What Medications Cause Hair Loss in Females?

As far as medication side effects go, hair loss isn’t as bad as it could be. And thankfully, it’s not a common side effect of most medications.

Still, if you’re taking a medication that can cause hair loss, it might feel like a big problem for your scalp and confidence. The good news is that hair loss due to medication is usually reversible. Phew.

We’ll cover what medications cause hair loss in females, why this can happen, and how you can treat drug-induced hair loss.

Various medications can cause hair loss in females, including:

• Oral contraceptives

• Hormone-replacement therapy drugs 

• Anticoagulants (blood thinners) 

• Anticonvulsants (bipolar and antiepileptic/seizure medication)

• Oral retinoids (vitamin A)

• Antidepressants and mood stabilizers

• Weight loss drugs

• Thyroid medications

• Immunosuppressants

• Chemotherapy drugs 

• Antihypertensives (high blood pressure meds like beta blockers and ACE inhibitors)  

Read on to learn more about some of these medications and how they cause hair loss in women.

1. Female Hormone Medications (like Oral Birth Control and Hormone-Replacement Therapy) 

Female hormone medications, like oral contraceptives or hormone-replacement therapy, can cause hair loss and disrupt hair growth. 

Hormonal contraceptives, for example, can cause: 

• Diffuse effluvium. This is hair shedding across the entire scalp, which can leave hair looking thinner than usual. You might notice it after three to five months of using a new medication, and hair loss may improve on its own after a few weeks.

• Androgenetic alopecia. Also known as female pattern hair loss or female pattern baldness, this may happen after six months of taking birth control. Symptoms include a widening part and thinning hair.  

Check out our guide to birth control and hair loss to learn more.

2. Anticoagulants (Blood Thinners)

Anticoagulants, or blood thinners, are a class of medication that can help prevent blood clots. But these drugs can also lead to hair thinning. After all, having proper blood flow is vital for delivering nutrients to the scalp for healthy hair growth.

Anticoagulants include: 

• Warfarin

• Heparin

• Rivaroxaban

• Apixaban

It’s not entirely clear how anticoagulants cause hair loss, but they may trigger telogen effluvium, which can cause overall hair shedding. It may take a few weeks, months, or even years of taking the medication to notice hair loss.

Hair loss caused by anticoagulants may get better if you stop taking the medication. Speak to your healthcare provider about switching medications if you’re concerned.

3. Anticonvulsants (Bipolar and Antiepileptic/Seizure Medication)

Anticonvulsants are used to prevent seizures. They’re also used to treat conditions like epilepsy, neuropathic pain, bipolar disorder, and migraine, among others. 

Anticonvulsants include: 

• Levetiracetam (Keppra^®)

• Topiramate (Topamax^®)

• Valproate (Depacon^®) 

• Lamotrigine (Lamictal^®) 

• Carbamazepine (Tegretol^®)

Anticonvulsants can cause diffuse telogen effluvium — hair shedding across the entire scalp. The good news is that hair loss should improve by changing your medication dose. Your healthcare provider can recommend the best course of action.

4. Oral Retinoids (Vitamin A)

Oral retinoids are used to treat skin conditions like acne and psoriasis.

They include:

• Tretinoin (or isotretinoin)

• Acitretin

• Retinol

It’s not entirely clear how retinoids cause hair loss or affect your hairline. One study on isotretinoin and hair loss found that the side effect was rare. But it was more common in older people, those taking larger doses, and patients taking the medication for longer periods of time.

A 2022 systematic review backs this up, showing that higher doses of isotretinoin are more likely to cause hair loss.

Hair loss may be reversible once you stop taking the medication. Consider talking to your healthcare provider about whether a lower dose would be helpful for you.

5. Antidepressants and Mood Stabilizers

If you have anxiety or depression, antidepressants can truly be a lifesaver. Some antidepressants and mood stabilizers may affect your hairline, though.

Those medications include:

• Fluvoxamine (Luvox^®)

• Fluoxetine (Prozac^®)

• Sertraline (Zoloft^®)

• Paroxetine (Paxil^®)

• Imipramine (Janinmine^®)

• Bupropion (Wellbutrin^®)

In one retrospective study from 2006 to 2014, users of fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, sertraline, citalopram, escitalopram, paroxetine, duloxetine, venlafaxine, desvenlafaxine, and bupropion were followed to their first diagnosis of alopecia (hair loss).

Compared with bupropion, all other antidepressants carried a lower risk of hair loss as a side effect. Paroxetine and fluoxetine had the lowest risk, and fluvoxamine had the highest.

You might notice hair loss about eight weeks after starting an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) antidepressant. But this can be days or even years. The good news? It’s usually reversible when you stop the medication.

If you’re on any of these mood stabilizers or antidepressants, seek medical advice from your healthcare provider before abruptly stopping. They’ll help you figure out a treatment plan, so things feel good in your head (and on top of it, too).

Learn more about antidepressants that cause hair loss in our blog.

6. Weight Loss Drugs 

Weight loss medications may cause hair loss, but it’s a rare side effect. For example, in Wegovy^® trials, hair loss was reported in three percent of people.

Weight loss meds include:

• Ozempic^®

• Wegovy^® 

• Mounjaro^®

• Zepbound^®

• Liraglutide

A 2025 study (that hasn’t yet been peer-reviewed) found that hair loss from semaglutide was more common in women than men. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Wegovy^® and Ozempic^®, BTW.

More research is needed, but these meds may not cause hair loss directly. Instead, any changes in hair may be caused by rapid weight loss.

Depending on the type of medication, meds can cause hair loss in two main ways:

• Anagen effluvium 

• Telogen effluvium 

Rest assured, these don’t usually lead to permanent hair loss.

Anagen effluvium is when anagen hairs (hair in the anagen, or growth, phase of the hair growth cycle) experience a toxic or inflammatory event, resulting in hair loss. This type of hair loss is often seen after inducing chemotherapy drugs, where clumps of hair fallout are common after treatment.

In most cases, it happens quickly, within days to weeks of drug administration, and is usually temporary.

The second type of hair loss seen from medication is telogen effluvium, a form of non-scarring alopecia (hair loss). This happens when the hair follicles enter into the telogen phase (resting stage) prematurely, triggered by stress, hormonal changes, or — you guessed it — medications.

You might notice increased shedding. This can look like thinner hair on your head and more hairs than usual in your shower, on your hairbrush, and around the house.

Telogen effluvium hair loss is a little slower and becomes evident two to four months after starting treatment. It’s usually temporary hair loss. Once the medication is stopped, your hair should grow back. Reach out to your healthcare provider to see if changing meds is possible for you.

If you want to learn more about hair loss in women, our guide is an excellent resource to dig into.

Most cases of hair loss from medications are reversible. You may find your hair grows back on its own when you stop the medication.

Start by speaking with your healthcare provider to figure out a game plan. They may recommend a different medication or a lower dose to help reduce hair loss.

Next, consider hair loss treatments to promote hair regrowth. Check with a healthcare professional, like your primary care provider or a dermatologist, to make sure they don’t interact with any meds you’re on.

To stop hair loss and grow new hair, hair loss treatment options include:

• Minoxidil. Minoxidil (generic for Rogaine^®) is thought to stimulate hair growth by moving hairs into the anagen (growth) phase of the hair growth cycle. You can get minoxidil solution, minoxidil foam, and oral minoxidil.  

• Finasteride. If you’re experiencing female pattern hair loss from medication, finasteride may help. It can stop testosterone from converting into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a hormone that can cause hair loss. If you’ve gone through menopause, Hers offers a topical finasteride and minoxidil spray.

• Hair growth supplements. Supplements, like biotin, can help promote healthy hair growth. We also offer biotin + minoxidil chews and hair vitamins + minoxidil, so you can stimulate hair regrowth with medication and supplements in one daily step.

FYI, you need a prescription for some of these hair loss treatments. If eligible, you can get a prescription online through the Hers platform.

Explore more hair loss treatments for women in our guide.

Many medications can be a cause of hair loss in women (and men!). If you’re on medications causing female hair loss, there are treatments to help encourage hair regrowth.

We know we covered a lot in this guide, but remember:

• Various drugs may cause hair loss in females. Medications that may cause hair loss include birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy, bipolar and antiepileptic/seizure medications, blood pressure meds, thyroid medications, immunosuppressants, weight loss drugs, anticoagulants, oral retinoids, antidepressants, and mood stabilizers.

• Never quit any medication cold turkey. Always talk to your healthcare provider if you’re thinking about stopping your medication. They can let you know whether it’s safe to do so and may recommend alternatives or lowering your dose to help stop hair loss.

• Hair loss treatments can help with drug-induced hair loss. That includes topical and oral medications like minoxidil, finasteride, and hair growth supplements.  

If you’re ready to take the next step toward a fuller head of hair, start your online hair consultation today.