Does Tirzepatide Cause Hair Loss? Causes and Trial Data
Does tirzepatide cause hair loss? It can: the Zepbound label lists hair loss as a common side effect and says it was associated with weight reduction. In the label's weight trials it was reported by 4% to 5% of people on the drug, against 1% on placebo.
If you are seeing more hair in your brush since starting tirzepatide, the label data say you are not alone. Whether the drug itself or the fast weight loss is the cause has not been settled.
Short answer
- What you may be noticing
- More shedding than usual. The Zepbound label lists hair loss as a common side effect and ties it to weight reduction. Reviews link it to telogen effluvium, a type of shedding.
- How common it is, by the label
- In the Zepbound label's weight trials, 4% to 5% of people on the drug reported hair loss, against 1% on placebo.
- Who reports it more
- Women. In the label's pooled data, 7.1% of women and 0.5% of men on Zepbound reported it. No one on Zepbound stopped treatment because of it.
- Does it pass, and when to see a doctor
- A 2009 review says telogen effluvium resolves in 3 to 6 months once the trigger is removed or treated; we found no figure for tirzepatide itself. The Zepbound Medication Guide says to talk to your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.
Sources: Zepbound FDA label; Shrivastava, Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2009
Hair loss on the Zepbound label
Yes, on the label. The Zepbound label lists hair loss among its most common side effects, reported in at least 5% of patients.
The full list is nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, belly pain, indigestion, injection site reactions, tiredness, allergic reactions, burping, hair loss and acid reflux. The label adds one key line: hair loss in people treated with Zepbound was associated with weight reduction.
Sources: Zepbound FDA label
How common is hair loss on tirzepatide?
In the Zepbound label's weight trials, hair loss was reported by 4% to 5% of people on the drug and 1% on placebo. That is about 1 in 20 against 1 in 100.
The Zepbound label's side effect table for its weight trials lists hair loss in:
- Placebo: 1%
- Zepbound 5 mg: 5%
- Zepbound 10 mg: 4%
- Zepbound 15 mg: 5%
Very few people stopped because of it. The label says no one on Zepbound and one person on placebo stopped study treatment because of hair loss.
Disclaimer: these are trial doses, not a recommendation. Dose decisions belong with a licensed clinician.
Sources: Zepbound FDA label
Hair loss rates in the label and the SURMOUNT-1 trial
The Zepbound label table and the SURMOUNT-1 trial counts agree: about 5% on each tirzepatide dose, against about 1% on placebo.
| Group | Zepbound label | SURMOUNT-1 trial |
|---|---|---|
| Placebo | 1% | 6 of 643 (0.9%) |
| Tirzepatide 5 mg | 5% | 32 of 630 (5.1%) |
| Tirzepatide 10 mg | 4% | 31 of 636 (4.9%) |
| Tirzepatide 15 mg | 5% | 36 of 630 (5.7%) |
The review lists the SURMOUNT-1 cases as alopecia, the medical word for hair loss. A second trial shows the same gap: SURMOUNT-3 results on ClinicalTrials.gov list alopecia in 20 of 287 people on tirzepatide and 4 of 292 on placebo.
Disclaimer: these are trial doses, not a recommendation. Dose decisions belong with a licensed clinician.
Sources: Zepbound FDA label; Gupta et al, Sci Prog 2026 (full text); SURMOUNT-3 results, ClinicalTrials.gov
Why might tirzepatide cause hair loss?
The leading idea in recent reviews is fast weight loss, which can trigger a type of shedding called telogen effluvium. A 2026 expert paper says this has not been proven.
The type of hair loss most often linked to these drugs is called telogen effluvium. A 2021 review calls it a common cause of widespread hair loss that does not scar. It says it is usually set off by stress on the body, such as childbirth or sudden weight loss.
A 2026 review of GLP-1 drugs found that tirzepatide, the drug linked to the most weight loss, was most often linked to telogen effluvium. The same review found that rapid weight loss may play a part, mainly for telogen effluvium.
A 2026 expert paper puts it plainly. It says causality has not been established. It names the rapid weight loss seen with these drugs as one possible way they could set off telogen effluvium.
Sources: Telogen effluvium review, J Dermatol Sci 2021; Gupta et al, Sci Prog 2026 (abstract); Piraccini et al, Dermatol Ther 2026
Hair loss in women and men
Yes. In the Zepbound label's pooled trial data, 7.1% of women and 0.5% of men on Zepbound reported hair loss.
On placebo in the same label data, it was 1.3% of women and 0% of men. A 2026 review of GLP-1 drugs also found that women seemed to be affected more.
Sources: Zepbound FDA label; Gupta et al, Sci Prog 2026 (abstract)
Mounjaro side effects and hair loss
The US Mounjaro label lists nausea, diarrhea, decreased appetite, vomiting, constipation, indigestion and belly pain as its most common side effects. Hair loss appears in its list of reports made after approval.
- Those most common side effects come from the Mounjaro diabetes trials. Hair loss is not on that list.
- Alopecia, the medical word for hair loss, appears in the label's list of reports made after approval.
- The label warns that those reports are voluntary, from a group of unknown size. So it is not always possible to know how often they happen, or whether the drug caused them.
- The EU product information for Mounjaro lists hair loss reported in patients treated for weight management.
For how the two brands compare, see is Zepbound the same as Mounjaro.
Sources: Mounjaro FDA label; Mounjaro EU product information (EMA)
Can Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs cause hair loss?
It can: a 2026 meta-analysis found a significantly higher risk of hair loss in GLP-1 drug users, a group that includes Ozempic (semaglutide), than in placebo users.
In that 2026 meta-analysis, the risk ratio was 3.252, with a 95% confidence interval of 1.437 to 7.358.
A 2026 cohort study found that semaglutide and tirzepatide were linked to higher odds of nonscarring hair loss, mostly telogen effluvium. The authors say stress on the body from weight loss may add to hair loss during GLP-1 treatment. For the wider group of side effects, see our GLP-1 side effects guide.
Sources: Cheng and Chang, Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2026; Katragadda et al, Laryngoscope 2026
How long does telogen effluvium last?
A 2009 review says telogen effluvium resolves in 3 to 6 months if the trigger is removed or treated. We found no figure for people on tirzepatide.
That 2009 review calls it self limited. A 2021 review notes its high rate of remission, but says the sudden hair loss can be very worrying.
Sources: Shrivastava, Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2009; Telogen effluvium review, J Dermatol Sci 2021
What happens if I stop taking tirzepatide?
We found no trial or other primary source that reports what happens to hair after stopping tirzepatide. Hair loss has many possible causes, and a doctor can look at what is behind it. Our hair loss guide covers hair loss more broadly.
Sources: Gupta et al, Sci Prog 2026 (abstract); Piraccini et al, Dermatol Ther 2026
What the evidence does not show about tirzepatide and hair loss
Four common claims about tirzepatide and hair loss have no primary source behind them. Here is what we could not confirm.
Whether the drug itself causes it
The label ties hair loss to weight reduction. A 2026 expert paper says causality has not been established. No study we found separates a direct drug effect from weight loss.
Whether hair grows back after stopping tirzepatide
No trial or other primary source we found reports this. General reviews of telogen effluvium are not about tirzepatide.
How long tirzepatide hair loss lasts
A 2026 review says time to onset was not reported in the trials. We found no tirzepatide figure for how long it lasts.
A clear dose effect
The trial rates were close across 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg. We found no study built to test a dose effect.
Sources: Zepbound FDA label; Piraccini et al, Dermatol Ther 2026; Gupta et al, Sci Prog 2026 (full text)
Tirzepatide hair loss questions
Does tirzepatide cause hair loss?+
Hair loss is a listed side effect. The Zepbound label lists it among the most common side effects, reported by at least 5% of patients, and says hair loss in treated patients was associated with weight reduction. A 2026 expert paper says causality has not been established.
Does Zepbound cause hair loss?+
Zepbound is tirzepatide, so the same data apply. In the label side effect table for the weight trials, hair loss was reported by 1% on placebo and by 5%, 4% and 5% on the 5 mg, 10 mg and 15 mg doses. Disclaimer: these are trial doses, not a recommendation. Dose decisions belong with a licensed clinician.
Can Ozempic cause hair loss?+
Ozempic is semaglutide, a GLP-1 drug. A 2026 meta-analysis found a significantly higher risk of hair loss in GLP-1 drug users than in placebo users. A 2026 cohort study linked both semaglutide and tirzepatide to higher odds of nonscarring hair loss, mostly telogen effluvium.
What are Mounjaro's side effects?+
The US Mounjaro label lists nausea, diarrhea, decreased appetite, vomiting, constipation, indigestion and abdominal pain as its most common side effects, reported by at least 5% of patients in its diabetes trials. Alopecia, or hair loss, appears in its list of reports made after approval.
Is tirzepatide hair loss more common in women?+
In the label data, yes. In a pool of two Zepbound trials, hair loss was reported by 7.1% of women and 0.5% of men on Zepbound, and by 1.3% of women and 0% of men on placebo.
Did people stop tirzepatide because of hair loss?+
Not in the label trials. The Zepbound label says no patients treated with Zepbound, and one patient on placebo, stopped study treatment because of hair loss.
How long does telogen effluvium last?+
A 2009 review says telogen effluvium is self limited and resolves in 3 to 6 months if the trigger is removed or treated. That review is about telogen effluvium in general, not tirzepatide.
Sources: Zepbound FDA label; Piraccini et al, Dermatol Ther 2026; Cheng and Chang, Diabetes Res Clin Pract 2026; Katragadda et al, Laryngoscope 2026; Shrivastava, Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol 2009
Related tirzepatide guides
This guide is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. It describes what drug labels and published studies report about tirzepatide and hair loss. Questions about your own hair or medicine belong with a licensed clinician.