Blood Pressure Medication and Hair Loss in Miami

Illuminated Freedom Tower in Miami against a dark night sky

Video visits for patients who are in Florida at the time of the visit. Read the full guide: Can Blood Pressure Medication Cause Hair Loss? What to Know.

For general educational purposes only, not a substitute for specific medical advice. Consult with a licensed provider before implementing any adjustments to your treatment regimen.

High blood pressure in Miami-Dade

An estimated 33.8% of Miami-Dade County adults have high blood pressure (crude prevalence; 30.3% age-adjusted). The national figure is 34.4% (crude): 33.8% crude (95% CI 30.5-37.2); 30.3% age-adjusted (2023 BRFSS data, CDC PLACES 2025 release (county)) ^[1]
Among Miami-Dade adults with high blood pressure, an estimated 77.0% take medicine to control it (crude; 58.3% age-adjusted). With PLACES' county adult population of about 2.15 million, that works out to very roughly 560,000 adults on blood pressure medicine. This is our own rough calculation from the model estimates, not a CDC figure: 77.0% crude (95% CI 74.2-79.7); 58.3% age-adjusted (2023 BRFSS data, CDC PLACES 2025 release (county)) ^[2]
In the City of Miami itself, CDC PLACES estimates 32.8% of adults have high blood pressure (crude; 31.0% age-adjusted), and 75.7% of those take blood pressure medicine (crude): 32.8% high BP; 75.7% taking BP medicine (crude, city of Miami) (CDC PLACES 2025 release (place data)) ^[3]
An estimated 35.8% of Miami-Dade adults who have been screened have high cholesterol (crude; 31.3% age-adjusted). That matters because cholesterol drugs, including statins, appear on the same shedding lists as some blood pressure medicines: 35.8% crude; 31.3% age-adjusted (CDC PLACES 2025 release (county)) ^[4]
An estimated 75.9% of Miami-Dade adults had a routine checkup in the past year (crude; 74.0% age-adjusted): 75.9% crude; 74.0% age-adjusted (2023 BRFSS data, CDC PLACES 2025 release (county)) ^[5]
Hypertension is among Miami-Dade County's top 10 leading causes of death across all ages, with 352 deaths (12.7 per 100,000). Heart disease is the leading cause, with 5,139 deaths (185.6 per 100,000): 352 hypertension deaths (12.7 per 100,000), all ages (2022) ^[6]

Where to get help in and around Miami

These local and state programs are free or low-cost places to start. Details can change, so check the program’s site before you go.

SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders), Miami-Dade via Alliance for Aging: Free, unbiased and confidential one-on-one counseling from trained volunteers on Medicare, Medicaid and health insurance questions, such as comparing drug plans that cover your blood pressure medicines. Run by the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the local Area Agency on Aging. Medicare open enrollment for 2026 runs October 15 to December 7. Phone: SHINE (Alliance for Aging): 305-671-6356; statewide: 1-800-96-ELDER (1-800-963-5337). Website ^[7]
Alliance for Aging Elder Helpline (Area Agency on Aging for Miami-Dade and Monroe): Information and referral for older adults and caregivers, including Medicare help, healthy aging programs and home and community-based services. Office hours are 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Phone: Elder Helpline: 305-670-4357 (305-670-HELP); main: 305-670-6500. Website ^[7]
Florida Poison Information Center - Miami (Poison Help line): Free help 24/7 from certified poison information specialists (doctors, nurses and pharmacists) if someone takes too much of a medicine, the wrong medicine or a double dose. Covers Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Monroe, Lee and Collier counties. Phone: 1-800-222-1222. Website ^[8]

Rules and coverage worth knowing

In Florida, a pharmacist may not modify or discontinue a medicine prescribed by another health care practitioner unless they have a collaborative practice agreement with that practitioner (s. 465.1865, F.S.). Under a collaborative pharmacy practice agreement with a physician, a pharmacist can manage specified drugs for chronic conditions; the Board of Pharmacy's adopted list includes hypertension and hyperlipidemia. ^[9]
Board of Pharmacy list of chronic health conditions eligible for collaborative pharmacy practice: hyperlipidemia, hypertension, anticoagulation management, nicotine dependence, opioid use disorder, hepatitis C, plus the conditions named in s. 465.1865(1)(b). Summarized by the UF College of Pharmacy continuing-education office. The rule (64B16-31.007, F.A.C.) was last amended effective 9/27/2023. ^[10]
If a Florida pharmacist cannot reach your prescriber, they may give a one-time emergency refill of up to a 72-hour supply. When the Governor declares a state of emergency, such as for a hurricane, pharmacists in affected counties may dispense up to a 30-day supply of a medicine needed to continue therapy for a chronic condition, such as blood pressure medicine (not Schedule II drugs) (s. 465.0275, F.S.). ^[11]

How a video visit with Charles Wade, FNP-BC can help

A video visit works well for hair shedding. Charles Wade, FNP-BC can look at your scalp on camera and in photos, review when the shedding started and what changed in the months before, and go through your blood pressure and other medicines, doses and recent readings.

Blood work at a Miami-area lab can check for other common causes such as thyroid problems or low iron. Don’t stop or change a blood pressure medicine on your own, since that can be risky; any change is decided with your clinician. A visit does not guarantee a specific medication.

Lab work and imaging are ordered at a facility near you, and prescriptions go to the Miami-area pharmacy you choose. See labs, imaging and pharmacies near Miami. Insurance accepted in Florida: BCBS / Anthem PPO, UnitedHealthcare PPO, UMR (PPO), Aetna PPO, Cigna PPO, Humana PPO, Ambetter PPO, Florida Blue, TRICARE. Self-pay visits are also available.

When to get care right away

For chest pain, stroke signs, severe shortness of breath or a very high blood pressure reading with symptoms, call 911 or go to an emergency department such as Jackson Memorial Hospital, Baptist Hospital of Miami or UHealth Tower.

Keep reading

Can Blood Pressure Medication Cause Hair Loss? What to Know: the full patient guide.
Telehealth care in Miami: local labs, imaging, pharmacies and visit planning.
Dermatology at Wade’s Care First
Telehealth care across Florida

Sources

Local figures are the most recent published by the listed agencies as of November 12, 2026. This page does not replace advice from your own clinician.

Local questions

Miami blood pressure and hair loss questions.

How common is blood pressure medicine in Miami-Dade?

Very common. CDC PLACES estimates about 33.8% of Miami-Dade adults have high blood pressure, and about 77% of them take medicine to control it. So many local residents are in a position to wonder about side effects like shedding.

Can my Miami pharmacist switch my blood pressure medicine if I think it is causing hair loss?

Not on their own. Florida law bars a pharmacist from changing or stopping a drug another practitioner prescribed unless they have a collaborative practice agreement with that prescriber. Bring the concern to your prescriber or pharmacist, and don't stop the medicine yourself.

Where can I get help with what my Medicare drug plan covers for blood pressure medicines?

SHINE offers free, unbiased Medicare counseling in Miami-Dade through the Alliance for Aging (305-671-6356, or 1-800-963-5337 statewide). Medicare open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, for coverage that starts in 2027.

What if a hurricane disrupts my refill?

Under Florida law, a pharmacist who cannot reach your prescriber can give a one-time emergency supply of up to 72 hours. During a declared state of emergency, pharmacists in affected counties can dispense up to 30 days of a chronic-condition medicine.

Check appointment availability

Book a video visit from Miami.

You must be in Florida during the visit.

Book a Dermatology Visit Ask a Question Text Us

Blood pressure medication and hair loss in Miami: local help