and regrowth came very rapidly. Today I washed my hair and lost perhaps 6 hairs – I did a dance around the bedroom. The bare crown has almost totally recovered with tiny hairs and I know it will take at least another 9 – 12 months to see full thickness return if hair grows at rate of l1ss than 1/2 inch a month which is the norm for me. My point is that it is not an exact science – some will recover in 6 months, others in years – neatly 2 for me. Just try to be patient. In the meantime, I covered my thin areas with a brunette dry shampoo once a week after washing. Try not to over use it as scalp likes to be clean, but it did give me confidence. Also, I was prescribed a shampoo by GP called Alphosyl – also available in leading chemists. Give scalp thorough cleaning and massage with this. The fact some of your hair has regrown shows it can!! My hair recovered a little like yours but only recently is it coming in so fast it is making my head tingle. I have other tips above plus these two, hope they help. Please be patient. BTW I am in my 60’s and mine is returning.
I have been to nexium for 6 months and before two months I’ve noticed rapid hairloss during shower or while woking up in the morning with a pillow covered with my hair, my sister noticed that and told me something wrong with your health you are losing hair, i immediately thought about nexium i dont know whether other ppi s causes hair loss or its just nexium but i think most ppi s have this side effects, i will stop taking nexium and will drink cabbage juice 1 quart daily cause my symptoms more likely to be ulcer , so i am taking gaviscon which really really helped for gerd and calcium carbonate didnt work for me
Now all i have to do is to schedule an appointment for upper endoscopy, i used to eat pounds of chillies daily and probably caused ulcers, so now i dont eat fat , caffeine , spicy greasy , hot drinks , chocolate , lemon and citrus and i dont eat to much at all so why i have to take ppi s and make my hair look crapy while i am on good diet, i will stop ppi s today and will only drink cabbage juice and gaviscon.
I feel those pains who has ran out of choices , ppi cause hair loss and not ppi cause heartburn.
Thanks for whom started this post cause doctors will laugh at you whenever you said something they didn’t read it
Excuse my poor english and hope the best for all
I really now what reflux and gerd do to you
I am having the same problem as everyone else on this site! I was on Ranitidine 300 mg. for 3 years for acid reflux, but it was not getting the job done. My “new” Dr. changed it in July and put me on 40 mg. of Omeprazole once a day. I did not notice any change in my hair then. After 6 weeks, I went back to her and she found no significant change in my acid reflux, so upped my Omeprazole dosage to 40 mg. twice a day! In only 2 weeks, I noticed I was losing quite a lot of hair. I didn’t associate it with the Omeprazole until about 6 weeks later. I was told to stop taking it for 2 weeks before I was to have a PH test done. After the test, I started taking it again and the hair loss became even worse! I also started feeling dizzy, having headaches, and having heart palpatations too! I immediately stopped the Omeprazole and called my Dr.’s office. I was told to take Zantac 150 instead until my next appt. with her. I refused to take that too, since it listed most of the same side effects as the Omeprazole. I am now taking antacids for the acid reflux. I started taking Biotin and Gelatin capsules for the hair loss about 3 weeks ago. As of right now, I haven’t been able to tell if my hair is growing back or not, but seems to have at least slowed up on falling out. Maybe with time it will grow back. I certainly hope so! All these medicines should be outlawed!! If they cause things like this, who knows what else they can be causing as time goes on??!! I wish we could get some kind of law suit started against the makers of them. They should have to pay us for the harm they have done to us.
ok I had significant hair loss due to nexium.. I started taking a very strong probiotic, multivitamin, fish oil, and an oral liquid hair supplement. I also went on a gluten free diet. The diet helped a lot with my stomach. I’ve had no more hospitalisations regarding my stomach and my hair loss has stopped. Oh I also completely stopped the nexium. It was awful going through the hair loss, very depressing times. I’m happy to say that all the things I take now have improved my health 100 percent. I also use once a week a caffeine shampoo for alopecia to encourage my new growth. If I hadn’t found this combination of products and also getting off the nexium, I’m sure I’d be bald. I did a heap of research, numerous blood tests, and lots of different doctors before I found all this out. I hope this helps just one person, because it was a horrible time going through losing my hair. If anyone wants to know what specific brands I use just ask. The probiotic is a practitioners range only. It’s essential to fixing acid problems. It’s also really great for mental health.
I experienced rapid hair loss with both Prevacid and Zantac. RAPID. I’m a 37 year old male with previously thick hair. Now it’s very thin. I know it was the medication because of how quickly it occurred and because a simple search on the internet leads to places like this where many others have experienced the same thing – and not just men, women too. For those asking if hair regrows, I do think my hair has rethickened after several weeks off the medicine. So there is hope. I’m just going to start using TUMS again for any stomach upset and hope that’s sufficient. Or if I need a few days of Zantac, to only use it for that long, then cut back.
I’ve also just started watching my diet more, taking a strong probiotic, etc. That has helped some.
Lots of info on reflux meds that cause hair loss. Is there a similar med that does not cause hair loss? Pepcid AC is a miracle pill for my IC, but has caused my already thin hair to begin falling out.
Would love to find an alternative that does not have that side effect. Any ideas?
I’ve had some hair loss for years now. I’m sure it has to do with menopause but I have a HRT doctor who stays on top of my numbers with bioidenticals. Just in the last year I’ve had noticeably thinning hair in front and sides. You can tell in pictures and hair stylist has had to style me hair differently to hide it. A year ago I had an endoscopy and found out I have a sliding hiatel hernia. I’ve been on omeprazole for years but only took it for acid reflux and gerd as needed, I was told I needed to take 20 mg twice a day to keep from developing cancer in esophagus. With saying all this, my drastic hair loss has been since I started taking omeprazole everyday. I never knew this was a side effect. I really don’t know what I can do. They even told me not to have surgery until it’s really bad. I’m also on lisinopril for high blood pressure. I recently found out that causes hair loss as well. So check all medications a lot of them cause thinning or hair loss.
Yeh nexium can cause severe hai loss
Hello I started taking nexium 2 months ago and started noticing a lot of hair falling, I was prescribed nexium for an ulcer, I can see my scalp and my hair keeps on falling I’ve been off from nexium for about 5 days but my question is if my hair will grow back again? I saw a lot of ppl commented about it but nobody wrote if they got their hair back.
Hi, have been to naturopath, doctor, dermatologist you name it. My hair has been falling out for years. I take Nexium but not after reading all of your posts. I can’t believe doctors don’t know the side effects. Someone should do something. Yes, they should be taken to task.
Hello All,
Thanks for this site. I have GERD and took Nexium (also Prilosec) for the past 6 years. I have lost some hair for years but nothing too crazy. But, over the past 2 years (particularly after switching to Nexium), my hair thinned dramatically. I chalked it up to aging (I’m 50 now) and didn’t make the connection. I have used good shampoos and propecia for quite a long time and figured my tricks to hold off my DNA were finally being overwhelmed by nature. But, I started researching this issue and am now 100% convinced that PPI’s – Nexium in particular – result in hair loss for a certain part of the population (maybe 30%?). Two months ago I weened myself off of Nexium through change of pill frequency, changed diet, addition of supplements and increased exercise. It’s worked great and I’ve only had a couple of reflux issues and when that happens I take some Tums. It’s a lifestyle change.
I think the hair loss is slowing. I have also noticed that my immune system is much better, my digestive system is rock solid and, if I watch what I eat, I have no more reflux than someone who doesn’t have GERD.
If anyone’s interested in weening from PPI’s and would like a plan that works just send me an email and I’ll share what I did. It worked for me and I’d like to help people ween from PPI’s, I think it’s a giant drug company scam.
Tom, I’m very interested in the plan that you mentioned in your blog concerning weaning yourself off PPI’s. My hairloss has been terrible. My condition is GERD.
Thank you!
Pam Johnson
I am shocked by the number of people suffering from this matter..
i was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis and was prescribed Nexium 40mg daily dose. I’ve been on it for over 6 months now and i noticed horrible hair fall. i never linked it with the medication as i have thin hair to begin with, however NEVER falling this excessively. i can see my scalp thats how bad it is.
for the past three weeks may hair has almost stopped falling!! i get couple strands of hair falling in the shower and almost no hair in my hairbrush!!!! i thought it was because of this new biotin shampoo I’ve been using lately. but now everything makes sense! as i had to stop Nexuim for three weeks cause i ran out of my supply!!! I’ve been off the medication for three week and started taking it two days ago as a i restocked.
what made me suspicious is just as of today i started noticing some hairs falling, and this made sense to me as nothing has changed in my diet or my lifestyle but nexium intake!
Tom, i would truly appreciate your help if possible! e-mail me and lets get over this drug
I took Nexium off and on for about a year. At one point I noticed that my hair was rapidly thinning out of nowhere. I have very thick hair and the thinning was very noticeable near my temples and crown and in the shower, whereby it was falling out a lot while washing it. I went to two different dermatologists to be told it was female pattern baldness that had reached a point of being noticeable. I didn’t buy that diagnosis at all. My hair was falling out, not thinning. Internet research brought forth the little published fact that Nexium causes hair loss. I immediately stopped taking it (only to have my gastric reflux return, unfortunately) and within 2 months 90% of my hair loss had filled back in and I see no more signs of losing any more. I’m now using Prilosec as research shows it has a far lower incident of hair loss. I have also read that taking folic acid with the Prilosec is helpful in combating potential hair loss. The side effects for Nexium show hair loss as very infrequent. Reading the hundreds upon hundreds of comments on message boards on this topic would indicate otherwise. I find it alarming that dermatologists are not aware of this fact and misdiagnose. If I had female pattern baldness my hair would not have grown back in after stopping Nexium.
I took Nexium for several years. NO noticeable hair loss. Due to insurance coverage I was switched to Esomeprazole Magnesium. Within the first month I had a severe sinus drainage, nothing stopped it. (it was serious for months and now not as severe) Second I started to feel depression. (depression of which I have never experienced) Third I notice my hair was coming out by the hands full. (I have always had a very thick and coarse hair, my best feature….LOL) Now the hair is thinning daily and head tingles often. Hair comes out by the root. Yesterday I decided to try to figure out what was going on with me. I did research on computer and discovered Esomeprazole Magnesium has all these side effects..listed on WebMD showing severe to less severe. I will be calling for an appointment with my doctor come morning. Esomeprazole is much less expensive, but why do they sell medications that are harmful to the body? I am going to discuss the Prilosec and will take your advice taking folic acid. I started taking Biotin and B12 about 3 weeks ago for the hair. I hope I do not have the female baldness pattern….since I have just turned 80 maybe that will not be the situation.
I am a 46 year old female with gastritis and GERD. I have been taking Nexium for approximately a month and have experienced rapid hair loss. I am also diabetic and take several drugs that cause a certain amount of hair loss but since taking Nexium it has increased at a rapid rate. I will stop taking the drug TODAY. I also have the tingling on the top and some on sides of my scalp. Today I showered and got a hand full out of the drain and towel dried my hair gently and got another hand full off the towel and bathroom floor. I have always had thick course hair and now I see scalp and thinning fine hair. Thanks for posting this blog. Wish I had found it earlier.
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