January 23 2009, 11:35 am PT | Posted in: Drugs (Cause Hair Loss)
I have been taking ambien for an extended period to aid in getting enough sleep. I go to sleep okay, but wake up after about two hours and cannot go back to sleep without the medication. I first took sonata and then ambien CR, but realized that, in my case, ambien worked just as well. However, I have noticed that my rate of hair loss has noticeably increased beyond the normal aging process. In looking back, the hair loss started soon after the time that I started taking the ambien. In addition, I have had itching scalp as well as one infected place on the crown of my head. I had never had these issues before. Could this result from the use of ambien products?
There seems to be many people who have personal experiences with Ambien (zolpidem) that suggest hair loss from it, although the literature does not state this relationship. You might probably reconsider taking the medication and see if stopping it stops the hair loss. As Ambien is a prescription drug, you should discuss the change with your prescribing doctor. I also couldn’t find anything in the literature relating scalp itch or skin irritation with this medication.
See our previous blog post about Ambien here.
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Wow, I just made a decision to STOP taking Ambien. I too have been taking Ambien - going on maybe 18 mos to 2 years. Last August I had an episode where my hair just dried up & my scalp became painful (itchy & sore) and my hair began to fall out at an alarming rate. It occured about a week or two after I had tried a new “no amonia” hair dye so I chalked it up to having some kind of allergic reaction. (My primary physician & dermatologist could give me no further insight.) The hair loss eventually slowed down & the pain subsided a bit so I figured my scalp was recovering. But then I had another episode in Dec.08 where the hair loss & pain accelerated again and it has not yet subsided. I’ve been racking my brain to try and figure out what could be causing this - hormones? diet? disease?…and last night, as I was taking my Ambien, the thought occurred to me…”Could it be the Ambien?”. So today I “Googled it” and HELLO…I found this blog. My heart goes out to the others who have and/or are experiencing this very same nightmare - it is unimaginable! I will be sure to discuss this with my Doc and post an update soon. Best wishes ladies.
I have been having hair loss issues for about 6 months. I’m 50 years old and up till now had a full head of hair. I was having sleep issues and started taking Ambien. Later I started noticing that my hair was thinning very rapidly over a short period. My scalp also itched and tingled for no reason. I was extremely perplexed and couldn’t figure out could be causing the hair loss. I saw a dermatologist and she said that my scalp was red but there was no apparent reason. I don’t take any other medication so like others thought it could be the Ambien. Once I stopped taking Ambien the tingling and itching stopped. We’ll see if the hair will return.
I am a 30 year old woman and took ambien for about a month. I also started to lose my hair at an alarming rate. I couldn’t figure out why. Then I read all the posts other people said about ambien. When I asked my Dr he said it was definitely possible. Even though it is not listed as a side effect what they do when they do a trial run on medicine is they get together a group of people and hope that they represent the average person. Then they list all side effects these people had. So these people do not always represent the rest of the population. I tried to contact ambien and the FDA but got no where. Luckily I stopped it early and my hair has almost stopped falling out after about 2 weeks. I will write again if it grows back. My hair is a little thinner but I don’t think it’s too bad yet. Thank you for people who wrote because I realized it was the ambien.
I am a 25 year-old male and have been taking Ambien regularly for the past 5 months. My family also has no history of hair-loss. However, upon the 4th month of taking Ambien I noticed severe hair-loss. I never really kept track of how much hair comes out when I shower, but when my lost hair clogs the drain in one episode it becomes very noticeable.
Please recognize this undocumented side-effect of this drug.
Unfortunately I have not decided which is worse: looking bad because I am balding at my age or feeling terrible because I get 1.5-3 hours of sleep a night.
so glad i found this site…the last thing i would have thought of was the ambien causing hair loss but its been happening to me ever since i started using it about 2 yrs ago…depressing..guess i’ll have to try and go it alone sleep wise…back to warm milk at night…guess my hair is more important to me than sleep lol..
I have been taking regular ambien for one year, and could not figure out why my hair is falling out like crazy. I just thought it was hormonal, (i\’m 37) , one day i googled \”ambien and hair loss\” and was alarmed to see how many other people were experiencing this side effect. I am off of Ambien now for one month, so i will see if my hair grows back. I am starting to see my scalp on the crown of my head, which is depressing. I hope i never have to take Ambien again, it\’s not worth it.
I am now sure that my hair loss is due to Ambien. I have been taking it for a littel over 6 months and also have experienced itching on my scalp and a terrible loss of hair. Do amy of you know if the loss is temporary? I am not taking any other medicine, so I can say for sure that it is Ambien. Please do not take this unles you are already bold. If you know of anything that can help regrow hair, I would appreciate it. We should make this known to te public, the lab, the doctors. Thanks.
What a relief! I have been going through great pains to explore why my hair has been falling out for well over 2 years. The patterns did just not make any sense and I have had every test imaginable relating to hormones etc, seen dermatologists and geneologist - all leading nowhere. I have gone through a myriad of different shampoos, diet changes, on-off the pill, vitamin supplements - you name it. And like a bolt of lightning it occurred to me that perhaps it could be the Stilnox (what we call Ambien here in Australia). I love the stuff, its like a special “treat” to have a good night’s sleep several nights a week and sometimes I go through periods of taking it every night. A few months back I stopped taking it altogether and my hair stopped falling out, but it also coincided with going back on the pill, so I assumed it was that. But a month later, whilst on holiday and taking Stilnox every night my hair went through an enormous shedding which freaked me out no end. This was so depressing because I was back at square one - it was obviously not to do with the pill. I stopped taking Stilnox when I returned from holiday because I didn’t have any for awhile. The shedding seemed to have almost stopped. I started it again about two weeks ago, and voila the shedding has begun again. I feel quite silly that I have not put two & two together before now - today - when I finally googled it. I now feel confident that if I stop taking the Stilnox the shedding is likely to stop. I really hope so because my hair is amazingly thin in comparison to its usual state and I can’t afford to lose much more. I am so hoping this is the cause and that my hair will actually grow back. I have also experienced a very senstivie and itchy scalp with no dandruff or other indicators of irritation which I assumed was an allergy to shampoo or just a reaction to so much hair loss. I have been taking Stilnox for well over ten years on and off, but have also been producing children and going through hormonal changes during this time, which I have always assumed was causing the shedding. I think I have explored absolutely every other avenue EXCEPT the Stilnox … will keep you posted as to progress and would love to hear any similar stories.
Update - 4 months on and I am happy to say my hair is growing back - not at its original state yet, but definitely growing and only a small percentage of hair loss. I attribute this definitely to stopping the sleeping tablets. I hope this helps anyone else going down the same road. Cheers.
Please read. Although there may not be documented literature to back this up, a lot of us here have personal stories to back it up.
My hair has been fine until I started taking ambien 1.5 months ago. It has receded about 1cm in the last month and my whole head of hair has become fine, thin, and weak. I haven’t changed anything in my diet or lifestyle in the last month (except for the Ambien). Sad to say it, but it looks like its time to let it go.
WOW! I am sitting here on Vacation and racking my brain why my hair is falling out. And was wondering if it is Ambien and found this blog. Thanks for posting everyone. I’ve been taking Ambien for 4 or 5 years and it has been falling out like crazy. I do have a thyriod problem and always thought it was that. But my hair is getting so thin I’m really getting worried. I also had tingling and itching with no redness on my scalp a year ago that went away. I’m also going to stop taking it that I also love the good night sleep. But my hair is more important to me also.
I’m also so glad I found this site. I’ve taken Ambien now for almost two years. I’ve gone through two very traumatic events and assumed that was the cause. Here five months later with my life so much calmer and still it’s falling out, so what could be the cause?? I’ve changed shampoos and blood tests were no different than before. The aha moment was when I went from taking 1/2 of an Ambien to a whole tablet.. wow, did I notice the hair falling out. I found this site while googling and will no longer take Ambien. I too hate to lose that nice 15 minutes to fall asleep but with hair grown to my waist, I’m not giving that up lol. Seriously though, I’m so tired of the itchy, tingly scalp and finding long hair everywhere. Thanks again to everyone who has posted here. I’ll find another way to get to sleep and that’s that.
THANK YOU to all who took the time to post here. I have been losing my hair as well at a rapid rate! My hair has literally been clogging the shower drain. I have been on Ambien for several months, but never made the association between the drug and my hair loss. Thank goodness I decided to do a search! WOW! I am done with Ambien! I can only hope that my hair will grow back… or at least stop falling out! Will update everyone. Thank you again for these posts.
I was on Ambien several years ago & was losing my hair but never realized it was from the Ambien. My hair grew back after 4 months of stopping Ambien. I recently got back on Ambien & the hair loss stated again. Until I read these blogs…I now know it is the Ambien. Thanks to everyone who posted the side-effects of Ambien. Good-bye Ambien! Thank you everyone!
I was wondering about the hairloss. Mine has been coming out like crazy!!! I need to stop taking Ambien. Quesiton for you that did stop taking it. Did you have any problems stopping the meds? I have heard of some people having a hard time stopping them. Also how long did it take for hair to stop falling out and start growing back??
Thanks!!