Amlodipine may be one of the most common treatments for high blood pressure. However, amlodipine’s side effects may include hair loss to some people, although that happens trivially. The drug may be combined with some other medications known as ACE inhibitors that cause hair loss. Some amlodipine users may also use other medications such as cancer treatment which are likely to cause hair loss. Additionally, other conditions, products, and habits may cause hair loss to users of amlodipine.
Since time immemorial, people have struggled every other day to address hair loss caused by medications and other uncontrollable factors.
That brings our attention to amlodipine, commonly used to treat blood pressure.
As lifestyle and feeding habits change over time, we may get to deal with more and more cases of high blood pressure and other related conditions.
Amlodipine helps many patients in this case, over time.
Calcium deposits in the walls of blood vessels, a process is known as calcification, cause them to become less elastic.
The lack of elasticity causes high blood pressure.
Drugs like amlodipine block the calcium in the first place, making the blood vessels relax, thus alleviating high blood pressure.
Amlodipine, therefore, becomes very instrumental in saving many lives of people battling with high blood pressure.
However, some people raise concerns that its usage may be causing hair loss.
Even though it may be a valid and genuine concern, we should consider that not every amlodipine user complains of hair loss.
There may be other separate factors that may cause hair loss to an amlodipine user.
Our article will discuss several causes of hair loss that may affect people using amlodipine.
They may include side effects of other drugs used together with amlodipine, medications for other conditions, and other causes of hair loss that are more or less natural.
Potential causes of hair loss to amlodipine users
Here are 4 potential causes of your hair loss, if you’re taking amlodipine.
1. Side effects of amlodipine
Like any other drug, amlodipine may have its fair share of side effects.
You may experience swollen limbs, headache, stomach upset, nausea, dizziness, and excessive tiredness, among many other possible side effects.
Like other high blood pressure drugs, amlodipine carries a risk of hair thinning and temporary hair loss as a side effect.
However, that may mean when you stop using amlodipine, your hair stands a chance to grow back again fully.
Even though hair loss may be a side effect of amlodipine usage, a tiny percentage of the total number of users may be affected.
That might be because our bodies react differently to different substances.
The small percentage of amlodipine users who complain about hair loss or hair thinning and the fact that it happens temporarily makes the matter of very little concern and should not worry you.
2. Other drugs in the amlodipine
Besides amlodipine, some other high blood pressure drugs classified as ACE inhibitors may be notorious for causing hair loss or hair thinning.
ACE inhibitors also relax veins and arteries and lower blood pressure but use a different method besides blocking calcium.
You may wonder how ACE inhibitors cause hair loss.
ACE inhibitors force hair follicles into a state of dormancy and thus a resting phase.
Additionally, ACE inhibitors inhibit or instead stop the functionality of matrix cells which serve to create the inner and outer shaft of the human hair.
As a result, ACE inhibitors users have to contend with hair loss and even baldness.
Some drugs may combine both ACE inhibitors with amlodipine.
You may be thinking that what you are using is pure amlodipine, and then when hair loss kicks in, you may blame it.
When that happens, you could never be more wrong.
The actual cause of your hair loss problem might be the ace inhibitors in your supposedly pure amlodipine.
3. Treatments for other conditions
It may be possible that you may be taking amlodipine besides other medications for different conditions you may have.
Therefore when hair loss sets in, you may want to check into the side effects of the other drugs first before you blame amlodipine.
A perfect example could be when someone takes amlodipine daily to assist their blood pressure while at the same time being treated for cancer.
Unfortunately, cancer treatment brings with it hair loss and even baldness.
So if you are both into amlodipine and cancer treatment, you may check out which of the two is likely to cause hair loss.
4. Other non-amlodipine causes
Even though you may be using amlodipine, you may have to consider that other completely different factors could cause your hair loss.
A perfect example could be androgenetic alopecia which causes natural hair loss as our age progress.
But unfortunately, the current market may also be filled with so many heavy hair products, primarily chemicals, that might cause you a hair loss problem.
Alopecia areata may be another probable cause of hair loss. Alopecia areata makes the immune system attack the hair follicles.
Are you the kind of person who fancies hairstyles that are too tight or the one that likes to tug at their hair when they are either angry?
Well, your habit may weaken your hair follicles and cause hair loss, only don’t blame amlodipine when you did it to yourself.
FAQs
Can BP cause hair loss?
High blood pressure may affect your heart and cause heart disease. In addition, heart complications are highly associated with hair loss.
What medications cause your hair to fall out?
Some high blood pressure treatments such as amlodipine and ACE inhibitors may be known to cause hair loss. In addition, cancer treatment may also be known to cause substantial hair loss.
Conclusion
For amlodipine users, it may be essential to get the facts straight before beginning to blame the drug, which may have saved your life many times over now.
First, hair loss due to amlodipine use happens trivially.
Second, there may be many other causes of hair loss besides amlodipine usage.
So before you second guess your choice of amlodipine, remember the odds might be riskier with a different drug, and your health and life are more important than your hair.
