Amlodipine Does Not Cause Hair Loss
Amlodipine is not associated with hair loss as a recognized side effect. Based on the FDA drug label and extensive clinical trial data, hair loss (alopecia) is not listed among the adverse effects of amlodipine 1.
Evidence from FDA Drug Label
The official FDA prescribing information for amlodipine, which evaluated over 11,000 patients in U.S. and foreign clinical trials, does not list hair loss among any category of adverse reactions 1. The documented side effects include:
Common adverse effects (>1% incidence):
- Peripheral edema (dose-related: 1.8% at 2.5mg to 10.8% at 10mg)
- Dizziness, flushing, palpitations
- Fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, somnolence
Less common effects (<1% but >0.1%):
- Cardiovascular: arrhythmia, bradycardia, chest pain
- Neurological: paresthesia, tremor, vertigo
- Gastrointestinal: constipation, diarrhea, gingival hyperplasia
- Dermatologic: pruritus, rash, angioedema
- No mention of alopecia or hair loss 1
Clinical Context
While the evidence documents muscle-related complaints (myalgia, muscle cramps occurred in <1-2% of patients) 1, 2, and one case report described severe neuromuscular complications with amlodipine 2, hair loss has never been documented as an adverse effect in controlled trials or post-marketing surveillance.
Important Distinction
If a patient on amlodipine experiences hair loss, consider alternative causes:
- Other medications (antidepressants like bupropion have documented hair loss risk 3)
- Underlying medical conditions (thyroid dysfunction, nutritional deficiencies, autoimmune disease)
- Androgenetic alopecia (common age-related pattern)
- Telogen effluvium from stress or illness
- Other drugs that genuinely cause alopecia (retinoids, certain antihypertensives like minoxidil paradoxically can cause initial shedding) 4, 5
The temporal association of starting amlodipine and developing hair loss is coincidental, not causal. Amlodipine can be safely continued without concern for causing or worsening hair loss.