Mounjaro and hairloss

[NotsosunnyShropshire]

I’m lucky in that I have a lot of thick hair to begin with, but I do seem to be losing a little more than usual. Any advice on how I can mitigate this? Is it temporary?

I take Centrum vitamin tablets and have recently started taking collagen tablets. I use Aveda hair care.

eta: I’m week 5 and just moved up to 5mg. I’ve lost a stone and have at least another 4 to go.

Do you need to take 5? It sounds like you were losing well with the 2.5 dose. I know it may feel like you have a lot to lose, but I really wouldn't want to be taking a dose that results in more than a 2lb loss per week unless even if you have quite a lot to lose. More side effects and greater risk of loose skin etc.

If you did want to go back to 2.5mg or a lower dose you could do fewer clicks on your 5mg pen.

It’s not the Mounjaro is the weight loss. I lost 4 stone with wegovy and lost about half my hair. About 2 months after plateauing it has stopped even though I am now on Mounjaro.

I also had this on Ozempic. Apparently it’s the speed of the weighloss. However my hairloss only stopped when I stopped taking Ozempic. I was losing a lot. Apparently upping protein can help. I also have think hair and my hairbrush would be full. Worse after a hairwash.
Can also be a sign of anemia. So maybe with having that checked

That’s going to put a lot off, especially if your hair is thin in the first place!

It will grow back eventually. I have the most ridiculous amount of baby hair!!!!

Collagen, biotin and a shit ton of protein in your diet.

@AmateurNoun relevance to hair thinning????

I’ve got this. I haven’t even lost that much - so it’s definitely the medication, not the weight loss.

Ive been taking biotin, vitamins etc, nothing has helped. I’ve got a prescription of oral minoxidil now and will give that a try…

You are more likely to get hair thinning (as well as other side effects) with higher doses and unhealthy rates of weight loss.

Losing 2 pounds per week. Didn't have the large initial loss that lots have, it's been pretty steady from the beginning. Started in Feb, the hairloss is HORRENDOUS. it's definetly the medication. I eat tonnes of protein, take collagen and multivits. I have lost almost 2 stone and still another 2 to go and I may need to wear a wig at this rate.

people always fall over themselves to say that it’s down to fast weightloss and not the MJ itself

I obviously don’t know but I think it’ll be revealed in time that it’s the actual meditation causing the hair loss. Yes fast weight loss can lead to hair shedding but I have a niggling feeling that my hair loss has been down to this medication

I’ve lost 75lbs and have been at target for 5 months now and I use MJ to help me maintain. My hair shedding has slowed down but I’d estimate I’ve lost about a third of what I had. No balding, it’s just an overall shed.

i don’t have any deficiencies but I now take some decent collagen (not because I think it’ll do much but because I’m hardwired to feel I’m doing ‘something’) and I have also started a low dose of HRT as I’m very menopausal so we will see

but do I think it’s the MJ contributing to this hair loss? Absolutely

I was 5 months in before the hair loss started. Fortunately I had lots of thick hair beforehand so I don’t think it is hugely noticeable to anyone but me (and my poor hoover!!) but it is a significant loss.

It's not the mounjaro itself or fast weightloss, I'm 31 weeks in and only lost 32.6lbs, I'm a slow loser and prediabetic. I've also lost a lot of my hair! I do though eat a lot less calories than my 1200 deficit can range from 850-1200. My BMR is higher than my deficit, around 1350, when you eat less calories than your BMR, there is not enough calories to sustain all the energy needed for your bodily processes so the first process to go will be sustaining hair growth and retention as it is a non essential bodily process. To keep hair thick, you need to eat enough calories to stay above the threshold but then this is hard with a low calorie deficit and high suppression!

@Mysticmaidenive never eaten less than 1400-1500 calories a day, losing 5 and a half stone to get to target so i dont think its definitively lower calories

But is that your deficit? What is your basal metabolic rate? Depends what it is. I'm eating less than both only lost 2st 4lbs in 7 months but my starting weight was only 13st. It is down to basal metabolic rate, look it up. Hair relies on it.

It's definitely linked to low calorie diets, the number of calories to trigger TE varies depending on the person

I've lost quite a lot of hair too and my deficit is 1200 and BMR is 1350 but I rarely eat up to it due to suppression and a higher dose 12.5mg and now a smaller stomach after 7 months of eating less. I eat more protein and less carbs and track my food. My friend who has stayed on lower doses in a similar time on mounjaro eats a lot more calories a day including mainly carbs and she has lost a lot less weight than me, probably half of it if that and doesn't track her food but has had no extra hair loss compared to before mounjaro, she has a thick head of hair still.

Oh I know that overwhelmingly , hair loss will be down to a low calorie diet and fast weight loss and not enough protein etc etc

but do I suspect that there’s something in / about mounjaro that causes hair shedding in some people? Yes. I believe that and I think it’ll come out as a listed side effect of the actual drug at some point

It's the weight loss, not the actual drug. I had more hair loss than usual around 3-6 months but it's back to normal now ... feels like the post pregnancy hair growth!