A woman whose hair fell out in clumps after taking weight-loss injections says she has no regrets about using them.
Shannon Jones shed more than five stone after using Mounjaro but claims the dramatic weight loss came at the cost of her once-healthy hair.
The 33-year-old says she was left sobbing in the shower as handfuls of hair came away while washing it, while her pillow was covered in strands every morning.
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Shannon continued taking the injections because she believed reaching a healthy weight was more important and she was hopeful her hair would eventually grow back.
“My hair before Mounjaro was perfect,” Shannon, a childminder from Bristol, told Need To Know.
“I’ve never had super thick hair but it was full and in very good condition.
“I first noticed it starting to fall out after being on Mounjaro for about six months.
“It started as a little bit of hair falling out in the shower when I washed my hair and then progressively got worse.
“I first started thinking something wasn’t right when even brushing my fingers through my hair led to clumps coming out.
“I would wake up in the morning and my pillow was covered in my hair.
“I was losing huge clumps of hair each day, brushing my hair was a nightmare and I dreaded hair wash day as I knew that was when the most amount of hair came out.
“I would cry in the shower with the clumps of my hair coming out constantly.
“My hair thinned drastically especially around the front of my hair.
“Putting up my hair in a pony tail was a no go as the sides of my hair were so thin it made me look bald.
“It made me so sad and I was angry at myself for putting myself through this.
“I knew it was a side effect but I didn’t realise it would be that bad.”
For years Shannon had battled with yo-yo dieting, but after having three children her weight continued to climb until she reached around 15 stone.
At 5ft 4in tall and wearing a size 18, she says everyday tasks became increasingly difficult.
Shannon said: “After having three children, my body was ruined and my weight just kept going up and up.
“I woke up one day and decided that, that was it and I was finally going to do something about my weight and lifestyle and actually stick to my plan and see it through to the end, which is something I haven’t done before.
“My diet wasn’t great, not in the sense of the type of food I would eat as we always made home made healthy meals.
“I would eat large portions of food instead and my downfall was having something sweet to eat after.
“If I was eating spaghetti bolognese, my plate would be piled high with lots of cheese and a whole garlic baguette.
“I had no portion control and I had multiple McDonald’s a week.
“I’d get a large Big Mac meal, cheese bites and a coke.
“I would never just have a few chocolates or sweets.
“I would easily eat a whole share bag of chocolate buttons or a whole packet of sweets.
“It got to a point where I was so big, I struggled to even paint my own toenails or tie up my shoe laces and for me, that was what made up my mind to finally get my health back on track.
“Not only for me, but for my children.
“I had no confidence at all, I hated going out, I wore the baggiest clothes I could find and I would never wear anything fitted at all, if I did wear something that was fitted I would be an anxious mess until I was out of the outfit.”
Shannon began taking Mounjaro injections in September 2024 after obtaining the medication privately.
She says the drug suppressed her appetite and over the following months she lost more than five stone, dropping to 9st 10lb and a size eight.
After researching online and seeing similar experiences shared by other women on TikTok, Shannon believes her rapid weight loss and reduced calorie intake contributed to the problem.
Now, eight months after stopping the medication, she says new growth has started to appear and she insists she would make the same decision again.
Shannon said: “My hair loss stopped not long after stopping the jabs in November.
“It’s started to fill out more and grow back.
“I now have little tufts of hair where it’s growing back.
“I would definitely make the same decision again.
“Now that I’m off of the jabs and I’ve accomplished what I set out to do, my hair has started to grow back like I knew it would, but I am so much happier and healthier than I was before.
“Mounjaro is seen as the easy way out to some, but without it I wouldn’t be where I am now.
“I’m in such a better place physically and mentally due to losing my weight with the help of Mounjaro.
“My confidence has grown 100%, I can finally wear clothes without thinking about how I’d look in the and it helped me get to a healthy BMI.
“I can do more things with my children that I couldn’t do before due to being so overweight and unhealthy.
“My confidence has improved overall even with the hair loss, I couldn’t have ever imagined feeling this confident before but it’s so nice to finally be happy within myself physically and mentally.”
Shannon believes people should be given a clearer understanding of just how severe the hair-loss side effect can become.
She added: “I definitely think more people should be warned about this side effect and how bad it can get.
“Obviously it is outlined in the paperwork you have in the box but I never thought it could have been as bad as what it was.
“I think if I knew the extent of how bad it would be beforehand, I may have been hesitant to go ahead with Mounjaro.”
DIET BEFORE
- Breakfast: Nothing
- Lunch: Chips, McDonald’s or a meal deal
- Dinner: Lasagne with a whole garlic bread baguette
- Snacks: Share bags of chocolate buttons, packs of biscuits and a share bags of sweets
DIET NOW
- Breakfast: Protein shake and a matcha
- Lunch: Salad or a small sandwich and a few crisps, with some cheese or chicken bites
- Dinner: Marinated chicken or beef with vegetables and a small portion of rice
A Mounjaro spokesperson said: “Patient safety is Lilly’s top priority. We take any reports regarding patient safety extremely seriously and actively monitor, evaluate, and report safety information for all our medicines.
“The Mounjaro (tirzepatide) Patient Information Leaflet warns that hair loss is a common side effect in patients treated with Mounjaro for weight management.
“We encourage patients to consult their doctor or other healthcare professional regarding any side effects they may be experiencing and to ensure that they are getting genuine Lilly medicine.”
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