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Illegal drugs as promoters of telogen effluvium
Cocaine is cytotoxic to hair follicle cells
Adulterated drugs may cause hair loss
Conclusions from limited research
Illegal drug effluvium references
Illegal
drugs as promoters of telogen effluvium
I receive a steady trickle of Emails from people using illegal
drugs who suspect their hair loss is due to the drug use. There
are a few short reports in the medical journals that claim psychotropic
drugs can cause telogen effluvium.
How drugs might cause hair loss is not known. However, when you
consider that psychotropic drugs in the antidepressant category
are very well known for causing TE type hair loss, it may not
be surprising if other drugs that affect the sensory system also
affect hair follicles. The nerve system around hair follicles
is quite extensive and we know chemical products from the nerve
cells (nerve growth factors) can affect hair follicle growth.
Changes in the sensory system chemical activity may have an effect
on hair follicles.
Cocaine
is cytotoxic to hair follicle cells
In one experiment, researchers injected cocaine under the skin
of rats. Within 2 days patches of hair loss developed around the
injection areas and later the skin became necrotic. The study
clearly indicated that cocaine is cytotoxic to proliferating cells.
Hair follicle cells are the most active of any in the body, dividing
once every 13 hours. It may be that cocaine, injected or inhaled,
has a cytotoxicity high enough to reduce cell division in hair
follicles and consequently cause a telogen effluvium type hair
loss.
Adulterated
drugs may cause hair loss
Hair loss may be connected to adulterated drugs. It has been
reported on more than one occasion that a powder sold as cocaine
was adulterated with thallium salts (rat poison). Subsequent to
use, individuals developed extensive hair loss. Thallium is well
known for causing telogen effluvium type hair loss at low doses
and of course will kill people at higher doses.
Conclusions
from limited research
Although the research evidence is very limited, there are suggestions
in the medical literature that psychotropic drugs can cause hair
loss because they are toxic, which affects the proliferating cells
in hair follicles, and/or because of their potential to modify the
sensory system, which in turn may affect hair follicle activity.
In other words, lay off the illicit drugs if you want to keep your
hair (and sanity).
Illegal
drug effluvium references
- D'Agostini
F, Balansky R, Pesce C, Fiallo P, Lubet RA, Kelloff GJ, De Flora
S. Induction of alopecia in mice exposed to cigarette smoke. Toxicol
Lett. 2000 Apr 3;114(1-3):117-23.
- Roudier-Pujol C, Jan V. [Drug-induced alopecia].
Ann Dermatol Venereol. 2000 Jun;127 Suppl 1:1S26-8.
- Scott DW, Morrell JI, Vernotica EM. Focal
necrotizing panniculitis and vascular necrosis in rats given subcutaneous
injections of cocaine hydrochloride. J Cutan Pathol. 1997 Jan;24(1):25-9.
- Moore D, House I, Dixon A. Thallium poisoning.
Diagnosis may be elusive but alopecia is the clue. BMJ. 1993 Jun
5;306(6891):1527-9.
- Insley BM, Grufferman S, Ayliffe HE. Thallium
poisoning in cocaine abusers. Am J Emerg Med. 1986 Nov;4(6):545-8.
- Voron DA. Alopecia and amphetamine use.
JAMA. 1988 Jul 8;260(2):183-4.
- Levantine A, Almeyda J. Drug reactions.
23. Drug induced alopecia. Br J Dermatol. 1973 Nov;89(5):549-53.
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