Some GLP-1 drugs may be causing more hair loss than others. Adobe Stock Save Story Save this story Save Story Save this story Hair loss can be sparked by everything from your genetics to your stress levels, making it hard at times to pinpoint what’s fueling the shedding. But new research suggests that, if you’re suddenly losing hair, you might want to take a closer look at your GLP-1.
The study , which hasn’t been published in a medical journal yet, found that the risk of developing hair loss was "significantly greater” when people started using tirzepatide (Zepbound, Mounjaro) over fellow GLP-1 medication semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic).
If you’re taking tirzepatide, don’t panic just yet. Doctors say there could be a few reasons for the link—and it doesn’t mean you’ll lose your hair if you’re on this GLP-1.
For the study, researchers analyzed data over 12 months from 12,863 people who took semaglutide and 12,863 people who took tirzepatide. None of the participants had a documented history of alopecia (the medical term for hair loss).
The researchers discovered that people who took tirzepatide were more likely to develop hair loss during the study period compared to those who took semaglutide. While the numbers were small overall—4.2% vs. 2.88%—there was a clear difference.
Because people tend to lose more weight on tirzepatide, the researchers also matched tirzepatide and semaglutide users based on how much weight they lost. The data still showed that people on tirzepatide were more likely to develop hair loss than those who took semaglutide—4.24% vs. 3.33%—when they lost the same amount of weight.
The difference was noticeable by six months, when 1.55% of tirzepatide users developed hair loss compared to 1.24% of semaglutide users. But the gap really widened after a year.
Women were especially vulnerable to hair loss on these medications: Nearly 5.5% of tirzepatide users and 3.6% of semaglutide users dealt with alopecia during the study.
“Both tirzepatide and semaglutide have been associated with alopecia during weight reduction, but it remained unknown whether this was simply a consequence of losing weight or whether the risk might differ between the two therapies,” says Venky Soundararajan, PhD , study co-author and chief scientific officer at Nference. “In our study, hair loss was uncommon overall, but it was a real signal and should not be brushed aside.”
It’s important to point this out: The study was observational, so it can’t prove that taking tirzepatide or semaglutide caused the hair loss. (It's also worth noting that, by some estimates, roughly 50% of women will deal with hair loss in their lifetimes anyways). Instead, it just found a link.
Research published in late July in The BMJ stacked data from people who used GLP-1s to manage type 2 diabetes against patients who took other popular medications for the condition. The researchers found that GLP-1 users had a 37% higher risk of being diagnosed with alopecia compared to those who took type 2 diabetes medications SGLT-2 inhibitors (like Jardiance and Farxiga) and a 68% higher risk of hair loss than people on DPP-4 medications (such as Januvia and Tradjenta).
A different study published in June analyzed data from nearly 2.4 million GLP-1 users and found that people on semaglutide had a higher risk compared to those on diabetes medication metformin of developing androgenetic alopecia—a common type of hormone-driven hair loss—while those who took tirzepatide had…