Has anyone experienced hair loss while taking Spironolactone?

I am 50 years old and have had cystic acne since my teens. I took Acutane in my 20's and it helped for a long time until the pass year or so when I hit menopause. Now it's back and I'v been on Spiro for over 6 months and I've been so stressed about what's been causing my massive hair loss and thanks to this site, I now know I was right. I even went to my dermatologist about my hair loss and she didn't say anything about the possibility of it being the Spiro. I will go on Acutane again before I ever take another Spiro again. I'm quitting as of now. Hope it doesn't take 2 years to get my hair back.

Your post comforts me some. I remember asking questions about spiro when derm decided to put me on it. She said it can help with hair thinning, acne, blood pressure, etc. And i distinctly remember replying that hair was no issue (i could pop hair ties!) Now here I am with visibly thin hair. I'm so sick over it.

Hi I am 42 and had some cystic acne due to stress and hormonal imbalance and was put spironolactone as a first attempt to treatment . My acne cleared within 2 weeks and I took the medicine for 6 months . I quit after 6 months and exactly 2 months post that my hair started falling in clumps . After 3 months I was put on 100 mg oh spiro by docs as they suggested it will help my hair . I constantly took vitamins and supplements along side . My hair has continued to fall over last 1 year and I have seen my hair turn to brittle dry and wispy . I had long thick lower back length hair and now I m left with unmanageable straw like thin hair . I have lost 60 percent of my volume . I have now reduced my spiro to 50 mg as I feel it's not helping me and plan to ween off . It has also caused my cycle to be every 2 weeks and major insomnia . I am very stressed and depressed . Pl suggest will my hair grow back and did you get your growth back . My hair are super fragile right now .

I am 39 and been on and off Spiro 100mg daily for about 1 year now and have noticed significant hair loss. My scalp is showing more as well. I talk to the dermatologist and my Primary Care doctor and they all say it's not the Spiro. I totally disagree and after reading all of this definitely know it is the Spiro. I am stopping ASAP.

Crazy how they deny it, huh? I asked a pharmacist friend snd she said yes, especially if taken a while.

DrDonovan
I was prescribed Spiro for my Alopecia. In the first few weeks my hair loss slowed right down it was amazing. I have been taking this drug for 6 months now and noticed in the last 2 months an increase in the loss of hair again. My dermo increased the dose to 200mg per day but it hasn't got any better in fact its getting worse. I don't know weather to stop all together or what to do. I can't get an appointment for ages... Please help :(

My 13 year old daughter started taking Spiro 3 weeks ago. 50mg am and 50mg pm for acne and hair loss. She has PCOS. Her hair loss has severely increased to the point of tears... but her skin is looking so much better. What would you suggest?

Dr Donovan, I started taking spiro 9 days ago at 50mg and stopped taking it today due to fear of hair loss. What are the chances that I will lose my hair in this manner 3-4 months from now? Or does that only happen in rare cases and when people consistently use the drug that builds up to this point? Thank you

Dr. Donovan, I began 100mg of spiro for hair loss 5 months ago. Just like you had mentioned, telogen effluvium began after 3 months in. I stuck it out but it's been 2 more months of losing excessive amounts of hair. In your experience, does this end or continue? There are mixed views on this and I really cannot afford to lose more hair at this point without the chance of it stopping! Please share your experience of those who had telogen effluvium at month 3-4. Thank you.

Thank you for this answer, Doctor. And how long this "telogen effluvium" will last? Will it go away itself or I need to do something about it to get ride of it? I'm taking spiro 140mg/day for MtF HRT reason, and I notice this hair losing problem the second week I start HRT, It's the 8th week now, still losing over 500 hair per day, my androgen level is very low now(half of a 7 years old boy level low), so I think is not MPHL, what I should do? Check my blood iron level?

I have never had low iron levels. My diet and genetics provides me with sufficient iron. I've had regular blood work which showed nothing abnormal. The spironolactone was the cause.

Rossjam, any updates? I'm still shedding around 150 a day. I don't know if it was spiro or trazadone, which makes this harder to figure out. I stopped both a month ago and no change so far. :(

Trinitytx: Its been about 3 months since I stopped taking spiro and my hair continues to fall out pretty rapidly. I only wash it about once every three days or so which has benefited me emotionally (not seeing the clumps come out in the shower and after blow-drying) but I'm probably losing about 150-200 hairs each time I wash it. :( I haven't experienced new hair growth but cut my hair shorter and that has really helped me feel better about the density. Once I notice either new hair growth or when the shedding slowsI will definitely let you know! I really rely on these comment boards to give me hope :\.

I'm so sorry to hear that. I know how terribly distressing this is. I am only washing my hair twice a week too because it is just hard on my emotions. My hair doesn't even look the same. I think at this point I have lost a 3rd of it. I really hope you recover soon.

Hey rossjam,

Can you tell me which part of your hair is affected? Mine is mostly the crown, temples, and sides (which of course also describes aga sigh). This sucks

Hey trinityx - sorry for late reply! Mine is thinning mostly on the sides and temples as well :/. Good news is I'm coming up on 6 months since stopping the medication and I really think things have slowed down. I wash my hair once every 2-3 days now and not as much is coming out in the shower. Still haven't noticed any new hair growth yet though. Has anything changed for you?

Hey rossjam,

That's great to hear! It gives me some hope. I have been fluctuating between 150-250 strands lost. I still have bouts of sore scalp. I am about to reach 4 months since stopping in a few days. I saw my derm again last week and this time she says it is probably telogen effluvium (probably because of the drastic change since May). Granted, I am still able to hide it fairly well, but of course I notice it and have some days of intense anxiety which I am sure doesn't help. Reading your post makes me feel so much better though! :)

When did you start to see a decrease and how much do you think you're shedding now? p.s. did you ever get sore scalp? Sorry for all the questions, but like you said, I come back here because it makes me feel better ;).

Hi trinityx,

No worries at all - keep the questions coming! I started to notice the hair loss slowing about a month ago, so right at about 5 1/2 months. It wasn't drastic at first but I thought " wow I'm not thinking as much about my hair... why is that?" and then realized its because it wasn't falling out as much.

I too remember sore scalp in the first two months before a lot of the hair started falling out. I'd say I'm shedding maybe 100-150 per day? But I haven't counted in a while. I'll check tomorrow and report back :).

Me too!!! !!!

I have experienced the same stuff .. been on Spiro for years ... loved it ... but slowly realized my eyebrows... my body hair and my hairline was going. Got diagnosed with Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia. I swear the Spiro had something to do with it.

I have been on Spirronolactone for 2 weeks and have noticed significant hair loss. I have bald spots and didn't have this 2 weeks ago. I also take thyroid medication but have never in 19 years experienced hair loss. I'm certain it's the Spironolactone! I'm very worried it won't grow back so any advice would be appreciated.

Phillips, thank you for sharing your experience. I stopped the spiro on August 4, 2016, and I have photos showing much more fine hair around the hairline. It's good to know that it can take a year to improve. I started trying minoxidil today, but I'm wondering now if that is necessary. Perhaps I should just wait a year and see if my hair comes back like yours did.

UPDATE: I only did the minoxidil for a few days. I think my hair is coming back well enough without it. I will decide in January (5 months post-spiro) whether to try it again. My derm told me it could take 4-6 months for my hair to recover after stopping spiro (or any medication).

Maybe your dose was too high. I was taking 25 mg for hypertension. It didn't even work that well. I had to add on two new meds, and together they worked ok for a while.

I am Still shedding horribly. It's been two years. I stopped Spiro and after 4- 5 Mos, the shedding peaked, as did my cystic acne. Talk about a horrible combo. Although still shedding, I still get regrowth, so I'm guessing I'm stuck in a chronic telogen effluvium cycle. I no longer have cystic acne, however. I stopped eating dairy and gluten, and my face cleared up (as did my keratosis pilaris on the back of my arms). Shed also improved, but still abnormal and awful. Scalp biopsy showed TE only, so I'm going to keep hoping it will resolve with time. I've had over 50% diffuse loss, and am still able to somewhat hide it, but I miss my old hair.

P. S. If you have acne, do try eliminating dairy dairy (skim milk is especially bad for skin). It's remarkable how much that was a culprit for me.

I am experiencing hair loss at the moment from spiro. This is so scary. Wondering if you guys have updates on your hair since your posts? Please tell me this shedding stops and hair grows back in.

I hope everyone reports their experience on the fda online website. Maybe then derms will realize it happens

I had my thyroid tested, as part of my normal checkup, and it was fine. Why do doctors want to see hair loss as caused by thyroid dysfunction rather than as a side effect of medication? I've also heard veiled references to "life" and "your age" (50-ish). Sorry, it's not that. When I stopped the spiro, my hair started growing back. I'm even a year OLDER now!

Mine too, but mostly at the top and crown. I've also noticed that when they fall out, the part closest to the bulb is quite wiry.

I have been on it 1 month.. I noticed 2 weeks in my hair was so dry and brittle!! And started falling out. I changed shampoo and conditioner and it didnt help. So now i pinned it up and not washing it all all. I cant believe in 1 month my hair has fallen out this much. But today i went to pick up another medication and they gave me the refill of spironolactone i asked my pharmacist if losing hair could be a side effect of taking spironolactone and he said absoutly!! He said call your doctor and have him prescribe you something else for edema.. One other thing i also noticed and was told by several people how well my skin looked especially my face.. But i rather have my hair back. I dont even have acne. Go figure.. So im not taking it anymore see what happens in a month from now. Well keep you all updated untill than im still super depressed!!

Well the good thing is you didn't take it long! Don't worry, you won't go bald, even though you may think so. It's telogen effluvium and you will recover. I have been losing hair for 3 mos since stopping, but I took it a long time before making the connection :/. I still have a full head of hair, although I have lost a ton, and it's only really obvious to me. I had bad anxiety over it too and shed many tears, but coming to this forum makes me feel better. Btw, I shed a ton (like 300 in shower now), but I only wash my hair twice a week for my sanity so that could be why the extra strands lost, I dunno. Spiro made my skin great too, but I woukd rather have my hair. Feel free to message whenever as I know how distressing it is, especially at the start.

I know this is years later ... but how is your hair now ? I hope stopping Spiro helped. I have been on it for years and I am in tears looking at my receding hairline and my missing eyebrows.

I have been off spiro for 5 months. I started seeing improvement about 3 weeks ago with fluctuations of good days and bad/higher shed days. I took antibiotics which helped with folliculitis. The stinging and burning is almost gone and now I just have soreness sometimes. From reading chemo boards, this is common in hair loss AND growth, so I really hope it's the latter. I started taking viviscal also, but I think it's making me breakout :/. I would rather have hair though. Thanks so much for posting back. It's good to have support.

Aralexisry, I have been on spiro for 10 months and shedding is so bad. I actually was put on it for hair loss and it stopped for three months. But after those three months I can't get the shedding to stop. I was also diagnosed with TE as well as androgen alopecia. I wanted to see how you were doing with being off of spiro. I'm really contemplating on getting off of it

I agree, both derms denied it could cause it, but I had no issues prior. I seem to slooooooowly be improving. On non-was days now I lose on average of 85. Wash days went from 300 to about 70 (but I still lose another 70 throughout day after).

I am seeing fluctuations, which I believe is normal. I also have some regrowth (i part hair and put a white paper there and the little hairs are visible), it just hasn't quite kept up with the loss. The bad burning and red pimple things (folliculitis) is gone, but now I just have occasional soreness. Nizoral seems to help a bit. I also use Toppik which works great to cover the sparse areas.

P.s. i also finished 4 mos of taking doc recommended iron to raise my ferritin from 35 to 90 now (this may have helped in regards to what Dr. Donovan mentioned elsewhere in this thread).

Trinitytx,
One more thing: what do you mean by this, "i part hair and put a white paper there and the little hairs are visible"? I put a white paper next to my part, but I'm not sure what I'm looking for.

Nola,
I have dark hair, so when I part my hair in different areas around my hair and lean a white paper to both sides of my hair in the part, i can see 1 inch hairs in some areas (not all). From what I have read on different forums, it can take follicles some time to start producing hair after a telegen effluvium. I am so ready to be over this. My mood is affected by how much I lose that day.

Hey trinityx,

How's your hair doing now? Last you posted you were seeing some regrowth, yay! Is that still the case?

My hair loss is slowing a lot but it's been about a year since the shedding started and I've haven't experienced any regrowth at all :(.

Hey Rossjam,

Sorry, didn't get a notification. Well, I have no idea what is normal anymore. Starting in January, i have had most days under 100 loss per day, a few days over. I do have some regrowth, but it doesn't seem to be enough. I read follicles can stay dormant awhile with TE, so I am hoping it's that.

I don't lose much in the shower anymore, but if I comb or brush, that's when I start getting those higher numbers.

Part of me wants a biopsy, but apparently te recovery and AGA can look similar ugh. I hate this. Is there direct messaging? We could exchange info

Hi Trinixity & Rossjam, How are you ladies doing? I'm one month off spiro and still shedding:(

The spironolactone poison also had other effects: (1) my hair became VERY dry (no oils to lubricate it when rubbed between two fingers); (2) my scalp was dry (no real need to wash my hair as it never got oily! -- but very unhealthy looking, even when clean); and (3) I had NO sexual interest or response (listen to the crickets when I tell this to doctors... they had absolutely NO comment). Within two weeks of ending spironolactone, my hair oils had returened and I had normal sexual lubrication and response. My hair density is slowly improving.

Have you noticed any changes since you’ve stopped taking the Spironolactone? I’m in the same boat as you and I’m totally freaking out! I have more hair than anyone should ever have, however, it’s receding and thinning on the top. I’ve been on Spironolactone for about 2 yrs. My derm tells me it’s not from the med. that I have AGA. No one in my family has hair loss. Help!!!

I used rogaine in the past but never stuck with it. It didn't seem to do anything - probably because I didn't use it regularly. Then I went to see a specialist and decided it's now or never - before my hair is all gone. My mother went almost totally bald in her 80s. so I was given spiro and told to add back the rogaine. At first with 50mg things were going okay. I had trouble (felt really lousy) when I had to increase it to 100mg. So I did that slowly by cutting the second pill in half until I could take the whole thing without feeling awful. So now at 100mg for about three weeks and my hair is falling out all over the place - in the sink, on my bed, on my desk at work. The rogaine alone didn't have this affect so it must be the spiro. Also my thinning of my hair pattern has changed. I used to have a horseshoe shaped pattern - now the front two inches are almost bald but the back top has the thickest hair on my head now. Figure that!!! I just called the doctor to see what next. I want off of spiro - it's obviously the cause of it.