Some antiseizure medications can cause hair loss as a side effect [1]. For example, valproate can cause alopecia in 3.5%-12% of patients [2]. However, not all drugs in this class produce this adverse reaction. Gabapentin is generally considered a safe medication, and hair loss is not listed among its potential side effects [3][4][5].
Moreover, the handful of reported cases where this medication was linked to alopecia revealed that hair loss from gabapentin is not permanent. It reverses soon after treatment cessation [1]. This article will tell you all you need to know about the link between gabapentin and hair thinning, including:
Gabapentin is primarily a medication used to treat epilepsy, but it is also effective against nerve pain (neuropathy) caused by injuries or disease (e.g. diabetes, shingles). When used to reduce epileptic seizures, it reduces abnormal electric activity in your brain. And when treating neuropathy, this drug can block the unwanted pain signals to your brain [5][4][3].
Gabapentin is commonly sold under the brand name Neurontin. It often comes as oral tablets or capsules that patients take 3 times a day, but it can also be found in liquid form [5]. Most people take this medication long-term, some for their entire lives (especially patients with epilepsy) [5]. This treatment is generally safe for prolonged use, but it can have unwanted side effects in some users.
It is highly unlikely for gabapentin to cause hair loss. While some psychoactive medications do indeed have this effect, antiepileptic medications are not known to make your hair fall out [6][1]. A meta-analysis of 115 studies containing 1656 participants taking anti-seizure medication revealed only 5 reports of hair loss due to gabapentin use (0.3%) [1].
Only two of these cases are extensively discussed in medical literature, one from 1997 [7] and another from 2009 [8][9].
The first patient experienced diffuse hair thinning 2 months after starting gabapentin treatment for seizures. This form of hair loss is often a sign of telogen effluvium, a type of alopecia that can be medication-induced or triggered by psychological stress or illness unrelated to treatment. The patient’s alopecia fully resolved within a month of discontinuing gabapentin [1][7].
The second patient experienced patchy hair loss (usually a mark of the autoimmune condition alopecia areata) one week after starting gabapentin treatment for nerve pain. Her hair started to grow back after medication cessation [1][8]. However, patchy hair loss is not usually a symptom of drug-induced alopecia. It is possible that the treatment simply triggered an alopecia areata flare, often known to resolve itself within a year of onset in most patients.
Only 5 people are reported in the relevant literature to have experienced gabapentin hair loss since this medication came into use [1]. Your chances of experiencing this side effect are extremely low. However, if you do see hair shedding following gabapentin use, it’s worth noting that both patients with presumed gabapentin alopecia discussed in the relevant literature experienced full hair regrowth shortly after treatment cessation [1].
So you don’t need to worry about your hair falling out from taking gabapentin – there are no known cases of permanent hair loss caused by this medication.
There are so few reported cases of gabapentin hair loss that there are not enough studies on this topic to determine how the medication would make your hair fall out. That means it is difficult to say what you could do to prevent hair loss from gabapentin.
However, here are a few tips for preventing unnecessary hair loss while taking medications in general:
Case studies show that gabapentin hair loss reverses itself soon after treatment cessation, with no other intervention needed. While stopping treatment may often not be an option, you can ask your doctor if it is feasible to substitute your Gabapentin for a different medication in its class that won’t make your hair fall out.
You can also try using topical Minoxidil to help with your hair thinning. This effective and versatile hair growth medication works by dilating the blood vessels in your scalp so your hair follicles receive more oxygen and nutrients. This helps them produce fuller, stronger and healthier hair [10].
You can also improve hair regrowth by using some of the best essential oils for hair growth (especially black seed oil for hair, which is known for treating telogen effluvium [11]). They can nourish your follicles and promote healthy hair growth.
You can also try scientifically proven hair therapies, such as red light therapy for hair growth [12] or PRP hair treatment [13]. They are very helpful in stimulating your hair follicles for growth. Or, if you would like a simple treatment you can apply at home, a 10-20-minute daily scalp massage for hair can make your tresses grow fuller and thicker [14].
While there is little evidence that gabapentin can cause hair loss, there is some indication that it may help treat alopecia symptoms in certain patients [15][16][17].
A case study of a patient with trichotillomania showed a significant reduction in hair-pulling symptoms after 8 weeks of taking gabapentin. The effect was sustained for 14 additional weeks with treatment, but relapse occurred 2 weeks after discontinuation [17]. The reduction in symptoms is attributed to the anti-anxiety effect of this medication. However, more research is needed to say whether gabapentin might make an effective treatment for trichotillomania.
One study was performed in 2024 on 11 women with lichen planopilaris. The patients were treated with oral gabapentin for 3 months alongside their usual topical hair loss therapy. Due to this medication’s capacity to decrease nerve inflammation, patients reported a reduction in scalp itching, tingling and burning after introducing gabapentin [15].
A different 2024 study confirms these findings. It shows that applying 6% topical gabapentin on the affected scalp areas of 5 patients with scarring alopecia (lichen planopilaris, frontal fibrosing alopecia and central centrifugal alopcia) led to a significant reduction in pain, itching and burning after 12 weeks [18].
All effective medications can sometimes have adverse reactions in certain patients. Gabapentin side effects are normally mild. The most common are as follows [3] [19][20]:
In extremely rare cases, gabapentin can also produce some serious side effects in some patients, such as [3][20]:
If you experience any of the very rare symptoms above, contact emergency services immediately.
When speaking of medications that can cause alopecia, most people think of chemotherapy hair loss. However, several other kinds of medications are also known to produce diffuse hair thinning in some patients. These include [21][22][23]:
If you have recently started taking gabapentin and your hair seems to be falling out more than usual, it is a good idea to see a trichologist. So don’t hesitate to book a consultation today with one of our excellent hair doctors. Our team will run diagnostic trichology tests on your hair and scalp to rule out any other types of alopecia which may have developed unrelated to your treatment.
If your hair loss is medication-induced, we may recommend talking to your doctor about adjusting your gabapentin dose or switching to a different drug if this option is available.
However, if your alopecia has a different cause, we’ll talk through the best hair loss treatment for men or the most effective hair loss treatment for women. This may include non-surgical hair restoration treatments, such as Minoxidil or Finasteride, or even a highly effective hair transplant.
If you would like to know more about the effect of gabapentin on your hair, feel free to read the answers to these frequently asked questions.
The overwhelming majority of people who take gabapentin never experience any hair loss. However, the two cases studied in literature reveal the onset of alopecia to be within 2 months of starting treatment (one patient developed it a week and the other, 2 months after treatment onset). If you have already been taking gabapentin for 2-4 months, and your hair is not falling out yet, you’re highly unlikely to experience this adverse reaction.
It is unclear at this time what kind of hair loss gabapentin may cause. That is because occurrences are incredibly rare, and the two available case studies show one patient experienced diffuse hair loss with no other symptoms, while the other showed patchy alopecia. Normally, medications that cause this kind of adverse reaction produce diffuse hair thinning. However, it is best to see a hair doctor to determine the exact cause of your hair loss.
The most common culprit for hair loss is androgenetic alopecia (also known as male pattern baldness or female pattern baldness). While in men, this condition manifests with a receding hairline, temple thinning and eventually, a bald spot on the crown, in women, it can present as diffuse hair loss (similar to that caused by medications). So if you are a woman and notice your hair is thinning and your midline parting is also getting wider, you may want to see a trichologist.
Another common condition that causes diffuse hair thinning is telogen effluvium. This condition can be caused by anything from psychological stress to physical illness or vitamin deficiencies that cause hair loss. Fortunately, this condition resolves itself 3-4 months after the triggering event has passed.
Finally, if you are experiencing patchy hair loss, you may have alopecia areata. This is an autoimmune condition where your white blood cells are attacking your hair follicles. It is easily diagnosed by a specialist, and in most cases, it resolves within a year of onset. However, it may flare up again later in life.
Yes, it is a possibility. If the hair thinning caused by gabapentin use is barely noticeable and causes little concern to patients, they may not feel inclined to report it or may even be unaware it is going on. This is especially true since alopecia is not listed as a side effect of this medication. However, if this is the case, the hair loss is unlikely to cause a profound impact on your appearance (unless you were already struggling with alopecia).
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