Prescription medications are most commonly prescribed for health issues. These drugs, for the most part, have extremely beneficial effects, but can cause negative side effects for some individuals. Hair loss from medications is unfortunately a common side effect from many prescriptions. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to mitigate the possibility of hair loss, or cut down on its severity.

Hair loss can be caused or made more severe by certain medications, so it is important to educate yourself, and talk to your health care provider if hair loss is a concern for you. Certain medications taken for the treatment of depression, arthritis, high blood pressure and heart problems have been shown to cause hair loss in some people.

Before beginning any new medication, it is imperative to discuss the possible side effects with your physician or other health care prescriber. To help avoid dangerous or unpleasant drug interactions, you should tell your prescriber about any other medications you are taking, including over the counter medications, as well as any herbal or natural remedies. Having your prescriptions filled at the same pharmacy also helps to prevent drug interactions because the pharmacy computers will alert your pharmacist to many common potential drug interactions.

If medication is causing you to lose your hair, you need to learn about the possible treatment alternatives that are available. You need to decide just how far you are willing to go to address your hair loss. Many treatment options are very expensive and/or very difficult to undergo, and they just may not be worthwhile in your case.

Drug induced hair loss treatments can run the gamut from grooming techniques to wigs and toupees. Remember, they are only for the period of time during which you are taking the medication. Typical drug induced hair loss stops once you are no longer taking the medication and give your hair time to grow back. This leaves the wigs and hair pieces as the simplest and most immediate solution while surgery is a more extreme option.

You shouldn't agree to surgery until you've exhausted all your other options, and only if you'll have to keep taking your medication for a long time. If you're only going to be taking the medication for a short time it makes more sense to consider a less invasive option than surgery. You should consult your doctor when making these decisions so that you can avoid risk to your health.