Are weight loss drugs causing hair loss? Doctors weigh in

Table Of Content

• Ozempic Causing Hair Loss? Why Some People Are Shedding More Than Pounds
• Ozempic Dreams
• Hair loss is common with major weight loss
• Legal Conditions and Terms
• Semaglutide (Subcutaneous Route)
• Frequently asked questions
• Ozempic Shows Long-Term Benefits for Blood Sugar Control and Weight Loss in New 3-Year Study

Sign up to our free daily email for the latest royal and entertainment news, interesting opinion, expert advice on styling and beauty trends, and no-nonsense guides to the health and wellness questions you want answered. Doctors tell patients to stop eating before surgeries that require general anesthesia because of the risk it could be vomited up and end up in the lungs. Doctors have also noted the higher number of patients who reported alopecia in Eli Lilly's trials of tirzepatide for obesity. However, in an update published on Thursday, Jan. 11, the agency said that so far, "FDA's preliminary evaluation has not found evidence that use of these medicines causes suicidal thoughts or actions." For more information on Ozempic’s mild and serious side effects, and pregnancy during treatment, see the related sections above. If you have additional questions about Ozempic and your weight, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Ozempic Causing Hair Loss? Why Some People Are Shedding More Than Pounds

'Girl with No Job' Influencer Claudia Oshry Talks 'Ozempic Face,' Hair Loss Since Taking the 'Life-Changing' Drug - Yahoo News UK

'Girl with No Job' Influencer Claudia Oshry Talks 'Ozempic Face,' Hair Loss Since Taking the 'Life-Changing' Drug.

Posted: Wed, 24 Apr 2024 11:41:59 GMT [source]

They may suggest diet changes or an over-the-counter (OTC) medication, such as Gas-X (simethicone), to help relieve gas and burping. Ozempic has a boxed warning about the possible risk of thyroid cancer. It’s unclear whether this drug also increases thyroid cancer risk in humans. Like all medications, Ozempic has known side effects, some anecdotal (like Ozempic face and Ozempic butt), and others documented on the drug’s website, like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t list personality changes as one.

Ozempic Dreams

Doctors discuss drugs that lead to weight loss and personality changes. Binge eating often emerges as part of a cycle of restriction—dieting, fasting, or eliminating entire food groups—like carbs, for example. “Many people struggling with BED view the binge episodes as the problem and the restriction as something to strive for,” said Alexis Conason, a psychologist specializing in the treatment of binge eating disorder. Goldman, who works with patients with obesity and those who have undergone bariatric surgery, understands the challenges, both mental and physical, that patients go through during weight loss. Ozempic has been linked to a host of unfortunate side effects from personality changes to weight gain after getting off the medication.

Hair loss is common with major weight loss

"This could be the case, for example, if 1% of patients on the placebo [no drug] had hair loss and 1% of patients on the Ozempic had hair loss. There would be no way to distinguish whether or not the medication caused the hair loss." Nausea was the most common side effect reported by people receiving the drug in clinical trials. When you start treatment, talk with your healthcare provider about your expected weight loss goal, the time frame, and how you should approach a healthy diet. You may also want to meet with a registered dietician for diet and meal planning advice. Hair shedding due to rapid weight loss after bariatric (weight loss) surgery and in patients with type 2 diabetes has also been reported. While it isn’t listed as a side effect on Ozempic’s FDA label, hair loss is listed on the FDA's label for Wegovy, essentially the same medication.

Weight loss

In FDA's records there are at least 422 reports about patients taking semaglutide or tirzepatide that mention the term alopecia, which doctors use to describe hair loss. The agency has previously followed up on other reports of issues that might be caused by the medications, called GLP-1 receptor agonists or GLP-1 RA, which are also effective for treating diabetes. If you experience bothersome skin changes during Ozempic treatment, your doctor may suggest lowering your dosage of the drug. They may also recommend trying a different medication to manage your diabetes.

If you have dizziness that isn’t related to low blood sugar while receiving Ozempic, talk with your doctor. They may suggest trying a different medication to treat your condition. If you experience gas or burping that won’t go away or affects your daily life, your doctor may recommend a drug other than Ozempic for your condition. However, if you have gas or burping that’s bothersome to you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Semaglutide (Subcutaneous Route)

While this may not prevent temporary hair loss with Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound. It’s always a good idea to follow a healthy and recommended diet for weight loss. Nutritional deficiencies, low protein or caloric intake and a sudden change in eating habits can worsen the possibility of hair shedding due to rapid weight loss with these medications. Weight loss drugs such as Ozempic have been tied to a rare but increased risk of severe stomach problems according to research published in October 2023. In July 2023, CNN reported that some semaglutide users had experienced gastroparesis, or stomach paralysis, which in some cases did not get better even months after discontinuing the medicine.

Frequently asked questions

But it’s not entirely clear how GLP-1 drugs are interacting with dopamine in the brain. In fact, studies have shown that weight loss can “reduce the prevalence of low, testosterone levels in overweight, middle-aged men” by nearly 50 percent. More baffling were the handful of studies showing plummeting levels of testosterone — a major factor in libido — as weight loss typically regulates T levels.

Ozempic Shows Long-Term Benefits for Blood Sugar Control and Weight Loss in New 3-Year Study

Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) may occur if you do not take enough or skip a dose of your antidiabetic medicine, overeat or do not follow your meal plan, have a fever or infection, or do not exercise as much as usual. Check with your doctor right away if you have gaseous stomach pain, indigestion, recurrent fever, severe nausea or vomiting, stomach fullness, or yellow eyes or skin. These may be symptoms of gallbladder problems (eg, cholelithiasis, cholecystitis).

This medicine may cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis and angioedema, which can be life-threatening and require immediate medical attention. Check with your doctor right away if you have a rash, itching, hoarseness, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, or any swelling of your hands, face, mouth, or throat while you are using this medicine. In a 2-year trial among patients with type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk, patients treated with this drug experienced a great incidence of diabetic retinopathy complications (3% vs 1.8%). The absolute risk was greater in patients with a history of diabetic retinopathy at baseline (8.2%[drug] vs 5.2%[placebo]) than those without (0.7%[drug] vs 0.4%[placebo]). Drugs.com provides accurate and independent information on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

If you experience dizziness while receiving Ozempic, check your blood sugar to see whether it’s low. Gas and burping are caused by tiny amounts of air that gather in your digestive system. Your body eventually has to release the air, and passing gas or burping are ways to get rid of it. Ozempic may cause these side effects because the drug slows down the rate at which your stomach digests food.