Liraglutide Hair Loss: How Common, How Long It Lasts
The liraglutide labels do not list hair loss as a side effect. What people mean by it: more hair than usual coming out. Labels call it hair loss or alopecia.
- In the label
- Not listed
- Most common in the label
- Nausea 20%
A quick look at Saxenda
Its half-life is about 13 hours: after 13 h, half is gone, and after five half-lives (2.7 d), about 3% remains.
In SCALE Obesity and Prediabetes, 56 weeks: the figure was 7.4% of body weight, versus 3% on placebo.
Sources: FDA label (DailyMed).
What the Victoza label lists instead
The Victoza label does not list hair loss. Here are the five most common side effects it lists.
| Side effect | Placebo | Victoza 1.2 mg | Victoza 1.8 mg | More than placebo, 1.8 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 5% | 18% | 20% | +15 points |
| Diarrhea | 4% | 10% | 12% | +8 points |
| Headache | 7% | 11% | 10% | +3 points |
| Nasopharyngitis | 8% | 9% | 10% | +2 points |
| Decreased appetite | 1% | 10% | 9% | +8 points |
Taken from the Victoza label (DailyMed).
How hair loss on liraglutide compares with other GLP-1s
Each label covers its own trials, which included different groups of people. Use this as a rough guide.
The table also includes the Foundayo pill forms.
| Medicine | Highest rate in the label | Dose group | Placebo | People in the trials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Zepbound | 5% | 5 mg | 1% | Adults with obesity or overweight (weight management) |
 Foundayo | 5% | 17.2 mg | 2% | Adults with obesity or overweight (weight management) |
 Wegovy | 3% | 2.4 mg | 1% | Adults with obesity or overweight (weight management) |
 Ozempic | Listed, no rate given | – | – | – |
 Mounjaro | Listed, no rate given | – | – | – |
 Trulicity | Listed, no rate given | – | – | – |
| Byetta | Listed, no rate given | – | – | – |
 Rybelsus | Not listed | – | – | – |
 Saxenda | Not listed | – | – | – |
 Victoza | Not listed | – | – | – |
Sources: Wegovy label (DailyMed), Zepbound label (DailyMed), Foundayo label (DailyMed).
Source: FDA label (DailyMed).