Tuesday, November 11, 2008 Charlie from New England asks

Q: I suddenly have several patches of hair loss and unexplained weight gain, Can medication cause this?

I takeLorazepam, .5MG twice a day; Trazadone, 50MG once a day and Bupropion HCL 200 once a day, for depression and anxiety. I also took Lamactal until recently but stopped out of concern with its potential to cause weight gain.

I have developed two problems recently: 1. Consistent weight gain --13 pounds in two months. I do not eat badly, though have had little exercise until recently. 2. Sudden and unexplained loss of hair in patches on the back of my head. This seems to be getting worse. My hair is thick everyewhere else.

Can either or both of these problems be attributed to the medications I've been taking?

Answers (1)

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Merely Me

11/12/08 10:01pm

Hey there Charlie

I began to research your question and right away I was finding people talking about a link between the Trazadone and hair loss. Sometimes the hair loss did not stop even after stopping the medication. Here is one forum where people discuss this side effect.

I would not be surprised if your weight gain is the result of one of these meds as well.

I think the best thing for you to do is to take these concerns to your doctor and pronto. You may have to decide if these side effects are worth the gains from the meds.

Let us know what the doctor tells you. And thank you for your question.

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Q: I suddenly have several patches of hair loss and unexplained weight gain, Can medication cause this?

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