Does Drug Abuse Cause Hair Loss?

does cocaine make your hair fall out

However, people rarely discuss the impact that addiction and chronic substance abuse has on hair health. Furthermore, strange changes in the physical appearance of those with substance use disorder is a very common side effect of drug and alcohol abuse. In fact, unhealthy hair is one of the most common warning signs that someone is suffering from addiction. Stress contributes massively to premature hair loss, and cocaine is known to cause bodily stress. Telogen effluvium (TE) is triggered by drug abuse, shock, and illness. TE keeps your hair growth in a resting phase, and soon, it goes to the third and final stage of extreme hair loss, as explained earlier in the article.

As a result, stress is just another way that drug abuse causes hair loss. One of the causes of hair loss from cocaine drug how long does cymbalta withdrawal last abuse is malnutrition, as the stimulant nature of cocaine suppresses the appetite, causing people who use it to eat and drink less. Powder sold as cocaine is often found to be adulterated with thallium salts (rat poison). One study showed that, after using such adulterated cocaine, individuals developed extensive hair loss. Thallium is known to cause thinning hair due to telogen effluvium at low doses and will kill people at higher doses. Cocaine is a potent substance that affects your brain and mental well-being and leaves significant and visible impacts on your physical appearance.

Drugs and Hair Loss Illegal Drugs That Cause Hair Loss

They are so consumed by their addiction that they spend the majority of their time getting and using drugs. As a result, they skip out on basic personal hygiene activities, including taking care of their hair and skin. Hair washing and brushing how to know if you got roofied might wind up very low on someone’s list of priorities when they are suffering from substance use disorder, leading to further damage to the hair and scalp. Plus, as many people age, hair loss is one of the dreaded side effects that people try extremely hard to prevent. In reality, drug and alcohol addiction can affect virtually every part of your body.

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However, it’s still a side effect worth exploring and understanding because you may be unable to reverse the damage. The permanent hair loss for cocaine users can be a huge deal when they get sober and leave the high life behind. The connection between cocaine use and hair loss is not a straightforward one, as it involves complex physiological mechanisms.

does cocaine make your hair fall out

Treatments For Hair Loss Caused By Cocaine Addiction

Our aftercare will present you with multiple options for support group meetings. We will guide you towards a network of like-minded, supportive people who will help you go strong in your recovery journey. If you are going through rehab for addiction and need your hair to return to its full potential, you will need to work extra hard on substance use group activities your diet.

Start your healing journey now. Seek cocaine treatment today!

Lastly, cocaine can create lifestyle choices that neglect the health of your hair and your body. Although the effects of cocaine can wear off quickly, these short-term side effects can be followed by symptoms of a ‘crash’ and withdrawal symptoms. Chronic cocaine abuse can also cause severe consequences to physical health and mental health. Our hair is made up of keratin, and excessive and illegal drugs like crack cocaine use can cause damage to the building blocks of our hair, causing excessive hair loss. This damage is known as structural damage, which is more or less irreversible unless you start growing healthy hair after losing the dead ones. Cocaine is known to weaken the bond, and lifting the hair from the shaft causes permanent hair loss, which can result in alopecia.

Cocaine abuse can indirectly contribute to hair loss or hair fall by causing vasoconstriction, reducing blood flow to hair follicles, and leading to nutritional deficiencies. Cocaine is a stimulant drug that has been known to produce long-term effects such as mental health disorders, increased risk of heart attack, and other physical health issues. Cocaine use reduces your sleep quality by increasing awake periods and negatively impacting your REM sleep.

  1. Long-term usage of meth can also lead to hair loss and permanent damage to hair follicles.
  2. Regular marijuana use can affect your endocrine system, which in turn can increase hair loss.
  3. Just focus on taking care of your body in a nourishing and living way.
  4. But many successful cases have seen daylight, and you can be one of them.

While stress is unfortunately a normal part of life, you can always change your response to it. However, before trying to treat hair loss, you need to address your drug addiction. Trying to grow back your hair, while continuing the use of drugs will be counter-productive. Try to focus on recovery first, this will allow your body to recover from drug use and create a healthy environment for your hair to grow back. These benefits, taken alongside sobriety from opioids, alcohol, or cocaine, can help to remediate the temporary hair loss caused by cocaine drug use.

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