First, it was “Ozempic face,” now it’s hair loss. Anecdotal reports are flooding in from all directions on social media that folks using Ozempic and related diabetes drugs for weight reduction are losing their hair.

Is it true? If you happen to take Ozempic, Rybelsus, or Mounjaro in your diabetes, do you could worry about hair loss now?

We’ll clear up the controversy.

Ozempic and Its Relatives

Ozempic is simply probably the most famous of a brand new generation of diabetes drugs that’s utterly changing the landscape of obesity medicine:

• Ozempic (semaglutide), an injectable drug indicated for type 2 diabetes
• Wegovy (semaglutide), essentially Ozempic marketed for weight reduction
• Rybelsus (semaglutide), an oral formulation of semaglutide
• Mounjaro (tirzepatide), a related diabetes medication that causes much more dramatic weight reduction

Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, one in every of a family of medicine that mimic the effect of a hormone that stimulates insulin secretion and prompts feelings of hunger. Tirzepatide, a related drug, is technically a dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist — it acts as an extra hormone to create a fair stronger metabolic effect.

These drugs have grow to be so popular for weight reduction within the last yr that folks with diabetes have been unable to get their prescribed medications as a consequence of intermittent shortages. And the hype shows no signs of going away.

Ozempic and Side Effects

These recent drugs seem miraculous, but many users find there’s a value: Ozempic and its cousins are related to multiple unwanted effects. A few of these effects were tracked in clinical trials and officially acknowledged by regulatory authorities, and others only revealed after the drugs were released into the actual world.

• Most importantly, a considerable minority of users experience nasty gastrointestinal unwanted effects equivalent to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, especially when starting the meds or stepping as much as the next dosage. While most users aren’t bothered for long, others have to discontinue the medication because the consequences are intolerable.
• Complaints about “Ozempic face” flooded social media after semaglutide gained popularity as a weight reduction drug outside of the obesity community. It occurs when users lose a lot weight that additionally they lose healthy-looking fat from their faces, which can lead to a saggy, aged appearance. This side effect is entirely as a consequence of weight reduction, and also can occur when people reduce weight without Ozempic.
• Some doctors have anxious that Ozempic can be causing excessive muscle loss. More study is needed to make sure, but within the meantime, doctors generally recommend strength-building exercises to assist preserve muscle mass during weight reduction; high-protein diets may help too.
• The news hasn’t been all bad — a report in The Latest York Times noted that many individuals using Ozempic have mysteriously lost their desire to drink alcohol, stumping scientists.

There are even reports of weird dreams on Ozempic.

Is Ozempic Causing Hair Loss?

For months now, Ozempic users have been using social media to complain of a surprising additional side effect: hair loss.

Experts see no reason to doubt the stories.

While hair loss isn’t listed as a side effect on Ozempic’s FDA label, it’s listed on the official label for Wegovy, essentially the identical medication marketed for obesity somewhat than type 2 diabetes. Three percent of study participants reported hair loss, 3 times as many as those that used a placebo. And a study of tirzepatide (Mounjaro) found a fair stronger effect: 5.7 percent of those using the strongest dosage reported alopecia, the technical term for hair loss.

So, yes: Ozempic and related drugs are causing hair loss. But they aren’t doing it directly; this isn’t a worrying chemical effect of the drugs. Hair loss is caused as an alternative by the load loss that these drugs produce, and never by the drugs themselves. Diabetes Day by day has reviewed the statements of many medical examiners on the topic, and their opinions look like unanimous.

The easy fact is that dramatic weight reduction, regardless of the way it’s caused, often causes hair loss. For instance, a 1974 study of crash dieters found multiple cases of “profuse hair loss.” And greater than half of people who receive bariatric surgery experience hair loss, too.

The excellent news: A 2017 study found that “hair loss stopped and recent hair regularly grew out in all patients.”

Why Does Weight Loss Cause Hair Loss?

Listed below are not less than a few possible explanations:

• Nutrient deficiency. Practically everyone that loses loads of weight does it by eating less. Ozempic and related drugs essentially force users to crash eating regimen by dramatically reducing appetites. In such circumstances, it could possibly be difficult to devour as many nutrients as you would like, and lots of studies have found that hair loss during weight reduction is correlated with deficiencies in protein and in vitamins and minerals equivalent to iron and zinc. (In rare and extreme cases, some Ozempic users have even experienced critical levels of malnutrition.)

• Stress. Losing loads of weight can put your body under stress — each psychological and physical. There’s a condition named telogen effluvium that, based on the Cleveland Clinic, “affects people after they experience severe stress or a change to their body.”

Can You Prevent Hair Loss?

Possibly!

With or without the fear of hair loss, these healthy habits are great ideas for anyone with diabetes.

Youtube and TikTok are also filled with advice on over-the-counter hair loss prevention, though Diabetes Day by day is in no position to judge the efficacy of such varied approaches.

If the hair loss is absolutely bothersome, doctors can prescribe medication that will stop it.

Usually, luckily, the hair will grow back.

Do Individuals with Diabetes Have to Worry?

It looks as if there’s no reason to fret for individuals with diabetes that use Ozempic, Mounjaro, or related drugs.

Hair loss, if it happens to you, is actually unlucky, but this cosmetic issue has no other health effects, and your hair should come back in time.

It’s also notable that the trials to have officially identified hair loss as a side effect were conducted in people without diabetes. Researchers aren’t quite sure why, but individuals with diabetes are inclined to lose less weight on these groundbreaking drugs than people without the condition. That’s not necessarily excellent news for patients attempting to lose loads of weight, but not less than it probably means fewer cases of Ozempic face and hair loss within the diabetes community.

And in the event you’re using semaglutide or tirzepatide in your diabetes, you have already got larger health issues to fret about. The potential advantages — weight reduction, improved blood sugar control, and lower cardiovascular risk aspects — are immense. Experts are extremely obsessed with the brand new generation of diabetes drugs for a reason, and the potential for temporary hair loss just isn’t changing their minds.