Hair Shedding on GLP-1 Weight-Loss Shots: What the Labels and Dermatologists Say

If you’re losing weight on a GLP-1 medicine such as semaglutide or tirzepatide, you may notice more hair in your brush or shower drain a few months in. It’s a common worry, and it’s listed on the drug labels. Here is what’s known and what to do.

What the labels say

• Semaglutide (weight-loss dose): in pooled trials, hair loss was reported by 3.3% of people on the medicine, compared with 1% on placebo. It was more common in women (4%) than men (0.9%). The label says hair loss was associated with weight reduction.¹ At the higher 7.2 mg dose, 6% reported hair loss.¹
• Tirzepatide (weight-loss dose): hair loss was reported by 7.1% of women and 0.5% of men on the medicine, compared with 1.3% of women on placebo. It was also associated with weight reduction, and no one on tirzepatide stopped the medicine because of it.²

Why it happens

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD)³ explains that losing 20 pounds or more is one of the stressors that can trigger excessive shedding, called telogen effluvium. It’s normal to lose 50 to 100 hairs a day. After a trigger, people often notice extra shedding a few months later.³

The good news: this kind of shedding is usually temporary. As your body readjusts, the shedding stops, and hair tends to regain its usual fullness within six to nine months. If the stressor continues, shedding can last longer.³

Shedding is different from hair loss, where something stops hair from growing, such as hereditary thinning.³ Our guides to heavy shedding and thinning hair explain the difference.

What you can do

1. Don’t stop your medicine on your own. Talk with your prescriber first.
2. Eat enough protein and a varied diet while losing weight, and ask whether your calorie intake is too low.
3. Ask about blood tests for iron, thyroid and other causes of shedding, especially if it’s heavy or lasts more than a few months.
4. Be gentle with your hair: avoid tight styles, harsh treatments and heavy heat while it recovers.
5. Track it. Take monthly photos of your part in the same light.

When to see a dermatologist

See a dermatologist if shedding lasts longer than about six months, you notice bald patches, your part is widening, or your scalp itches, burns or scales. Thinning that doesn’t regrow may be a different type of hair loss with its own treatments.

If you’re buying a GLP-1 medicine online, our article on compounded GLP-1 red flags covers safety checks.

Try: “I’ve lost 25 pounds on my weight-loss shots and my hair is coming out in clumps. Is this temporary shedding, and should we check my iron and thyroid?”

Hair, Everywhere includes a Hair Check and a monthly Hair Log. Use them to record your weight changes, shedding and photos, so you can see when your hair starts to recover. See the book.