Hair Loss on Zepbound (Tirzepatide): Week-by-Week Timeline of What to Expect

Does Zepbound cause hair loss?

Hair loss is listed in the Zepbound label as an adverse reaction. In the pooled placebo-controlled weight-reduction trials, hair loss was reported by 5% of patients on 5 mg, 4% on 10 mg, and 5% on 15 mg, compared with 1% on placebo [1]. The label says hair loss was associated with weight reduction and was more frequent in women: 7.1% of women versus 0.5% of men on Zepbound, and 1.3% of women versus 0% of men on placebo [1].

The dose pattern was not a straight line. The 10 mg group had a lower reported rate than the 5 mg and 15 mg groups [1]. No Zepbound-treated patient stopped treatment for hair loss; one placebo-treated patient did [1].

Is there a week-by-week timeline?

The Zepbound label gives rates in its adverse reactions table, not a schedule for when shedding starts, peaks, or ends [1]. A 2026 systematic review of 24 studies found that telogen effluvium was the hair-loss subtype most frequently linked to tirzepatide and that rapid weight loss emerged as a potential contributor [2]. The review concluded that further studies are needed to establish causality and the temporal relationship [2].

What is telogen effluvium?

Telogen effluvium is a diffuse shedding pattern. The 2026 review linked it most frequently to tirzepatide and named rapid weight loss as a potential contributor, particularly for this pattern [2]. The Zepbound label uses the general term hair loss rather than naming telogen effluvium, and it links the reaction to weight reduction [1].

Who reports hair loss more often?

The clearest label signal is sex. Hair loss was reported in 7.1% of women on Zepbound versus 0.5% of men, while placebo rates were 1.3% in women and 0% in men [1]. A cross-sectional survey of 254 GLP-1 receptor agonist users also found that males were less likely than females to report hair loss (adjusted OR 0.36, p=0.003) [3]. That survey included Mounjaro, Ozempic, Saxenda, and Victoza, not Zepbound specifically, and duration of injection use did not significantly predict hair loss [3].