GLP1 Hairloss AGA

[peekaboo12]

I have Androgenic Alopecia (female pattern) hair loss and pcos - I really want to try the GLP1 to help with weight loss as I'm finding it nearly impossible after my last baby 2 years ago - yo-yoing up and down the same 5lbs my bmi is 29.5 but would probably be 30 in an evening with clothes so I don't think I'd have trouble being prescribed. I'm really worried about hair loss though I've been trying really hard to address it and don't want to make it worse. Feel like I have to choose between fat or bald at the minute.. does anyone else have AGA and take GLP1 and if so how has it affected your hair loss

Do you take any prescribed supplements for the hair loss?

I’m a hairdresser not a trichologist so not an expert. Most people on WLI who report hair loss have also crash dieted and eaten far too few nutrients, but obviously, that’s not the cause of your hair loss.

There’s evidence that glp-1’s help with some autoimmune and hormone related conditions inc. PCOS so on that basis, it’s probably worth a try.

Rapid weight loss can sometimes trigger a temporary shed regardless of the underlying cause, so managing expectations with your existing AGA is definitely smart.

I lost quite a bit at the beginning as I had a huge amount of weight to lose and it fell off quite fat for the first 6 months. After that my hair did come back but it’s taken over a year and it’s probably going g to take another 2 before the growth meets the length of my bob

According to the clinical trials around 5 % of people reported hair loss, although to what degree is not specified. It's telogen effluvium, usually temporary and self resolving. Whether it's triggered by the weight loss (speed or amount), hormonal changes or something about the medication itself is not clear.

I had hair shedded after about 3 months on Mounjaro, that phase lasted for about 3 months before stopping and then regrowth gradually coming through. Now after 2 plus years on Mounjaro, my hair is totally normal.

There was some new research published last week looking at GLP-1s and hair loss. If you Google it, you'll see lots of articles covering it.

• The study found that, compared with people taking SGLT-2 inhibitors, GLP-1 users had about a 37% higher relative risk of alopecia, and compared with DPP-4 inhibitors, about a 68% higher relative risk. However, the absolute risk was still low—around 3–9 cases of clinically recorded hair loss per 1,000 people per year.

Most importantly, the researchers couldn't separate the effects of the medication itself from the effects of the weight loss, so it doesn't prove that GLP1s directly cause hair loss. Depending on the bias of who is reading it, people seem to take very different messages from the recent study! 😂 My hairdresser and her trichologist pal took great delight in telling me its now been definitely proven. 🙈 I might need a new hairdresser after 32 years! 🤔

I think AGA is a very different condition from the temporary shedding some people see with GLP1s, so you might be unlucky and get some shedding on top of your AGA, but I don't think it will make your underlying AGA issue progress.

I am on maintenance calories on mj 5mg and have been since march and still losing more hair than pre-mj and I started MJ in Oct 24 and hair loss started jan 25! The only time my shedding stopped was when I switched to wegovy for 3 months within 2 days of switching back the hair loss increased. My weight loss was max 1lbs a week, even at the start when everyone else loses fast, I lost 5.2lbs in 31 days so it wasn't fast at all. I also have done high protein throughout and take vitamins and even tried a course of 4 biotin injections to try to stop the hair loss. I've had bloods taken last December and everything was normal including ferritin, so I believe it's just being on mounjaro itself as on wegovy I was fine even when eating in a deficit. It really frustrates me when people make assumptions about fast weight loss and crash dieting for reasons for hair loss.

I've lost a lot of hair while on mounjaro but it is growing back.

I agree with the above comment, I've kept my calories and protein up and lost weight slower than previous times but I've lost far more hair this time so I think the mj has contributed

I understand the worry. I've seen people do well on Mounjaro, but it's worth discussing your hair loss concerns with your prescriber before starting

Thanks! Very interesting. I was worried about the responses that says even with good protein & losing weight at a slow stable pace the hair loss is still bad. I wonder if there is a difference between wegivy & monjaro in terms of more/less loss expected. I really think the glp1 would be perfect for me if it wasn't at the risk of sacrificing the hair I have