16 yr should know about a posible side effect of a med ?

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My son has been on Lexapro 2.5mg for anxiety and it has helped him calm down. He has been on it for a few months only, but he is experiencing very severe hair loss. He is frantic that his hair in thinning and the hairline is receding. I have found a substantial no. of people on internet who have tied their hair loss to this medicine, and the manufacturer also tells me it is a rare but documented side effect.
I want my son to know about this and have a say in the decision making, but knowing my husband I know he will be furious if I tell my son because he will never want to take it then. He is 16 and is already freaking out at the thought of going bald -he screams in panic everytime he notices a thinned patch and comes running to me. We don't know for sure (and never will ) that Lexapro is causing it, but that's the only med he is taking and all his blood work (thyroid etc) is fine. Please help me decide if my son should or should not know about this :
Thanks a lot

i think he should know, he could get more anxious if he loses his hair, i know i would be!

I live in a country where children can make decisions about their healthcare at about 12 years old, and can leave school, work and marry at 16, so it seems decidedly odd to me that he wouldn't be told about this. Shouldn't he being seeing his doctor about this?

hair loss (according to the reference section of Medscape) is not a side effect of Lexapro. sounds like you're off the hook.

What good is an anxiety medication if it only causes you more anxiety?

Big Pharma's Frankenstein Mood-Altering concoctions are all brain toxins. Give him Chamomile capsules for anxiety. Tea will work, too, if you make it very strong, like 4 bags per cup, but it has a rather grassy taste, so he might not like the flavor. I'm told the effects are equivalent to Xanax. All I know is, it helps me.

>>Salon Article Link: Psyche Meds Drove My Son Crazy<<



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I don't think sugar would change the flavor, it would taste like a mouthful of sweet, wet grass.

It's not that bad as is, lots of people drink Chamomile tea for relaxation, but kids can be picky about that sort of thing and the capsules are easy to find online.

That's a really low dose. Without commenting on whether you should tell him, maybe vitamins would help? Or could you ask the doctor about a different drug?

There are tons of other meds in that class that might not do that. He should definitely be told. And if your husband has a problem with you 16 year old knowing about his health issues, something sounds wrong there...

I sometimes feel caught between my husbands wants and our children's wants. It's a difficult situation, because maintaining good relationships required sometimes trusting ones husband as a father when there is room for him to be right or what your child wants to be right. I try to stay out of the middle when I can. But it's very tough bring in the middle.

Talk to the doctor about it being a possible side effect and changing to a different med, and/or taking something for hair loss.

He could also be loosing hair because he is stressed.

My 12 yo makes his some of his own health decisions. Obviously with my supervision and input, etc., of course. I have ultimate control still at this age. But who is best able to tell the doctor how a med is working (or not) and how it affects him than the person taking it?

I think a 16 yo definitely needs to be told and have a say in his health care, IMO. There are other meds that will probably not have this reaction that should be considered, and he should have some input into that.

You don't have to anger your husband and tell your son, you could just ask your son if he ever reads the labels on his medicines to know the side effects are and let you know if he encounters any.

My 16 year old son always reads his inserts. His medicine, his information. (fyi, he does not take anything anxiety medications, but he is taking some heavy duty skin medication)

Personally, I think a 16 year old should be fully informed and involved in decision making for everything they take. Unless on all levels they don't function as 16 year olds. Then factor in their mental age and decide accordingly.

That's an extremely low dose of Lexapro. My daughter started out on 10mg and the next month they upped it to 20mg. As for the hair loss, try Rogaine. I use the Rogaine for women because my hair is falling out now from menopause (and it's getting worse from the stress of everything going to hell in a handbasket right now too) and it helps.

Also, Lexapro isn't the only drug that can help him with anxiety. There are lots of others that work just as well. Losing your hair at 16 can really mess up a lot of things for him right now. His self confidence can go in the toilet and that can ruin any chance of dating and making friends. I'd say tell him and let him decide. Tell him about Rogaine too and see if he wants to give that a shot, or if he just wants to talk to the doctor and try a different med to see if that will work.

If I were him and my hair was falling out and I found out later on that you knew the medicine I was taking was causing it and you didn't tell me, I would be furious.

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I'm giving it another shot. We will see.
My forum is still there and everyone is welcome to come join as well. There is a private women only subforum there if anyone is interested. Also, there is no CAPTCHA.

The link to the forum is http://www.rightplanet.proboards.com

Thank you everyone, your input really helped! Actually his general understanding of things, ability to sort and compartmentalize etc. is obvipusly where it would be for a NT 16 yr old, so having him read the "possible" side effects could be detrimental. His thinking is too concrete and he will not understand why he is taking a medicine which has this much of potential of doing harm. I had to give in after fighting for years. When the doctors, therapists and professional knopwledgeable people suggest that, and other family members also chime in, I could not fight so much. His anxiety was really painful to see, but we did not address the triggers as we could not - so we put him on it... we are getting some more extensive bloodwork done today and lets see where it takes us - for now he is continuing:(
Thanks again to all of you ! !