Introduction
Ozempic is all the rage right now and has practically achieved household recognition, with its proven efficacy. It doesn’t just lower blood sugar levels but also promotes weight loss. Just like any drug, semaglutide has its share of potential side effects. Does semaglutide cause hair loss? In this article, we cover its adverse reactions and if these have any link to hair loss.
What is semaglutide?
Before we go into semaglutide’s side effects and hair loss, we need to know what semaglutide is. How exactly does it work? How safe and effective is it in helping people lose weight?
Semaglutide belongs to a class of drugs, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1 Ras. Semaglutide mimics the action of a hormone in the gut, GLP-1. It triggers the pancreas to secrete the hormone insulin to lower blood sugar levels when they are high.
Another effect of semaglutide is that it slows down digestion, delaying gastric emptying. As a result, people taking semaglutide feel fuller for longer and have fewer food cravings, leading to weight loss.
Taking semaglutide
Semaglutide comes in two formats: oral and subcutaneous semaglutide. By subcutaneous, we mean injecting it under the skin.
Ozempic and Wegovy come in injectable dosing pens and you must administer these once a week regardless of meals. Rybelsus, meanwhile, is oral semaglutide, as it comes in tablet form and is you must take it by mouth.
Safety and efficacy
Before you take semaglutide, it’s only natural to want to understand just how safe and effective it is. Like most drugs, Ozempic and other semaglutide brands Wegovy and Rybelsus have gone through clinical studies to receive FDA approval. The following are highlights from the research that proves semaglutide’s safety, efficacy, and tolerability.
In the STEP 5 trial, researchers investigated the two-year effects of semaglutide in adults who were overweight or with obesity. Participants lost an average of 15 percent of their body weight with semaglutide. Meanwhile, those in the placebo group lost approximately 2.6 percent of their body weight.
Participants taking semaglutide also lost 5.7 inches off their waistline and also saw improvements in their systolic blood pressure. Participants in the semaglutide group also experienced better diastolic blood pressure, blood sugar levels, total cholesterol, and triglycerides.
A December 2022 study, meanwhile, showed that participants taking semaglutide lost more body fat than body mass and ate less. In addition, they had a weaker appetite and had fewer food cravings, especially for oily foods.
Eligibility
Not just anyone can take semaglutide. Before you receive a prescription from a licensed health professional, you need to meet certain diagnostic criteria.
For Ozempic and Rybelsus, for example, you need to have type 2 diabetes. In some cases, doctors may also prescribe them for those with heart disease. This is because they have the additional approval for lowering the risk of cardiovascular problems. Doctors may also at times prescribe them for those dealing with insulin resistance.
For Wegovy, meanwhile, you need to have a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or greater. In addition, you must have one weight-related health condition (ex: high blood pressure) or a BMI of 30 or greater.
Does semaglutide cause hair loss?
The quick answer is no, semaglutide does not cause hair loss. There’s no evidence that Ozempic, Wegovy, or Rybelsus causes hair loss as hair loss isn’t listed among the drug’s mostly gastrointestinal side effects.
However, a study reported hair loss did occur in 3% of adults using Wegovy and in 4% of pediatric patients. Such low numbers, though, are unremarkable and semaglutide manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, did not consider them a side effect.
Semaglutide’s most common side effects include nausea (44%), diarrhea (30%), vomiting (24%), constipation (24%), and abdominal pain (20%).
However, hair loss tends to occur in people who have just had rapid weight loss, a typical effect of semaglutide. This hair loss normally happens three months after they first lose weight. Eventually, this subsides after a few weeks or months.
How hair loss happens
Hair follicles naturally go through a cycle of growth, transformation, and rest. In the growth phase (anagen), hair grows, and in the rest phase (telogen), hair growth stops and old hair is shed. The shedding is because of a kind of metabolic body stress, hormonal change, or use of a certain medicine. This alternating process of growth and rest prevents all your hair from falling out. People on average lose around 50 to 150 hairs every day.
When people experience hair loss—a condition, telogen effluvium—several hair follicles go into the rest phase at the same time. Hence, it makes the hair loss more noticeable.
As we’ve mentioned, a certain metabolic body stress can trigger this. This can be due to exercise, illness or infection, low caloric intake, injury, anxiety, chronic disease, or rapid weight loss.
The good news is that telogen effluvium tends to be temporary. Also, not everyone who has rapidly lost weight will experience hair loss.
It’s not clear why some people are more susceptible to it than others. You may notice more hair on your hairbrush or when shampooing than usual, but no bald spots. Your hair also doesn’t fall out in clumps.
Telogen effluvium also doesn’t harm the hair follicle, so if you lose hair after losing weight, it won’t be forever. Once your weight stabilizes, your hair should go back to its growth cycle after a few weeks or months.
Hair loss and weight loss drugs
There are other weight loss drugs similar to semaglutide such as tirzepatide, another type of GLP-1 receptor agonist. Note that hair loss wasn’t listed as a side effect of Mounjaro (tirzepatide), according to the drug’s package insert. Hair loss, however, was reported in 4.9% to 5.7% of participants using Mounjaro at 5 mg to 15 mg doses.
In people taking another tirzepatide brand, Zepbound, meanwhile, hair loss occurred more often in women than in men.
There’s another way people rapidly lose weight: bariatric surgery, which involves modifying the digestive system to promote weight loss. Studies show that hair loss occurred after weight loss in people who had bariatric surgery and in type 2 diabetics.
Dealing with hair loss
It’s one thing to assume hair loss because of telogen effluvium and semaglutide, it’s another to confirm permanent hair loss.
1. Tell your doctor.
Once you notice hair shedding after rapidly losing weight, tell your healthcare provider immediately. It’s best to apply treatments for permanent hair loss as soon as possible.
2. Check out your current medications.
With the help of your healthcare provider, review all the medicines you’re currently taking along semaglutide. Determine if any of these may be triggering your hair loss. You might need to discontinue taking some of these and replace them with new ones.
3. Make changes to your diet.
A healthy diet promotes healthy hair, so try to eat nutritious foods like lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
4. Go for more low-maintenance hair styles.
Sometimes, the daily stress and maintenance of hair can wreak havoc on your hair follicles. The heat from hair dryers and curling irons, as well as tight hairstyles, may be damaging your hair. Try going for a low-maintenance or wash-and-wear type of haircut so you don’t need to style your hair as frequently.
5. Let your hair “breathe.”
Sometimes, using too many hair products or getting hair treatments often does more damage than good to our hair. Chemicals from hair dyes or hair perming products may affecting your hair follicle health. Hence, you may want to let your crowning glory rest in the meantime.
6. Reduce your stress levels.
It’s easier said than done, but reducing stress can do wonders for your overall health, including your tresses. As stress is one of telogen effluvium’s causes, you may want to adopt mind-calming, centering, or de-stressing techniques. Try meditation, yoga, or journaling to destress. Do something fun now and then to boost your endorphin (feel-good hormone) levels.
Conclusion
Just like any drug, semaglutide has its share of potential side effects.
Hair loss, in particular, is not listed among its common adverse effects. However, it may be triggered by rapid weight loss, which is common among semaglutide patients.
Also known as telogen effluvium, hair loss has been reported in clinical studies involving semaglutide and its competitor ingredient, tirzepatide. However, the numbers are too low for it to be recognized as a side effect.
Thankfully, there are ways to deal with hair loss. You can make changes to your diet, reduce stress levels, or rest your hair from chemicals and damaging styling. Additionally, you may want to review your current medications with a healthcare professional.
In most cases, hair loss is temporary and should subside as a patient’s weight is stabilized. However, in some cases, it may be a sign of permanent hair loss and should be examined and treated immediately.
Glossary of terms:
- GLP-1: Glucagon-like peptide-1 is a gut-based hormone involved in the secretion of insulin to lower blood sugar levels typically elevated after meals.
- GLP-1 Ra: Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists mimic GLP-1 in the production of insulin to control blood sugar levels.
- Telogen effluvium: Occurs when several hair follicles go into the rest phase at the same time, making the hair loss more noticeable
