Has anyone experienced hair thinning from Vicodin/painkillers?

[abcd09]

I noticed while washing my hair that my right side felt "thinner" than my left. I can feel the coldness of my fingertips on my scalp, it feels like less hair is there.

At first I thought I had overprocessed hair on the right side. But I don't remember my hair feeling this way during the past washes.

Next I thought maybe my left side was just damaged and therefore thicker, which it very well may be, and my right side was overmoisturized in an attempt to baby the left side. But it still feels like less hair.

I tried taking a picture but I only have a camera phone and it is nearly impossible to get a scalp shot.Before my fiance went to bed I asked him to look through my scalp and he said he didn't notice anything...but I'm not sure if I can trust what he's saying.

A lightbulb went off that maybe I am experiencing thinning on my right side only due to taking vicodin for dental work for about a week and a half. After the pain stopped, I stopped taking it (it's been 4-5 days). I think I started noticing thinner, limper, strange acting hair maybe a week after I started on the medication. But I did not notice any more fallen hair than usual in my comb or on the floor.

I looked online and I don't see any doctors saying it causes hair loss, but some lay people are saying it does.

Has anyone had this experience with painkillers? Did your hair grow back after stopping the meds??

 

[GIJane]

Yes. I received bald spots in my hair from Vicadin and percocet.

 

[abcd09]

GIJane, did they ever fill in?

 

[GIJane]

Yes. That was about two years ago. But my left side is significantly thinner than my right. Just time and good hair practices will help.

 

[Coffee]

I've been on vicodin for the past 4-5 years and have had no thinning or hair loss. In fact, my hair has grown and gotten thicker. This is the first hearing of thinning hair from Vicodin. I don't think just taking it for the short amount of time that you did, would cause any hair problems.

 

[abcd09]

I've been on vicodin for the past 4-5 years and have had no thinning or hair loss. In fact, my hair has grown and gotten thicker. This is the first hearing of thinning hair from Vicodin. I don't think just taking it for the short amount of time that you did, would cause any hair problems.

Interesting. How much do you take?

I was alternating vicodin with iburpofen every 2 hours, per doctor's orders. My doctor switched me to vicoprofen due to the vicodin having absolutely no effect on lessening the pain and I was about to bash my head in. Vicoprofen is a mixture of hydrocodone with ibuprofen instead of tylenol. So basically I was taking the maximum dose of ibuprofen (800 mg)every four hours for 10-12 days consistently. I read somewhere that people had been experiencing hair loss from ibuprofen, but whomever the doctors are online deny that it is common. I also agree that it's too short a time to have such an effect, it can't thin 10% in 10 days can it? Then again I was taking a heck of a lot more than I should for longer than I should so maybe it did.

Otherwise I'm not sure what could be causing the thinning. I got a relaxer in September and it did not feel this way, nor have I been noticing globs of hair anywhere.

I really hope the hair thickens up back to normal soon. I'm off the meds and I plan on staying far away from the blood thinner medications like ibuprofen for awhile.

I cannot take another setback. It's driving me mad.

 

[GIJane]

i notice a lot of shedding the next day after starting on the meds. My aunt had the same reaction and her Dr. took her off of them. You was presribed percocet. My hair is thriving now. I no longer have bald spots. But I know for me I can't take Vicodin.

 

[Coffee]

Interesting. How much do you take?

I was alternating vicodin with iburpofen every 2 hours, per doctor's orders. My doctor switched me to vicoprofen due to the vicodin having absolutely no effect on lessening the pain and I was about to bash my head in. Vicoprofen is a mixture of hydrocodone with ibuprofen instead of tylenol. So basically I was taking the maximum dose of ibuprofen (800 mg)every four hours for 10-12 days consistently. I read somewhere that people had been experiencing hair loss from ibuprofen, but whomever the doctors are online deny that it is common. I also agree that it's too short a time to have such an effect, it can't thin 10% in 10 days can it? Then again I was taking a heck of a lot more than I should for longer than I should so maybe it did.

Otherwise I'm not sure what could be causing the thinning. I got a relaxer in September and it did not feel this way, nor have I been noticing globs of hair anywhere.

I really hope the hair thickens up back to normal soon. I'm off the meds and I plan on staying far away from the blood thinner medications like ibuprofen for awhile.

I cannot take another setback. It's driving me mad.

Now that I think about it, you could be allergic to Vicodin. I'm taking 10/500. I did have a reaction to Oxycodin after my knee replacement, so I had to stop taking them. It was only a week when I started to notice a lot of itching, especially in my scalp.

 

[aviddiva77]

Hmm. I take ibuprofen for my menstrual cramps (about 1300 mg every 6 hours for 3-4 days each month) and have yet too see any thinning.

 

[abcd09]

bumping for more responses. still trying tof igure out why my hair on the right side got thinner. it doesnt seem to be thinning more, from what i can tell