beta blockers and hair thinning?

[Di1967]

from November last year drs started me on Bisoprolol 1.25 and blood pressure medication eventually went up to 5 mg Bisoprolol, the bad dreams and insomnia have calmed down , but I feel this has also left my hair very thin , skin and scalp very dry. Extremely flat on energy and low mood ….This isn’t my imagination I was a hairdresser in a previous life , always had a very good head of hair and prone to greasy hair/skin.

Just wandering if any others have had any of these changes ….. but out of all the side effects my hair has got me down the most…..

I’m so fed up with all the other side effects , swollen legs, tiredness, lack of concentration or stamina…… weird chest pains that I didn’t have before being prescribed all this medication

I have felt worse the last six months physically and mentally on the medication and now the waiting (torture) list for a triple bypass … sorry for the winge

[Hanibil]

Hi I take 4 x 2.5 Bisoprolol each morning, my scalp is dry not sure it’s due to the drug, but now you mention it you have me thinking, other than that I have no other symptoms

[Prada47 in reply to Hanibil]

Question why 4 x 2.5 ? I just take 1 x 10mg every morning just wondering why yours are like they are.

Regards

[ForestryPine6 in reply to Prada47]

Hi, it's a good question you put to Hanibil, I to have my Bisoprolol spread out 2.5mg in the morning and the same evening time, no reason was given by consultant as to why? I believe it lessons any side effects for me personally,but I get your point why not a single tablet of 10mg instead of 4x2.5mg? Do they have a 10mg Bisoprolol tablet I wonder 🤔

[Prada47 in reply to ForestryPine6]

They do indeed have 10mg Bisoprolol. I take mine at 0800 along with my 1st Entresto of the day second Entresto is at 8 pm ! That was from the Hospital pharmacy. I do take Lansoprazole 15mg 1st thing in the morning before anything else !

Regards

[Hanibil in reply to Prada47]

I think it’s because they originally told me to take two in morning and two at bed time, but then decided I should take it all at once in the morning. Then changed again saying take three in morning and one at bed time. And now am back to all four in the morning.

[meadfoot]

My hair thinned drastically when I started on beta blockers. I saw all the minute new hair growth in the bath each time I washed my hair. It didnt recover and I have thin patches.

[Blackknight57]

probably most of the effects are down to blood supply rather than meds.

[Sharpglo]

yes, me exactly. Have been losing handfuls of hair. Skin real strange now and peels like rubs off in Water. I also suspect my thyroid medication is messed up with these drugs. I don’t have a thyroid gland. I decided to take an extra .25 mg about 3 times a week which could be helping, cross fingers. I also get a tightening around my knock and need to lay flattish.. Dr no darn help. Awaiting a biventricular pacemaker.

[CatLady246 in reply to Sharpglo]

I have hashimotos thyroiditis and since I had my nstemi, I am all over the place. I have been in a flair up since it happened and I am totally with you on interaction. My brain fog is off the scale and concentration is non existent. Bone and muscle pain and total fatigue hair loss etc I was on Atorvaststin previouslyand was not able to function at all. Stopped that and GP changed to rosuvastatin and after reading up on it and interaction with thyroid meds, my gp took me off it totally for a month to see if my symptoms improved. I am now 3 weeks in. The pain has eased a little better than it was when on it. The brain fog etc are back to a normal thyroid brain fog so eased a bit. All of the symptoms are back to a thyroid normal feeling. That will make sense to you hopefully and my hair is not falling out as much. I am still on all the other medication for nstemi but the clopidogrel stops next week so will see if anything else changes after I stop that. Good luck finding the solution to the extra cause xx

[GCWhits]

Hi, if you're a woman, born in 1967 (as your username suggests) then your symptoms of hair thinning and hair loss could well be due to the menopause, or being post- menopausal. Lots of women experience that around this age- including me🙁

[valeriep in reply to GCWhits]

That's true, but it is a known side-effect of bisoprolol too, so the two combined make a perfect storm for hair loss. I asked a cardiac nurse what I could do about my thinning hair and the answer was basically 'nothing'! I don't think they realise how demoralising hair loss is for women - men too of course, but I think it's worse for females.

[fishonabike]

hair thinning and/or loss is a known side effect of beta-blockers

some people's hair recovers on stopping some don't - I wish I could offer some helpful advice but that's beyond my experience - but I can identify with the feeling down, it's bad enough having a condition which limits your choice of activity, but side effects from the treatment are and additional problem you could do without

I hope you can find ways to live with this

[maggie80]

I wonder why you haven't been prescribed Aspirin. Maybe, you could tale 1 2.5 Bisoprolol plus an aspirin a day. Phone the hospital and ask the question.

[valeriep in reply to maggie80]

Aspirin isn't a beta blocker; it's a blood thinner.

[isobelhannah18]

My hair is much thinner since I started Bisoprol. I now keep it really short and I don't think it looks quite as obvious, but it's really dispiriting. I used to love going to the hairdressers and having lots of different styles. It must be even worse if you're a hairdresser. It also makes me fatigued. I tried Ivabridine for 18 months as an alternative but it didn't make any difference.