Hair loss - An adverse reaction to treatment with vigabatrin

Y. Lampl, R. Gilad, I. Sarova-Pinchas, Y. Barak

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Vigabatrin is an anticonvulsant drug which inhibits the catabolic enzyme GABA-transaminase (GABA-t), thereby increasing the action of synaptically released GABA. Psychiatric complications, somnolence, fatigue, confusion, headache, abdominal pain, anorexia and weight gain have been described as common adverse effects of vigabatrin. We examined the effect of vigabatrin on hair growth. In 5 of 52 patients who received vigabatrin for partial complex seizures, moderate hair loss or changes in hair structure developed. The complaints began after 3-7 weeks of vigabatrin treatment. Recovery of hair loss was seen in all patients after cessation of treatment. Because of its social relevance, hair loss must be taken into consideration during vigabatrin therapy, especially in young patients.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)51-55
Number of pages5
JournalActa Therapeutica
Volume22
Issue number1
StatePublished - 1996
Externally publishedYes

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