List Of Blood Pressure Medications That Do Not Cause Hair Loss
Hair loss — whether baldness or noticeably thinning hair — can happen for various reasons. While it’s more prevalent in older adults, anyone can experience it, including children. It’s typical to lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). With about 100,000 hairs on your head, that small loss isn’t noticeable. New hair normally replaces lost hair, but this doesn’t always happen.
Sometimes hair loss is a side effect of a health problem that needs to be addressed and will remedy itself when the health problem is properly treated. If you’re dealing with thinning hair or baldness, it’s important to see a dermatologist to get to the root of the problem and figure out how to stop hair loss or renew growth.
According to the American Hair Loss Association, hair loss can also be a side effect of a number of medications taken for common health problems. This is known as “drug-induced hair loss. Hair loss is not a very common side effect of drugs, but a variety of medications including blood pressure medications may cause it.
What determines the type of blood pressure medications you take?
The type of medicine used to treat hypertension depends on your overall health and how high your blood pressure is. Two or more blood pressure drugs often work better than one. It can take some time to find the medicine or combination of medicines that work best for you.
When taking blood pressure medicine, it’s important to know your goal blood pressure level. You should aim for a blood pressure treatment goal of less than 130/80 mm Hg if:
- You’re a healthy adult age 65 or older
- You’re a healthy adult younger than age 65 with a 10% or higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the next 10 years
- You have chronic kidney disease, diabetes, or coronary artery disease
The choice of blood pressure medication your doctor will recommend will depend on your age, health conditions, particularly if you’re older than age 65, and your history of side effects with certain types of blood pressure medication.
Common blood pressure medications that are known to cause hair loss include:
- Amlodipine (Norvasc)
- Atenolol (Tenormin)
- Enalapril (Vasotec)
- Hydrochlorothiazide (Apo-Hydro, Aquazide, BPZide, Dichlotride, Esidrex, Hydrochlorot, Hydrodiuril, HydroSaluric, Hypothiazid, Microzide, Oretic)
- Losartan (Cozaar)
- Lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril)
- Methyldopa (Aldomet)
- Metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol XL)
- Nifedipine (Adalat, Adipine, Coracten, Fortipine, Nifedipress)
- Propranolol (Inderal)
- Timolol (Blocadren and Timol)
Blood Pressure Medication That Does Not Cause Hair Loss
Common blood pressure medications that are NOT known to cause hair loss include:
- Furosemide (Lasix)
- Hydralazine (Apresoline)
- Minoxidil (Loniten, Minodyl, Minoxidil HTN)
- Spironolactone (Aldactone)
If you think your blood pressure medication is causing your hair loss, ask the doctor who prescribed it if hair loss is a possible side effect. It’s essential that you do not stop taking the medication before talking with your doctor. Abruptly stopping some medications can cause serious health problems.
