About 50 million Americans suffer from chronic high blood pressure, or Hypertension. This disease often goes unnoticed, as its symptoms are usually well hidden. Many people go for years with high blood pressure, and have no idea, which is why getting regular check-ups with your health care practitioner are so important to your long-term health.

Hypertension has many lifestyle-related causes, including smoking, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle, along with less controllable factors like genetics and ageing.

Chronic high blood pressure is managed with lifestyle changes including improved diet and regular exercise, along with medical treatment. Bystolic, or Nebivolol Hydrochloride, is a relatively new drug that is prescribed to help manage high blood pressure. However a great number of people find that the drugs used to control blood pressure lead to noticeable hair loss, which can be severely distressing for many people.

Bystolic is a beta-blocker, which means it controls the amount of adrenaline that enters the heart and cardiovascular system. This helps to decrease the heart rate and lower blood pressure, effectively reducing strain placed on the heart and lungs. Almost all drugs come with their list of side effects, and Bystolic is no different.

Beta-blockers in general are infamous for causing some very unpleasant side effects including significant hair loss in both women and men. Bystolic is a newer drug created by Forest Laboratories, and is a little bit different than the other beta-blockers out there, but does it cause hair loss too?

Though there is little research to explain why certain drugs induce hair loss, many people who have taken the drugs will confirm that beta-blockers, including Bystolic, do indeed trigger abnormal or reduced hair loss along with other side effects. Hair loss is not listed with Bystolic’s other side effects on Forest Laboratory’s web page, but the company does mention that side effects may vary and to contact a doctor if you notice anything unusual.

When drug-induced hair loss occurs, it is usually most noticeable on the hairline and top of the scalp, with little or no thinning on the sides or back of the patient’s head. The follicle will either stop producing hair altogether, or the hair shaft will become thin, giving the appearance of less hair on the head. With many drugs that trigger hair loss, the damage is reversible and hair returns when the treatment is finished. The problem with beta-blockers like Bystolic is, treatment is often lifelong, and thus medication cannot be stopped without risk of cardiovascular complications.