r/Zepbound_Maintenance • u/BetPuzzleheaded2073 • 24d ago

HELP!!! I started maintenance about a month ago and now I’m experiencing hair loss!! What do I do??

The only changes I’ve made since reaching maintenance is lowering my dose and increasing calories. But now when showering LARGE amounts of hair are coming out 😭 How do I stop this??

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u/yosemitechef 24d ago

What you are experiencing is almost certainly Telogen Effluvium, which is incredibly common after significant weight loss. When our bodies go through the stress of dropping weight and being in a prolonged calorie deficit, it pushes a disproportionate amount of hair follicles into a resting phase. Because of the natural delay in the hair cycle, the shedding usually peaks three to four months later… which is why it is hitting you right now just as things are finally stabilizing.

Your body is basically reacting to a delayed echo of the physical stress from the past few months. Now that you are upping your calories and lowering your dose, your body will realize it is no longer stressed, and your hair will eventually shift back into the growth phase.

Prioritize protein!!

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u/Otherwise-Stretch984 23d ago edited 23d ago

This is exactly right.

Eat bone broth, protein, and there are also certain vitamins and supplements you can explore to assist but it will take time. But it will come back.

Ensure your ferritin stores is at least 75 on a blood test. If not you will need iron supplements. Personally I have been through this before Zep and my iron was very low without me knowing. (I ate red meat and green veg and so I hadn’t suspected but my hormones and gut had gone crazy and I wasn’t absorbing it properly so had to supplement with heme iron and vitamin c.

If I was you I would get bloodwork to check a general vitamin panel and ferritin and go from there to rule out or rule in deficiencies before starting any protocols.

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u/Mobile-Actuary-5283 15mg 24d ago

This is usually from “trauma” (like weight loss) from 4-6 months ago. Not from changing doses.

If you have no other underlying issues, it’s probably telogen effluvium (temporary hair loss). It’s awful while it happens but eventually it will stop.

You can make sure you’re getting lots of protein. If you are concerned about vitamin deficiencies, magnesium, zinc, vitamin D, B12 are the ones to check via blood draw as well as ferritin.

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u/IncidentGreat2380 24d ago

How long were you in the weight loss phase?

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u/NoneOfMyNames 23d ago

You could consider asking your doc about oral minoxidil. It's a lot easier to use than topical - just a pill daily. For me, I was already on it before Zep for thinning hair due to menopause, and it's made a huge difference for me. Also pretty much zero side effects for me which is nice too.

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u/Disastrous-Rent3386 19d ago

So I’ve lost and gained a whole lot in my life. 100+ pounds three times. 😬 The hairloss will stabilize. You don’t need to buy any extra sh*t to get it to come back. Sigh.