Does Zepbound cause hair loss?

Yes. The US label lists hair loss among common side effects: 4% to 5% vs 1% on placebo, 7.1% of women vs 0.5% of men. The Canadian monograph reports 4.2% to 5.1% vs 0.8% on placebo in the two 72-week weight-management trials.

Does Mounjaro cause hair loss?

Mounjaro is the same drug. Its US diabetes label lists alopecia in postmarketing reports only, and the Canadian Mounjaro monograph does not list hair loss. The Zepbound weight-loss trials show it more clearly.

What does the Canadian Zepbound monograph say about hair loss?

Table 2 (SURMOUNT-1 and SURMOUNT-2) lists hair loss in 4.2% to 5.1% of people on Zepbound vs 0.8% on placebo. All events were mild or moderate, and no one on Zepbound stopped treatment because of it.

Why is tirzepatide hair loss more common in women?

The Zepbound label shows 7.1% of women vs 0.5% of men, and Wegovy shows the same pattern. Reviews note women are disproportionately affected; the reason is not settled.

Is tirzepatide hair loss permanent?

Usually not. The typical pattern, telogen effluvium, tends to settle within months of weight stabilising. Patchy or persistent loss should be checked by a clinician.

Is hair loss worse on Zepbound or Wegovy?

Label rates are similar (Zepbound 4% to 5%, Wegovy 3.3% at the standard dose vs 1% placebo). Studies disagree on which is worse, and no head-to-head data exist.

When does hair loss start on Mounjaro or Zepbound?

Telogen effluvium usually appears two to four months after the trigger, so often a few months into treatment.

Tirzepatide Hair Loss on Zepbound and Mounjaro: What the Data Show

Does tirzepatide cause hair loss? Canadian Zepbound rates (4.2% to 5.1% vs 0.8% placebo), US label (7.1% of women vs 0.5% of men), and user stories.

Anonymous user report. Not medical advice. Peptides discussed are not FDA-approved for the uses described. Editorial process →

Short answer

Yes, hair loss is a recognised side effect of tirzepatide, the drug in Zepbound and Mounjaro. In the US Zepbound weight-loss trials, 4% to 5% of people on tirzepatide reported hair loss vs 1% on placebo, and it was far more common in women (7.1%) than men (0.5%). The US label says it was associated with weight reduction, and no one on Zepbound stopped treatment because of it. The Canadian Zepbound monograph reports hair loss in 4.2% to 5.1% of people vs 0.8% on placebo in the same two 72-week trials; every event was mild or moderate. The Mounjaro (diabetes) US label lists alopecia only in postmarketing reports; the Canadian Mounjaro monograph does not list hair loss. The usual pattern is telogen effluvium: diffuse shedding a few months after rapid weight loss that tends to settle once weight stabilises. Not medical advice. Peptide Confessions does not publish dosing, timing, injection or sourcing guidance. Last reviewed November 8, 2026.

What the labels say

US figures are from DailyMed prescribing information for Zepbound and Mounjaro (both September 2026), with Wegovy (June 2026) for comparison. Canadian figures are from the Canadian Zepbound product monograph (authorized June 11, 2026) and the Canadian Mounjaro product monograph (June 2026).

Drug	Hair loss in trials	Detail
Zepbound, US	4% to 5% across the three studied strengths vs 1% placebo	Women 7.1% vs men 0.5% (placebo: women 1.3%, men 0%). Linked to weight reduction. No Zepbound patient discontinued because of it
Zepbound, Canada	4.2% to 5.1% across the three studied strengths vs 0.8% placebo	From Table 2 of the June 2026 monograph (SURMOUNT-1 and SURMOUNT-2, 72 weeks). All events were mild or moderate; no Zepbound-treated patient discontinued (one placebo-treated patient did)
Mounjaro, US	Not among common reactions in the diabetes trials	Alopecia listed under postmarketing reports, where frequency and cause cannot be established
Mounjaro, Canada	Not listed	Hair loss and alopecia do not appear in the trial tables or the post-market list of the June 2026 monograph
Wegovy (semaglutide), US	3.3% vs 1% placebo	Women 4% vs men 0.9%. Higher in the higher-strength Wegovy trial (5.8%, women 8.4%). Linked to weight reduction

Why tirzepatide can cause shedding

Hair grows in cycles, and most hairs are in the growing phase at any time. A big physical stress, such as losing weight quickly or eating much less protein and fewer calories, can push many hairs into the resting phase at once. About two to four months later they shed together. This is telogen effluvium. It thins hair across the whole scalp rather than causing bald patches, and it is not thought to be the drug damaging hair follicles directly. Tirzepatide produces some of the largest weight losses of any approved drug, which fits with hair loss being reported more often in the weight-loss trials (Zepbound) than in the diabetes trials (Mounjaro).

What 2026 studies add

Trials only capture a year or two. Real-world studies published in 2026 point the same way, with some disagreement on how tirzepatide compares with semaglutide:

Study	Design	Finding for tirzepatide
Katragadda 2026 (Laryngoscope)	TriNetX health records, GLP-1 users matched to non-users	Higher odds of telogen effluvium at every follow-up point, and higher than other GLP-1 drugs. Alopecia areata (an autoimmune type) was not linked. People with hair loss had lost more weight
Viquez Burboa 2026 (meta-analysis)	17 studies, about 1.1 million patient-exposures	GLP-1 drugs overall: about 40% higher odds of non-scarring hair loss (OR 1.40), driven by telogen effluvium and pattern hair loss. Adverse-event reporting signal for tirzepatide (ROR 1.73) was lower than for semaglutide (2.46)
Gupta 2026 (systematic review)	24 studies	Semaglutide and tirzepatide had the highest hair-loss rates of the GLP-1 drugs. Tirzepatide was most often linked to telogen effluvium. Women were disproportionately affected
Lee & Kim 2026 (FDA FAERS)	US adverse-event reports, 2022 to 2025	Semaglutide showed a hair-loss reporting signal; tirzepatide's was lower or not significant

Tirzepatide vs semaglutide: which causes more hair loss?

There is no head-to-head answer. Label rates are similar (Zepbound 4% to 5%, Wegovy 3.3% at the standard dose), and both are higher in women. Health-record studies tie tirzepatide more closely to telogen effluvium, probably because it causes more weight loss, while adverse-event databases show a stronger signal for semaglutide, which has been on the market longer. Both kinds of study have limits: reporting databases count complaints, not rates, and health-record studies cannot fully separate the drug from the weight loss. See Ozempic hair loss and the class overview, GLP-1 hair loss.

When it starts and whether it grows back

—Timing: telogen effluvium typically shows two to four months after the trigger, so shedding often begins a few months into treatment, when weight is falling fastest.
—Course: it usually slows within about six months of weight stabilising, and regrowth follows over months. Individual experiences vary.
—Look-alikes: iron deficiency, thyroid problems, pattern hair loss and alopecia areata can look similar or overlap, so blood tests and a scalp exam can help.
—See a clinician for patchy bald spots, eyebrow or body hair loss, scalp pain or scarring, or shedding that lasts beyond about six months.

What people discuss to limit it

Commonly discussed measures are eating enough protein, checking iron, vitamin D and thyroid levels with a clinician, and avoiding very rapid weight loss. The 2026 meta-analysis authors suggested optimising nutrition and avoiding stopping treatment too early because of shedding, but any change to treatment is a decision for the prescriber. Evidence that supplements prevent GLP-1 shedding is limited. For peptide hair claims see copper peptides for hair.

What users report here

Two of our anonymous confessions describe hair loss involving tirzepatide (checked October 22, 2026). In #43, a writer lost about a third of their hair density over five months on semaglutide; their doctor blamed the rapid weight loss, and after switching to tirzepatide with a slower increase their hair partly grew back. In #722, a writer found shedding worse on tirzepatide than on retatrutide, an unapproved compound we do not recommend. Stories, not rates. More on the tirzepatide hub. In Canada, see Mounjaro side effects in Canada.

More confessions from the archive

Community Q&A

Does tirzepatide cause hair loss?: It can. In the Zepbound weight-loss trials, 4% to 5% of people on tirzepatide reported hair loss vs 1% on placebo, and the label links it to weight reduction.
Does Zepbound cause hair loss?: Yes. The US label lists hair loss among common side effects: 4% to 5% vs 1% on placebo, 7.1% of women vs 0.5% of men. The Canadian monograph reports 4.2% to 5.1% vs 0.8% on placebo in the two 72-week weight-management trials.
Does Mounjaro cause hair loss?: Mounjaro is the same drug. Its US diabetes label lists alopecia in postmarketing reports only, and the Canadian Mounjaro monograph does not list hair loss. The Zepbound weight-loss trials show it more clearly.
What does the Canadian Zepbound monograph say about hair loss?: Table 2 (SURMOUNT-1 and SURMOUNT-2) lists hair loss in 4.2% to 5.1% of people on Zepbound vs 0.8% on placebo. All events were mild or moderate, and no one on Zepbound stopped treatment because of it.
Why is tirzepatide hair loss more common in women?: The Zepbound label shows 7.1% of women vs 0.5% of men, and Wegovy shows the same pattern. Reviews note women are disproportionately affected; the reason is not settled.
Is tirzepatide hair loss permanent?: Usually not. The typical pattern, telogen effluvium, tends to settle within months of weight stabilising. Patchy or persistent loss should be checked by a clinician.
Is hair loss worse on Zepbound or Wegovy?: Label rates are similar (Zepbound 4% to 5%, Wegovy 3.3% at the standard dose vs 1% placebo). Studies disagree on which is worse, and no head-to-head data exist.
When does hair loss start on Mounjaro or Zepbound?: Telogen effluvium usually appears two to four months after the trigger, so often a few months into treatment.

Sources

Last reviewed November 8, 2026. Anonymous first-hand reports plus sourced context — educational only, not medical advice. Editorial policy & corrections.