How Can You Treat Drug Induced Hair Loss
There is a very likely chance that if you’re experiencing hair loss primarily as a result of a drug you’re taking, the hair will grow back on its own once you stop taking the medication. Its important to talk to your doctor before stopping, as the medication is certainly a necessary one for whatever medical condition its treating. However, if stopping the drug does not improve hair thinning, you may need to be treated with finasteride or minoxidil , medications that are known to slow hair loss and stimulate new hair growth.
What Should I Know About Storage And Disposal Of This Medication
Keep this medicine in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of the reach of children. Store at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture .
Unnecessary medications must be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and others cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medicine down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medications is through a drug take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage / recycling department to find out about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA Safe Drug Disposal website for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.
It is important to keep all medicines out of the sight and reach of children, since many containers are not resistant to children and small children can easily open them. To protect young children from poisoning, always close the safety caps and immediately place the medicine in a safe place, one that is upright and out of their sight and reach.
What Should I Know About Rituxan Vs Ocrevus
Rituxan and Ocrevus are both used to treat certain conditions that affect your immune system.
Both medications are given by healthcare professionals as an intravenous infusion.
Rituxan contains the active drug rituximab, but Ocrevus contains the active drug ocrelizumab.
If youd like to know more about how Rituxan and Ocrevus compare with each other, check out this drug article. And talk with your doctor about which drug they recommend for you.
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Treatment For Depressive Episodes
Depressive episodes are a particular challenge because many antidepressant drugs pose a risk for triggering mania. It is not clear if standard antidepressants work for bipolar depression. Depressive episodes are very difficult to control and people who do not respond to mood stabilizers may endure prolonged depressive episodes up to 2 to 3 months.
Lithium or lamotrigine are the standard first-line treatments for depressive episodes. Many studies indicate that lithium works better for controlling manic states, and that lamotrigine works better for bipolar depression.
If improvement does not occur within 2 to 4 weeks, an antidepressant may be added. Antidepressants alone are not recommended. The first choices for antidepressants are bupropion or SSRI such as fluoxetine .
Other drugs are also approved specifically for treatment of bipolar depression. Symbyax combines the atypical antipsychotic olanzapine with the SSRI antidepressant fluoxetine. Quetiapine is an atypical antipsychotic which is approved for both treatment of bipolar mania and bipolar depression. Lurasidone is an atypical antipsychotic approved for treating adults with depression associated with bipolar I disorder. It can be used either alone or in combination with lithium or valproate.
Other Treatments
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How To Diagnose Drug Induced Hair Loss
If you think that you may be experiencing hair loss as a result of a medication, you should speak with a healthcare professional, particularly the doctor that prescribed the suspect medication. Some of the early signs of excessive hair loss include an increased amount of hair on your pillow, more hair on your brush, and more hair in the shower drain.
Whenever a doctor is attempting to diagnose drug induced alopecia, they will take a complete medical history in order to account for the new medications, changes to doses, and family history of hair loss.
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Hair Loss And Medication
Hair loss can happen for several, and one common side effect of a large number of prescription drugs is hair loss. Some medication can be toxic to the hair follicles and this can alter the hair growth cycle, which over time can lead to an abnormal growth cycle and cause hair to shed faster than it can grow causing hair loss.
Medication can be the cause of the problem for some, however, it is important to remember that in most cases, medication will only cause temporary hair loss and after discussing it with your GP a change in dosage or a change to the medication can cause the hair loss to stop.
If you feel a medication you are taking is causing hair loss you can firstly ask your pharmacist for a complete list of the manufactures warning to see if hair loss is listed as a possible side effect and the next step would be visiting your GP to discuss your medication and how you could stop hair loss.
Increased Risk Of Death In Older Adults With Psychosis Due To Dementia
Vraylar has a boxed warning for the increased risk of death in older adults with psychosis due to dementia. Vraylar belongs to a class of drugs called antipsychotics. These drugs are known to raise the risk of death in older adults with this condition.
What might help
Other treatment options besides Vraylar may be a better fit for an older adult with dementia-related psychosis.
If youre age 65 or older and develop dementia while taking Vraylar, your doctor will likely have you switch to a different medication.
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Why Do Antidepressants Cause Hair Loss
The type of hair loss generally caused by antidepressants is called telogen effluvium. Telogen effluvium occurs when your body is stressed in some wayperhaps by childbirth, illness, surgery, mental stress, poor nutrition, or medicationwhich causes hair follicles to enter into the resting stage prematurely. Because more hair follicles are now in this resting stage, more hair is shed, leading to diffuse hair loss all over the scalp.
Treatment For Manic Episodes
Step 1. Determine the Need for Hospitalization and Eliminate Triggers
The first step in treating an acute manic episode is to rule out any life-threatening conditions and eliminate any triggers, such as antidepressants or other substances that can elevate moods. People often require hospitalization at the onset of acute mania.
Step 2. Control Symptoms of Mania with a Mood Stabilizer
Initiation of a mood-stabilizing drug is the critical first step. It may take several weeks for a mood stabilizer to take effect, and other drugs may be needed.
- Either valproate or lithium is the standard first drug for most manic episodes. Lithium is effective for most hypomanic and manic episodes.
- Carbamazepine may be used in place of valproate to treat people with multiple manic episodes, mixed episodes, and rapid cycling. Combinations of these mood stabilizers may be used if the person does not respond to a single drug.
Step 3. Addition of Other Treatments
Other treatments may be added to speed recovery, treat any psychosis, and achieve remission:
Step 4. Withdrawal of Some Drug Treatments
In cases of improvement and sustained recovery, the antipsychotic or benzodiazepine drugs are slowly withdrawn and only the mood-stabilizing drug is continued.
Step 5. Continuation of Mood Stabilizers
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You Might Feel A Sense Of Restlessness
Antipsychotics may cause a side effect known as akathisia, which is a sense of motor restlessness that sometimes feels a lot like symptoms of anxiety.
For some people with this side effect, its like having a motor running inside them that they cant keep still, and sometimes its difficult to distinguish from people who are feeling anxious, Margolis says.
You Might Feel A Bit Drowsy
Dr. Margolis says antipsychotics have a sedative quality that often causes drowsiness. In most patients, the effect is mild and temporary and might even be helpful for those who have difficulty sleeping.
But in other cases, this can, of course, be problematic if someone is experiencing excessive sleepiness during the day. If that sleepiness is making it difficult to do what you need to do during the day or interfering with your job, school work, or relationships, your doctor may be able to adjust your dose.
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Treatment For Rapid Cycling
The first step in treating rapid cycling is to try to identify and resolve other factors, such as drug abuse or hypothyroidism , which may have caused this condition. Antidepressants, particularly SSRIs, may contribute to rapid cycling and are usually tapered off.
Rapid cycling can be challenging to control and there is no consensus on how which drugs are most effective in treating it. People may need to try different medications to see what works.
In general, lithium and valproate are the first-line treatments for rapid cycling associated with bipolar I disorder, and lamotrigine for bipolar II disorder. Atypical antipsychotics such as aripiprazole, olanzapine, and quetiapine may also be tried. ECT may be useful in some situations.
In addition, other measures should be taken:
- People should avoid anti-anxiety drugs, alcohol, caffeine, and stimulants.
- People should avoid exposure to bright light.
- All efforts should be made to help the person sleep normally.
Alcohol Use And Vraylar
Alcohol isnt known to interact with Vraylar. But drinking alcohol during your Vraylar treatment could raise your risk for certain side effects of the drug.
Drinking alcohol with Vraylar can raise your risk for side effects such as:
- nausea
- upset stomach
Alcohol can also make symptoms of certain mental health conditions, such as depression, worse.
If you drink alcohol and have questions about alcohol use during your Vraylar treatment, talk with your doctor.
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The Emotional Impact Of Hair Loss
Hair loss can be traumatic in part because its so visible. You may feel that it reveals to the world that youre a cancer patient, threatening your privacy. And you may have to deal with it around the same time that youre facing other unwanted changes to your body and appearance due to treatment.
Of course, not everyone reacts to treatment-related hair loss in the same way. For some, it can be devastating, especially at the beginning. For others, its a big inconvenience but it doesnt affect them as deeply.
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Hormone Replacement Therapy For Menopausal Hair Loss
Hormone replacement therapy, sometimes called menopausal hormone therapy, is a popular treatment among menopausal and postmenopausal women who wants to supplement the estrogen that the body loses upon reaching menopause age.
HRT can improve the effects of menopause and provide relief from its discomforting symptoms. Likewise, it can offer benefits for serious health complications that older and postmenopausal women may be at risk for such as osteoporosis and colon cancer. There are two main types of hormone therapy:
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Some Of These Side Effects Can Be Serious So It’s Important To Talk To Your Doctor About All Aspects Of Taking An Antipsychotic Before You Start And While You Adjust
And, of course, these arent the only side effects you might experience.
For instance, it’s also important to note that antipsychotics could interact with other drugs that youre taking, Pandurangi says. Birth control pills and common over-the-counter painkillers aren’t usually an issue. But some drugs prescribed for bacterial or viral infections and gastroesophageal reflux disease , as well as some antidepressants and antiepileptic drugs, may cause problems.
Pandurangi adds that some antipsychotic side effects, like drowsiness, tend to go away within the first few days. But if youre experiencing side effects that last more than a week, you should notify your doctor. They might then be able to lower the dosage of your medication or discuss switching to another antipsychotic that could produce fewer side effects for you.
If someone is being treated for delusions, hallucinations, and thought disorders, antipsychotics really are the mainstay,” Dr. Margolis says. “But we have a choice of different onesusually theres something that can be found that will be tolerable for side effects and effective with treatment.”
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You Could Notice Some Anticholinergic Effects
These effectsincluding changes in salivation, sweating, urination, bowel movements, or cognitionare more common with atypical antipsychotics.
Although they might start off seemingly minor , they can become more serious , so its important to let your doctor know if you experience them early on. These effects can be managed by lowering the dose of medication or, if necessary, switching to a different medication.
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Do Vraylar Side Effects Go Away Or Are They Long
Vraylar can cause both short-term and long-term side effects.
Some side effects are temporary and tend to go away after your body gets used to the medication. Examples of short-term side effects include:
- headache
- sleepiness
Other side effects of Vraylar, such as tardive dyskinesia , may last long term.
Tardive dyskinesia is a common side effect of Vraylar. This side effect usually doesnt occur until youve taken the medication for a long time. But its possible that these uncontrolled body movements could start after youve stopped taking Vraylar. And they sometimes dont go away once youve stopped taking the drug.
Some side effects of Vraylar dont go away on their own, but they can be treated. For example, if your cholesterol levels become high, your doctor may prescribe medications to treat it.
Its also important to note that Vraylar takes a long time to build up in and be cleared from your body. This means that side effects may not occur until weeks after starting treatment or having your dose increased. Even if your doctor ends your Vraylar treatment, the drug remains in your body for several weeks after your last dose. And it could still cause side effects.
Pregnancy And Breastfeeding While Taking Vraylar
Below are details about Vraylars use during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.
Pregnancy
Vraylar may not be safe to use during pregnancy. Not much is known about the drugs safety in humans during pregnancy. Animal studies suggest that Vraylar could cause harm to a fetus when taken during pregnancy. But animal studies dont always predict what will happen in humans.
If you become pregnant while taking Vraylar, let your doctor know right away. You shouldnt suddenly stop taking Vraylar unless your doctor recommends it. Stopping Vraylar without a new treatment plan in place could cause symptoms of your condition to return or get worse. Its also important to note that untreated mental health conditions during pregnancy can also have harmful effects on a pregnant female* and their newborn infant.
If you do use Vraylar while pregnant, consider signing up for the National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics. This registry collects information about the safety of antipsychotic drugs when used during pregnancy. For more information, talk with your doctor or visit the registrys website.
* In this article, we use the term female to refer to someones sex assigned at birth. For information about the difference between sex and gender, see this article.
Breastfeeding
Its not known if Vraylar is safe to use while breastfeeding. There arent enough studies that look at the safety of Vraylar while breastfeeding or its effects on a breastfed child.
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