Ozempic is indicated for the treatment of insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus as an adjunct to diet and exercise in adults. It has also been approved in 2021 by the FDA for weight loss. The common side effects are nausea, abdominal issues, dry mouth and constipation.
Another side effect that is less common but reported by users is hair loss. Although it is not listed as a side effects, but during clinical trials, 3% of people did report hair loss. The symptoms that some of the users mentioned was hair shedding while brushing.
Ozempic (Semaglutide) suppresses appetite and this leads to weight loss. This sudden weight loss puts added ‘stress’ on the body – it halts non-essential functions like hair growth to preserve nutrients and like any crash diets due to sudden reduction in calorie intake results in Telogen effluvium which is stress shedding of the hair.
With this type of hair loss, hair does grow back after a few months and this does vary with every individual. However, in some susceptible individuals, Telogen effluvium can trigger Androgenetic hair loss and therefore one needs to monitor the hair loss as well as any hair growth in the proceeding months after starting Ozempic.