What to do? A year on MJ - now itchy scalp and maybe thinning hair

[PartTimePip]

Just to point out - my weight loss has been VERY slow. So it’s not due to fast weight loss at all. I’ve lost only 2 stone in a year. So about a 1/2 a pound a week on average.I’m a stone away from target of 11 stone.

In the last month, I’ve noticed my scalp being mildly itchy - not to a really bad extent but it’s certainly something I’ve never experienced before. And today, looking at my scalp, I suspect my hair seems to be thinning. I haven’t had clumps coming out, but there does appear to be thinning. This afternoon there seem to be quite a lot coming out when I combed my hair.

The only thing that’s changed in this time period is that I’ve gone up from 10 mg to 12.5 mg MJ dose.

Has anyone else had a similar experience?

I’m not really sure what to do. Any suggestions? Usually I know what to do!

Maybe I should reduce my MJ dose back down to maybe 7.5 mg? In the hope that this might improve matters?

I’m 64 and my hair is fairly fine.

What is your BMI? Is another stone feasible? If your weight loss has been that slow, do you think you might be able to sustain that off of MJ with new habits you have built while on it?

Yes finding the same OP, I don't really get it. I have been on MJ just over a year (lost 5 stone) and just the last month have noticed some hair is coming out.

I have reduced my dose, to 3.75mg from 5mg (was on 10-15mg at some stages though) and eating a bit more, I am BMI 26 anyway and happy to maintain here rather than losing more hair.

I've started biotin and considering collagen too. Late 40s.

Yes @Orangesandlemons77 I’m thinking I might reduce.l dose. It does seem strange to have this happen so late in the game, so to speak. Did you have an itchy scalp too?

If I go down to 7.5 mg, I might have to be more conscientious about my diet. I was hoping to lose another stone before titrating down.

Do you - or anybody? – think biotin or collagen work – I’ve read mixed things 🤷‍♀️ …

Check your diet is giving you enough zinc, iodine and vitamin B12. Use an anti-dandruff shampoo that has caffeine a couple of times a week, that should slow the hair fall. Look for a hair supplement that blocks DHT eg pumpkin seed.

Thanks @FourteenStoneInAday . I might try a shampoo as you suggest (even though I have no dandruff.)

I am 64 and eat pretty healthily, always have (just too much), and take a few vitamins/supplements. I’ll also look up the pumpkin hair supplement.

Interesting that you mentioned itchy scalp - I've had DD check me several times recently to see if I've got nits! (I'm a teacher, so not as rare as I'd like...) Also a slow loser, been on it for 15 months. Had some hair loss but seems to have slowed recently. I did start collagen a month ago to see if it would help - I'm cautiously optimistic that it has, but not definitely.

Well, after my initial panic this afternoon – I have read a little bit more around the subject on the Internet.

I had always assumed that hair loss on Mounjaro is because of fast weight loss putting the body under distress. But that is definitely not the case for me.

From what I’ve read on the Internet, and it is slim pickings, it does just seem to affect a small minority of people that way: the hair loss + the itchy scalp. Maybe it’s a kind of hormonal or allergic reaction to MJ. I did have a very bad skin rash on my arm when I started months ago - but no other side effects since.

As I said, it’s particularly strange that it’s just happening now – I assume because of me going up in dose to 12.5 mg most recently.

I’ve got no alternative, but to cut my MJ dose back immediately to 7.5 mg - and hope that helps.

This is gonna make harder for me to lose and then maintain the last stone’s weight loss. I’ll have to rethink things now …

Thanks for all your responses.

Interesting what you mention @Waitaminutewheresmejumper ; it does feel a bit like that (the nits). Glad to hear that it seems to have improved recently.

I have been on MJ for just over a year. I have lost very slowly and stayed on 2.5mg throughout. I’ve lost around 2.5 stone so almost identical. I eat plenty of protein and lots of vegetables. I’ve also had significant hair loss. It started in January, slowed down in the summer and but I still have a noticeable number of strands tangled around my fingers when I wash my hair.

I have lost weight much more quickly in the past and never had a problem with hair loss before. It really isn’t simply the weight loss which is why it’s listed as a side effect of the drug.

So, I have a plan!

To start using Regaine for Men 5% Minoxidil Extra Strength Scalp Solution. It’s about £20 on Amazon.

I’m not going to buy anything else or “up” my protein, as I have yet to be convinced that this will make a difference, and I have limited finances. I should probably drink more water though, generally speaking.

I am dropping my dose from 12.5 mg to 5 mg Mounjaro, and I hope that this will help matters.

It’s a bit frustrating as I still have about a stone to lose to even get to the top of BMI range. I would be perfectly happy there. But it’s a real struggle to lose weight for me, even at high dose MJ.

I have also made a decision - once my 2 pens have run out – to come off MJ and go onto Wegovy, as it’s so much cheaper. I am hoping that being on low-dose 0.5 Wegovy could help me keep my maintenance weight in the future whilst minimising hair loss.

It’s a bit of a trade-off between hair and weight! All I can do is hope that significantly lowering the dose might make that trade-off less stark.

But obviously there is no guarantee, as I haven’t read anything anywhere about whether lowering the dose helps. I will just have to see how things work out over the coming months …