Metoprolol & Hair Loss (Top voted first)

I have been taking 200 mg. a day for about 4 years. I thought it was a coincidence that I've lost 50% of my hair during this time because I am also going through menopause. I just found out that it is possible the hair loss is caused by metoprolol, so my doctor just wrote me a RX for a different drug. Will my hair grow back? It was very long, down to my waist, but I've been cutting it to compensate for the thinness. I just touch my head and lose a few hairs! Any ideas?

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I have been on 25 mg of metoprolol for 2 months and my hair is rapidly falling out. I have stopped taking it. Will my hair stop falling out? Is the hair loss that I have already experienced reversable?

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Wow... Seeing all of you with this same problem is very comforting but I hate that there are others.. I'm 28 & was just diagnosed with SVT and the er dr put me on metoprolol 25 mgs a day 2x's a day and I've been on it for only 2 months and I'm experiencing extreme hair loss :(:( I've called my drs office & am trying to get my medicine for this changed next week. I will stop taking it if they can't put me on something else. I'm a very healthy person and I do not take any other medications But for my question WILL MY HAIR GROW BACK???

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My doctor put me on metoprolol about two years ago. I used to have wicked thick hair and it noticeably started thinning out. Two years later I'm shaving my head because my hair grows in so thin now. Also if I miss one day of the drug my heart beat goes really rapid and it never did that before. I plan on getting the hell off of the drug as soon as possible. I'd tell anyone who'd listen to stay the hell away from it!

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I know that Metoprolol is causing my hair loss because it is the only medication I am on. I did not have a hair loss problem before I started on this drug. Now I have two bald spots. One is at the back of my head, the other is at the side. There is also noticeable thinning of the crown area. Metoprolol has also caused my insomnia. If you do a search on Metoprolol and hair loss you will see that a lot of other people are having this problem also. When talking to the doctor about it he claimed that hair loss wasn't a side effect. I'm sure he was looking at the manufacturers list of side effects. I know better. It IS the Metoprolol. BTW, I've switched doctors and she is going to change my medication. I definitely will not allow anyone to prescribe a beta-blocker to me again. I had no heart problems to begin with so I don't know why that particular medication was chosen. Honestly I think some of these doctors are performing clinical trials on parients without our consent.

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If your hair loss truly was caused by taking Metoprolol, then yes, your hair will all grow back. BUT you were only taking 25 mg., a very low dose. There could be another source to your problem, such as a thyroid disorder.

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I finally realized that my hair is really falling out, I just thought I was going through a stage and it would stop, but when I went to put mascara on and hardly had any eyelashes left, I knew I had a serious problem. I finally figured out last night that it had to be from the metoprolol because it's the only drug I take. I am calling my doctor in the morning to get off this stuff and switch to something else...not good! Somebody should warn you about this kind of stuff!

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I also lost most of my hair, just today I learned that is due to the metoprolol
med.

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Metoprolol is a selective receptor blocker, used mainly in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension.

If you look at the monograph page:

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Metoprolol/­

You will see that hair loss is listed as a SERIOUS side effect that SHOULD NOT be tolerated for any length of time. If you are experiencing this, you need to speak to your doctor IMMEDIATELY!

As a matter of fact, my doctor just prescribed this to me on Friday, 50mgs to be taken twice a day, and that is one of the first things he told me, if I start experiencing hair loss, to stop use and contact him immediately.

Are there any other questions?

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I've taken Metoprolol for almost 2 yrs (50 mg) daily. I am 58 y/o. The ONLY other time in my life that my extremely long, thick hair had ever started thinning was when I was about 52 and going through menopause. I was not taking ANY meds a that time. It wasn't falling out in vast amounts, but more than usual. ANYWAY, fast forward to 57 y/o when I was hospitalized with HBP and type-2 diabetes (which I didn't even know I had). They also thought I had a small t.i.a. I was put on the Metoprolol and since all this scared the bejeebees out of me, I have never missed a pill. I have been eating way healthier and exercising more, so should have lost some weight. After almost 2 yrs now, I am at same weight and I am sure the Metoprolol has something to do with it. I am tired all the time, ankles and knees hurt, shoulders hurt, headaches all the time, BUT THE WORST OF ALL IS THAT I HAD AN EPIFANY! I had never associated the HAIR LOSS STARTING AGAIN to the drug! Thinking back, I started noticing more hair than usual just falling out when I gently pulled at the bottom of it. Lots more hair in the drain. I find shedded hairs on the floor, carpet, couch, it's rediculous. They say it's a side affect that only 1% of people have - that is just a flat out lie. I did read many posts yesterday that people who have stopped taking it, that the hair does regrow! I'm talking to my doctor today about this, but I do know 1 thing, don't ever stop cold turkey. You have to ween yourself off under a doctor's care and supervision. HOWEVER, I also read that it's possible that most HBP meds out there do cause hair loss, so what in the world do we do? I've read sadly where some women's hair loss is so bad that they have to wear wigs. This breaks my heart and I don't want to go there, so today is the day I make the call to my doc! I do believe and pray that the hair will regrow for you. It might take months to notice it though.

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To those who have discontinued use (because I have for the same reason and my doctor as well, was a complete F***ING joke, no surprise) how long does it take to regrow?

I've been off of this garbage for quite awhile now and I'm not sure I'm seeing the regrowth, though I'm certainly stopped losing hair fairly quickly. I read that it could take a long time (6+ months) before that starts again but, I'm wondering what you all have experienced.

What a complete joke.

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I had been taking Metoprolol for almost 5 years... all the while my hair was getting thinner and thinner! I thought it was due to using a flat iron and the typical hair loss from aging, however, now I feel it was the drug. WHY won't doctors tell us about this? My hair is nearly ruined and I'm so depressed!!! I can only HOPE it will grow back!!! I was taking Metoprolol for tremors but when I realized what was happening, I stopped taking it immediately!!! I'd rather have tremors than be bald!!!

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I agree my doctor increased my metoprolol dosage to 100 mg a day in June. By October I had lost mostly all the hair at the crown of my head and a small portion in the lower back. It was the medicine. I have high blook pressure but no underline heart condition. So I will not continue to take the medicine.

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I was on 100mg of Betaloc (Metoprolol Tartrate) and it was causing my hair to fall out. I particularly noticed it when new hair growth came through and I had random sprouts of hair sticking out at the front of my head and above my ears. My doctor wasn't sure if the beta blocker would cause that, but he researched it and so did I and we both concluded that this was the cause. I chose to reduce my dose to 50mg (not that I am recommending that others should do this), as I couldn't cope with it. My hair was so thin I too was cutting it shorter and shorter to disguise it. My consultant (I have ventricular Tachycardia) said I should see how I coped on 50mg and so far I have been fine on the lesser dose. My hair is definitely growing back! I'm not sure if doctors are truly aware that this is a side effect, but there are plenty of people who have reported this experience on on-line forums.

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Thank you for all this information, and the links. I experienced MOST of these serious side effects while taking 100mg daily of Metoprolol. Yes, I reported all these things to my doctor who never said anything except you should quit smoking. My heart rate was so slow that I passed out and cracked my head on concrete! I ended up in the ER. It wasn't until I complained constantly about hair loss that my doctor finally switched me to Lisinopril, another remedy for high blood pressure. Now I have heart palpitations. I am finallly convinced that I must find a new doctor! Thanks again.

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It took a long time, but some of my hair began to grow back. You will notice, in a few months, short hairs and think that it's breakage--but that's your new hair!

Metoprolol works on heart problems very well, but there are many other drugs out there that won't cause hair loss.

Sorry you had to find out the hard way.

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John, I posted before I believe in Feb 2011 with my story. After speaking to my dr. about the hair loss, he said there are few HBP meds that don't cause it, but apparently what he has me on doesn't list it as a side effect. It's called brand name Covaar but the generic is Losartin, 50 mg. My hair is still growing back thick and long. With the new hair growth popping up noticibly. Unfortunately, I can't say how/if the regrowth is the same because if you have male pattern baldness in your family, it may just take time or the medicine made it fall out faster than it EVER should have. It's lame, but most doctors don't have a flippin' clue what side effects these pills can cause - they're clueless until you tell them! All they know is these pharmaceutical sales people come around pushing their products and they are taking them. We are being used as guinea pigs and I am convinced of it! I pray your hair grows back. Keep the faith. Oh, BTW, I can tell you about a WONDERFUL over the counter product to try. It's in a special area by the vitamin section but it's called "vitamins for hair and nails" and the box is pink. Don't be ashamed cause it's pink, LOL> This stuff WORKS!!!!! Biotin is the best vitamin out there for hair regrowth. You can also buy Biotin in a small tablet form. Take only the recommended dose. So check the dosage of it in the "vitamins for hair and nails" to see how much is in it already. Don't want you taking too much! But do some reading about Biotin and hair growth for your own well-being and information is power!

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It will grow back. I have been off mine a month and I am soooo happy to say I have re- growth!!!!!!!!!. My hair has always been so thick and very long. So yes it should grow back....

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So if beta blockers cause hair loss what can we take for high blood pressure that does not cause hair loss?

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If you have high blood pressure, you should take something for that (a silent killer). Metoprolol is in the family of ace inhibitors, so I think all in that family can cause hair loss. BUT the good news is that there are other medicines for high blood pressure that are in a different class of drugs, such as Lisinopril--and they don't cause hair loss at all. :)

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I am in the same situation as you.. I have been on metoprolol for almost 9 years.. most of the time at 50mg 2x per day.. and some of the time at 100 mg 2x per day.. i more recently have noticed that I am losing extreme amounts of hair and until just today looking up information wondered what could cause it and I am now wondering if this is it? I am only 36 and though my mother says that her and my grandma shedded alot as they aged I feel kind of young for this and was becomming alarmed at the rate I am shedding. I am losing at the root and it is thinner. I have what they call hereditary high bp that is non causal according to doctors bc I have had it since I was 23 with no apparent reason. I am assuming that I should consult with my physician about this sooner than later after reading all this.. I see many of you have the same complaints..I haven't ever said anything to mine but think I should now that it may be the cause.

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