A reference post rather than a discussion. Corrections are the point; I would rather this be right than mine. It is about hair shedding, and it is deliberately narrow — everything I am not confident about is marked as such.
What is actually established
This is telogen effluvium and the trigger is the rate of weight loss rather than the molecule. Rapid loss pushes a large fraction of follicles into the resting phase simultaneously; they shed together two to four months later, which is why the shedding starts long after the loss did and why people misattribute the timing. It is self-limiting, and regrowth follows once the rate slows — the follicles are not damaged.
The condition it depends on
Worth adding that protein and iron adequacy affect the severity even though they do not cause it. Slow the rate, hit protein, check ferritin.
The practical version
The timeline that reassures people: trigger, then two to four months of nothing, then shedding for roughly three months, then regrowth. Diffuse thinning is expected; patches are a different diagnosis.
What I am not sure about
So the question, as narrowly as I can put it: whether the shedding is the drug or the rate of loss, and when it stops. Numbers rather than impressions, if you have them.
Dr.Martinez said:This is telogen effluvium and the trigger is the rate of weight loss rather than the molecule.
Agreed, with the caveat that iron should be tested before supplementing, not after. Supplementing iron into normal stores is unpleasant at best and harmful in haemochromatosis.
Dr.Martinez said:This is telogen effluvium and the trigger is the rate of weight loss rather than the molecule.
Hair loss update related to hair shedding: I experienced noticeable shedding starting around month 5. My dermatologist confirmed it's telogen effluvium — a stress response to rapid weight loss, NOT the medication directly.
What's helping:
- Biotin 5000mcg daily
- Adequate protein (130g+/day)
- Iron and ferritin levels checked and supplemented
- Collagen peptides 20g daily
- Minoxidil 5% topical (prescribed)
The shedding slowed after 2 months and my hair is now growing back. Temporary but definitely stressful.
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View ResultsAnswering the narrow version, because the broad one does not have a single answer. A sustained drop to 1,100 or 1,200 calories reliably under-delivers a predictable set: B12, vitamin D, iron, folate, zinc and magnesium. Two of those are worth testing rather than guessing because the tests are cheap and the symptoms overlap with everything else — ferritin and B12. The rest a decent multivitamin covers, and there is no benefit in megadosing any of them.
JessicaH_TX said:Agreed, with the caveat that iron should be tested before supplementing, not after.
This is my experience too, for whatever a second data point is worth. Nothing to add that would improve it.