Doryx and hair loss

I am 32 years old and have been prescribed Doryx and a topical acne medication for slight facial and back acne.  I have been taking the medication 5-6 weeks and for the past week or so I am noticying hair loss.  (roughly double the normal amount of hair I would loose in a day.)  My hair is noticably thinning.  Could this be a side effect of the medication I am taking?  Has anyone else experienced this?  On a side note, my skin is now completely clear.

[loiloi]

Hi. Doxycycline is prescribed for 12 weeks to control the bacteria which cause severe acne. You should finish the course even if your skin is better after 6 weeks to avoid the problem returning. However, if side effects are bothersome speak to your doctor.
Potential side effects include upset stomach and vomitting, irritation of the food pipe, loss of appetite, sensitivity to the sun and skin rashes. I cannot find any information linking doxycycline to hair loss.
Eloise.

[curefinder]

Oh my god. I've been recently prescribed Doryx 150mg. The dermatologist gave me samples (3 tablets per bottle) and I've taken 5 tablets already. I had the fright of my life as I washed my hair today-- more than the usual fell off! This has never happened to me before and I am upset and scared that since Doryx has a delayed-release formula, it will take days for my system to get rid of the drug! I'm waiting to hear from that dermatologist about this horrible side effect. But in the meantime, I'm warning everyone about Doryx. The hair loss won't happen until after a few days so there's no way to tell if you'll suffer the same consequence... until the inevitable occurs. But if it does: STOP taking Doryx and call your doctor.

[Sophie26]

Hi, I've been taking doryx for over 4 days now and I feel like I have an area on my head that seem to be losing more hair than normal. Do you know if there is any scientifics linking to hair loss with this medicine? Please respond?.. I'm scared this might cause losing hair and not reversible... even though I don't want to keep taking this medicine...if this is the case...THANKS

[Natron9876]

I've been taking the drug for a few months. I've noticed a huge difference in my hair. I've never had a hair loss problem before. I'm 28 but noone is bald in the family. I hope it's just the drug. I have been wearing a hat alot but it's never done this before. humm.. I'm off the Doryx. The stuff works great on my face!! Happy New Hair!!! I mean New Year.

[Car341]

happened to me too

[meherenow]

I was on doxycycline for just 10 days and I have lost about 80% of my hair now. Before I took doxycycline I had the thickest possible hair and it was impossible to see any part of my scalp. 7 weeks after stopping taking the doxycycline I am all but bald and have had to shave my hair to a number 1 because it just falls out everywhere. I find it incredible that so many doctors say that this is not a side effect of doxycycline but so many people have experienced this. It cannot be a co-incidence!

[moonlngvw]

I've been on doryx for about a year now.I started on 75 mg a day until a few months ago when my derm bumped me up to 150 mg.About a week after the increase I noticed hair coming out like crazy.I have always had super thick manageable hair and now it's thinning and stringy.I talked to my derm about it and he scoffed at the idea that an antibiotic could cause hair loss.I don't know what to do.

[meditam]

I have been taking Doryx too (on and off because I'm afraid of being on antibiotics for long term) but recently noticed my hair falling out in big clumps.  Today, I went to the hairdresser and they said that I was definitely lossing hair in the back of my head and showed me and my friend areas where my the thinning was happening.  I haven't changed anything in my diet or did anything to my hair so the only thing that I could think of was Doryx so I did some research online to see if I can find others who had the same problem.  When I told my dermatologist about my hair loss, he just told me that everyone loses about 100 hairs a day and long, permed, etc hair may lose more....but I was losing much more as it was apparent visually.  I was so scared to even wash my hair.  I am very upset this is happening to me as I am a professional model and keeping up with great hair comes with my career.  You can't tell I am losing hair but the feeling of knowing that I am losing tons of hair from this is very upsetting and disturbing.

[ummtray]

I'm experiencing the same problem....I had very thick coarse and pretty hair. Now it's becoming thin stringy and nappy. I am freaking out big time and really sad.  I'm 22 years old and my dermatologist has had me on this drug for a couple years and at first this did not happen, now it comes out in clumps. Does anyone else who has experienced this also have an itch dry/ dandruff scalp? I never had this before either so of course I stopped about a week ago. My hair is at least half of what it was last year. Please help someone if you know anything? How devastating as a woman to have to go through this. If losing hair was listed as a side effect (like it should be), I would not have taken this.  Clearly it's no coincidence. One more major question if anyone knows....when does this get out of my system and when will the hair loss/ itchyness stop? Is this scarring(permanent) hair loss or will it grow back!???

[carskim]

I took Doryx for 5 weeks and have lost 3/4 of my hair.  I had tons of dark, long, thick hair and now my scalp is visible and have bald areas all over.  I've been off the the medication for almost a month, but I am still losing my hair.  I started to lose my hair a week after starting Doryx and has progressively gotten worse.  It falls out in handfuls in the shower and whenever I comb my hair.  My scalp is tender and itchy at times.  I'd like to know when the hair starts to grow back - if it grows back.

[tfranklin]

Thanks for the reviews because I have been trying to figure out for the past 6 months why my hair is thinning so much and falling out in clumps when I was it. I didn't realize until yesterday that I could be the Doryx. When I went to the salon last night and she had to cut alot of my hair I was in tears. I'm natural with no chemicals in my hair and I have never had a problem with hair loss. I went from thick long hair to thin short hair. This is so sad. I'm not sure what to do because my skin has really cleared up from Doryx but if I continue to take it I will be bald with pretty skin! Not a great combination! Thanks for reviews!

[NJames2011]

I just got through speaking with a friend about her hair loss and she brought to my attention it may be because of Doryx. Since I was taking an acne medication as well and also experiencing hair loss; I decided to check and see what pill I was taking, turns out it was Doryx. This is such a sad situation. My hair was not super long, but had progessively grown and gotten more thick. I can not say the same today.

[BBosnic]

I noticed my hair was getting thinner a week into using Doryx. I stopped using it immediately and the hair loss continued for some time until the drug left my system. I haven't lost any more since then but my hair has not grown back in the 6 months since. I am considering filing a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company to atleast pay for a hair transplant because there was NO way I would've used the drug if I knew hair loss was a possible side effect. I say we come together, exchange stories and try to figure out how to get FAIRLY compensated for this (No here is looking for millions in damages) Please email me at ***@**** and share your story. I am consulting a lawyer now to see if I have a legitimate case.

[momworried50]

my son has been on doxycycline 100mg for cystic acne and had very thick long Native American hair which has become quite thin after a year an a half on this stuff and this is the first thing I have seen that makes sense as we have looked and looked for a cause. Why do doctors insist this is not possible? What is the reason if not the med? Nothing else changed!

[PizzaMan0112]

I had been taking Doxycycline for almost 7 months. I stopped taking it about a month ago because my hair started looking pretty thin as the rest of you posting here. My hair was not falling out in clumps, but it definitely was falling out more in the shower and when I would brush my hair.

I went to the docs and he said "no way" to what I was claiming. I have some blood tests tomorrow, but I don't expect anything to be out of the ordinary.

I've been off the stuff for a month, but I'm still experiencing the hair loss.

NO BUENO!

Has anyone's hair started to grow back yet?

[alejandra723]

I too am going through the same thing... I have or had beautiful coarse healthy hair.  Thankfully it's not noticeable that I have a huge patch of hair missing on the back of head but what ***** is that I know it is there.  I stopped taking Doryx too but sadden that my severe acne is returning. Have you found any answers or alternatives?

[galligoo]

I have a very similar story to all of you. I took this drug for acne and noticed my hair thinning dramatically around the same time. I did not make a connection between the two and just assumed I was balding naturally so continued to take it for 6 months. During this time I could run my hand through my hair and hair would just come right out!  My hair used to be very thick and now is so thin and my bangs are stringy and embarrassing. I have been off Doxycycline for about 4 months now and my hair is not falling out anymore so I know that it was the drug. I look back at pictures now and can see that I definitely lost about half the hair on my head from taking this medication!!! However, I can't find anything online about whether or not this is permanent. This is the only site that has several other people agreeing with what I know is true. PLEASE, does anybody know if the hair will grow back??

[linda770]

since taking Doxycycline for 4 weeks i noticed huge amounts of hair falling out. I counldnt work out what it was, as i have never had a hair loss problem before. I then did some googling and found this forum. I have lost at least 50% of my hair and it doesnt seem to be stopping!  I stopped taking Doxycycline about 2 weeks ago.
I have heard that the product Nioxin scalp treatment is meant to be very good, helping your hair grow back. I bought it the other day so we'll see if it works! I also bought biotin and lysine supplements which also i was told would promote hair growth. i will try anything! :(

[indiethestar7]

Dear linda I am almost in tears because I was perscribed Doryx last year on 12/09/2010 for my acne problem and I saw my hair fall out in lumps and completely thinned out and still it hasnt grown back, Im devasted, I truly believe its the Doryx. Should we contact an attorney because I have been depressed and lost my self confidence, using the Doryx has cost me thousands of dollars in hair products and wigs to try to grow my hair back and look normal and I am afraid to go to another dermatologist, What do we do? Maybe we should start a class act lawsuit, because This is serious and I would have never used this product had I known, There should be a warning on the bottle.

[mike0113]

I had the same problem. I took doxycycline about 5 years ago and my hair still hasn't grown back. Hair loss was not even listed as a possible side effect. I ended up taking accutane and felt no negative side effects so clearly doxycycline has an inherent flaw.

[linda770]

indiethestar7 and mike0113, I'm so sorry to hear that doxycycline has had a bad effect on you as well. As soon as I worked out that it was doxycycline causing my hair loss i contacted my dermatologist to let him know what had happened. He told me that hair loss is not a side effect (which i already knew because i never would have taken it if known!) He also said the pharmaceutical company cannot list it as a side effect until they receive a certian percentage of complaints. How ridiculous! I told him about this forum and that it hasnt just happened to me. He said that different antibiotics affect didnt people in different ways, and a side effect that i may get-other people may not. I suggest if you havent done so already contact your dermatologist as they will then transfer on the complaint to the company..i know it doesnt help our situation, but at least this could be at list listed as a side effect so people know and dont take it!!
indiethestar7 im as lost as you are as to where/what to do next. My hair is getting better, as in not as much falling out now. It is still very thin but at least there is no more falling out. I was takin 500mg of biotin per day, lynsine, and the nioxin scalp treatment. Something at least stopped my hair from more falling out.

[MissinInAction]

I started taking this medication March 2011, I first noticed a very small bald spot the end of May.. I did not connect it to the Doryx until July 7th, when i noticed my bald spot was 5 times bigger and very sore.. Thanks to everyone's reviews I have now stopped the medication. My dermatologist told me the same thing that this has never happened to anyone she prescribed this medication to before.. but bullsh*t this needs to be listed as a side effect.. there are so many people complaining about the same thing.. its a shame.. I've also noticed a great amount of thinning in the back of my head.. my hair is probably 1/3 of what it use to be I've always had very very thick hair.. and now its not even half of what it use to be.. I am so devastated I dont know what to do about my hair.. I pray it does not continue to fall out.. it's looks like there is no solution to this hair loss, does anyone know how long the medication takes to get out of your system? The dermatologist did offer me cortisone injections in the bald spot area, that could cause a indention in my head just great smh.. I'm debating if i want to try that and have a dent in my head but i really want my hair back asap..

[Sophie26]

Hi,

I was also in the same situation when I took Doryx, and honestly they should put it as one of the side effects. But I used a bunch of hair products after to make it better like Nioxin Therapy booster, I hope that will help you. My hair grew back but the spots that was lighten doesn't seem the same as it was before. I guess it'll never go back to the same but it stopped the lost of hair after I stopped the meds. Sorry to hear that you have to go through this. I was very sad when it happened to me. I thought I was going crazy but no one knows you best but yourself. So if see something wrong, stop what your using and seek a doctor. Also I am using Tazorac right now and it's done great for me, but if you use it make sure to have your face moisturize at all times. The product dries your skin and makes it peel but if your skin isn't dry then it won't be that bad. Hope that helps! take care.

[Tennis13]

I was on Doxycycline for 4 years straight to help with my acne (come to find out just taking the right birth control pills cleared up my acne in 2 weeks) and never had hair loss problems until recently when I stopped taking it about 4 or 5 months ago. So my issue doesn't really make sense if it's suppose to cause hair loss while taking it then why did I not experience it until after I stopped ? I don't have a bald spot, just more hair shedding then usual for me but I go through these excess shedding phases during different seasons of the year. I'm taking a multi vitamin now to hopefully help with the issue.

[mayballine]

Went to the doctor because I was experiencing itching and minor hair thinning. The dermatologist precribed Dorxy and the result is frightening. The front of my head is now almost bald --the hair loss was RAPID. I have since ceased  taking the medication after reading complaints about the drug on the website. The manufacturer admits to the drug causing hair loss but the information is buried --few doctors are aware of this.  

Question: Does anyone know whether the hair grows back AFTER you cease taking this drug?  I'm seriously thinking of finding a lawyer willing to start a class action lawsuit against suckers.

[julesiepoo]

To everyone who is asking if your hair will grow back, it certainly does! I took doxycycline for 4-5 months and my hair began thinning. I had  long and extremely thick blonde curly hair but with doxycycline i lost more than a fourth of my hair. My hair turned stringy lost its curl pattern and looked awful! Now after 9 months i am watching my hair grow every day. It is so painful to watch because its SO FRIZZY! i have tons of little baby hairs growing in that frizz out around the rest of my hair. They look terrible and i have never had a problem with frizz before. Hopefully in the next few months they will reach the length of the rest of my hair and blend in with my curls. Right now theyre just above my ears but I first started to see the new hairs come in around my roots after being off the drug for about 6 months! hope this helps!

[wpsalieri]

I'm in the military and have been taking doxy for almost three months to prevent malaria.  I'm 30 years old and have had ridiculously thick hair my entire life.  Other guys are bigger, more muscular, more attractive, the one thing no one has ever had on me is my hair.  And I've noticed it thinning significantly the past few weeks.  I just made the connection and have found several sites like this with a TON of people claiming hair loss despite it not being listed by doctors as a side effect.  Call me vain if you want, I'll risk the malaria.

[sunbeam98]

I have been off doxycycline for 2 months now and my hair is still thinning.  Can anyone tell me how long it will continue to fall out? I don't think my hair loss is as extreme as some that have posted here but I have lost alot of hair in the past two months.   I did contact my doctor and I got a similar response as others on the forum.  I really don't have any idea of what to do next.  Started taking a biotin supplement and probiotics to help with restoring the good bacteria in my body.  I realize it is going to take a long time for my hair to grow back but right now I just want it to stop falling out.

[fml266]

I've been losing my hair considerably fast due to the use of doxycycline. I should be off the medication within a few weeks. Has anybody that lost hair due to this medicine notice hair growing back once they were done using it?

Did anybody try rogaine? My hair hasn't even grown since i've started using doxycycline. I hope it's not done growing for life. I would love some info back about this. Anyone who has used doxycycline... Lost a lot of hair.. Got off the medication. What happens after you were done?

[MissinInAction]

i suggest u stop the medication immediately..i stopped taking it in july and my bald spot continues to grow.and i have a new bald spot the size of a quarter..who knows when it will grow back but stop the medication asap dont put more in ur system...

[hairless111]

Why does nobody write whether his or her hair has been regrowing ever since it fell out?

I have been taking Doxycyclin for Malaria Prophylaxis for 6 weeks.
My long blond hair started falling out in clumps immediately until only 5% was left. This whole process took only 3 months. Itching and sore skin inclusive. Another 4 months later I can say, that my hair has not started growing back.
I am 28 years old, from Germany and a Doctor myself. I have been doing detailed reasearch for half a year now- on autoimmune related alopecia areata, hormone related hair loss and yellow fever vaccine interactions (because I had it the same time I took Doxy). I had my blood tested by rheumatologists, dermatologists, endocrinologists and microbiologists- over and over again. But it had never occured to me that such a common and often prescribed drug as Doxycyclin may be the cause for my misery!! Now that I found your stories in this forum I am CERTAIN that this antibiotic is the cause.

The drug blocks the Protein-Biosyntheses in cells and accumulates inside them. It also binds on bivalent ions such as Magnesium, Calcium and Iron. Every of these mechanisms may have an effect on the root of the hair. I will do some research on which effect eventually destroys or damages the root and what one can do about it. If the root was just damaged but not destroyed, hair might re-grow after about 2-4 years (this is the time it takes for the roots to rebuild).  

[hairless111]

I will allow myself to post my thoughts about this issue from time to time.
Well, it does not help, but maybe somebody can come up with ideas as well (perhaps you are lucky to know a dermatologist who is open minded towards our suspicion...)

I am just now trying to find out, which biochemical mechanism it is that damages the root of the hair. Suprisingly they know pretty few in detail about how hair grow. However, explaining the possible and logical mechanism would be the first step into being seriously heard. At the same time it would help to have cases. It would need at least 100 people stating that they all suffer from itchy hairloss after or while having taken Doryx = Doxycyclin (and not suffering from thyreodea related diseases, disbalance of hormons, ect).
I have been thinking about this a lot now, but I don't know how to find and approach these people.
An interesting cohort could be, for example, military people stationed in areas where Malaria prophylaxis is required. Military changed to Doxycyclin some time ago (I bet it is for economical reasons- Doxycyclin is very, very cheap).

[victimofdoctor]

I was given Doryx for acne caused by corticosteroid use prescribed by my doctor.  My hair fell out in handfuls and it was awful.  Long story short - amoxicillin and/or augmentin both worked wonders when the tetracyclines didn't do anything but harm.  My hair shedding lessened within a week and is actually starting to grow back and in 10 days my skin was almost completely clear.  Doctors NEVER want to admit when they may have made a mistake or when a different drug might help more, but it was a miracle for me.  I hope my misery can help somebody.  I am now changing dermatologists because the one I had would rather pretend I am at fault for their mistake that make me well.

[ewebb16]

I recently went to India for four weeks. I too Doxycycline the entire time I was over there to prevent Malaria and for the whole trip I was fine. I stopped taking it about a week ago and just within the last few days my hair has started to fall out, not in giant clumps but just one or two hairs every time I brush my hand through my hair. I booked a doctors appointment for tomorrow, I'll probably have some blood tests or something like that but hopefully I can get to the bottom of it. I've taken Doxycycline before and never experienced this.

[asdfffdsa]

Well, I experieced the same problems noted by everyone above (extremely itchy and irritated scalp, and hair loss in those same areas).  The irritation subsided significantly a week after getting off of the drug, but 4 months later the irritation has yet to go away completely and I'm now noticing significant hair loss right down the middle of the top of my entire scalp (right where I feel the most irritation).  There is always at least a little bit of irritation there.  The dermatologist recommended I use anti dandruff shampoo, which I've just started (took 3-4 months to get in with one).

In 2 months or so, I'll follow up with this thread.

[MissinInAction]

I posted a while ago about my hair loss from this medication.. I stopped in July 2011 and still to this day I am losing hair.. luckily i started with a lot of hair.. the bald spot i had first is now about 3 inches long and 2 inches wide... the second one i got that was the size of a quarter is now 3 times bigger.. the dermatologist suggested i get cortisone injections in my scalp that will promote hair growth so i've have 3 treatments of that.. i received my first one in october and in december i noticed hair growth.. then i got one in jan, feb and i have another appt this month.. so far there is some hair growth that is very noticeable unfortunately the top of my bald spot continues to spread.. at least i know that hair will regrow in the spot because i was completely bald in the spot that is now growing hair from july til december I'm glad the root was not permanently damaged.. i've also been using nioxin scalp treatment so both of them combined will get you some results.. it also slows down the shedding of hair.. i still think that i will continue to lose more hair but at least its slowing down the process and at least some hair is growing back.. I hope this helps.. also my dermatologist said that the vitamin biotin helps with your hair.. I hope this helps.. so try the injections and nioxin scalp treatment..

[gregorious10]

I went to india for 6 weeks and took doxy... Significant hair loss :( Let's hear who's hair grew back!!