Began Contrave as directed Jan 25, 2015. My beautiful, soft, wavy, full volume hair began thinning & falling out by June 2015. Still is thin, brittle & cannot grow past shoulder length as it always has before. I've been a WATER ONLY drinker since March 1993. No teas, no coffee no juice & NO SODA! My gym regimine has remained same 5days x wk since Feb. 2008. Daily fruits & vegetables as always. Morning multi vitamins, "Hair, Skin, Nail" vitamins, prenatal & more. I've discontinued hair coloring, changed hair products & tried DIY at home organic healthy hair treatments. Stopped taking Contrave several months ago since the 35lbs. I lost by Sept 2015 has remained gone thanks to Contrave! My poor hair just isn't the same. Why?
Hair Loss / Thinning on Contrave?
Question posted by tori1977 on 12 Feb 2017
Last updated on 30 May 2022 by Lamcintyre
9 Answers
Lamcintyre
30 May 2022
Today I just noticed my edges are the thin and this is making me sick to my stomach. When I seen my hair is falling out around my whole head I wanted to cry.
Renee_J
12 Jan 2022
I have been taking Contrave for 3 years now and even though I love it and I lost over 40 lbs thanks to it AND it continues to keep me steady at a happy, healthy weight, I can no longer ignore the side effect of hair loss. It was slow and steady at first and I thought if I took enough hair growth supplements that it would counter-act the hair loss, but it has not. BTW... I do NOT regret discovering and trying Contrave, to me it was/is a miracle. However, now I'm on the internet searching to see if it might work if I try to switch from Contrave to Naltrexone ONLY (the Wellbutrin is the ingredient in Contrave that seems to be related to the hair loss). My thought is, perhaps the Naltrexone is really the key drug that has attributed to my ability to stop obsessing over food. But oddly, I can find no one else talking about trying this. I know my doc would allow me to do this because it was her idea in the first place. And it seems better than stopping Contrave completely. Thoughts?
Dawso008
12 Jan 2022
I wish I had that answer. I didn't do great on Contrave, but it did help with my appetite. If I thought there was something that would do the same and not have the serious side effect of hair loss, I would give it a try. But truthfully, after the Contrave experience of losing half of my hair, I am a little gun shy of anything along these lines. I'll be interested if anyone comments here to help you with an answer. Good Luck with your journey.
Also, please, please, please do report your hair loss as a side effect to the link I provided above. They need to have enough people report this that they are forced to include it as a primary side effect. They are really fighting to not have to publish this as a major side effect.
Kamton
24 Nov 2021
Think because of Contrave. As soon as I stopped, my hair started growing back. It’s been 6 months and I have hair about 3 inches long coming in. My hairstylist noticed and said my hair was just not as thick as it used to be. He’s been doing my hair for 10 years. Good luck. Contrave should lose hair loss as a dude effect. But then no one would use
Ccpick
24 Nov 2021
Yes hair loss. Never got better
Also horrible constipation
And some trembling in my fingers and chest hot flashes
So not worth the weight loss
Dawso008
23 Aug 2021
I started contrary about 4 months ago (it is now the end of August 2021), and just the past couple of weeks have noticed a considerable hair loss. I just thought it might be stress but it just kept happening and I really don't have a lot of stress right now in my life. I am pulling out large amounts of hair every single time I brush or wash it. I told my husband yesterday that it felt almost as if I was taking chemo treatments. I'm going to slowly get myself off these pills starting today after reading all of your comments. I would encourage each of you to contact your doctor and also the company and report this. They need to know this is a more common side effect and they're trying to throw out there. I'm really hoping that I won't lose too much more before I get weaned off these pills. Thanks to everyone who posted. Carol
Dawso008
12 Sep 2021
Please, please contact the FDA (easy to find on their website and you can log your complaint about the drug online) and let them know about this side effect of hair loss. The contrave website doesn't even mention hair loss as a possible side effect. I believe this is because most people may not associate the drug with the hair loss and therefore it is not reported. ..or even worse, they know men and women, especially as we get older, would not use this drug knowing this is a side effect. I have weaned myself down to two tablets a day and can't wait to get off this drug entirely, before I lose all of my hair. So disgusted that they do not report this side effect
Dawso008
24 Nov 2021
let me add... months later, I'm still losing inordinate amounts of hair. If you are okay with this or going bald, then use Contrave, otherwise, stay away from it. Clearly hair loss is a serious problem with Contrave and they don't want to admit it. I've done all I can to get this corrected, but will have to wait until the government's wheels turn toward their manufacturer and make them include it as a major side effect. I think many people have so many worse side effects that the hair loss goes unnoticed until it is too late. I don't know when this will ever slow down. I'm doing everything in my power to reverse it, but so far, my eating, vitamins, and using special hair products are NOT doing the trick. Still dealing with this mess. All for nothing. If only the manufacturers would have been honest I would have never tried it. And there lies the problem.
HermosaHelen
18 May 2021
Hair loss is an EXTREMELY common side effect of Contrave and Wellbutrin. Regardless of what the med label states, its more common than not, if you join any of the Contrave facebook pages, you'll see how common it is. Note: on the Contrave company-run facebook page, they delete negative comments so search citizen-run pages. I do not know one woman on Contrave who hasn't experienced some type of hair thinning or loss by month six. I can't speak for men as I only know women on the med, but I assume it would be the same for men. Many assume its a lack of protein, iron, biotin etc in their diets, or its just because they've lost a lot of weight, but that is not the case, the Wellbutrin in Contrave causes the hair thinning and hair loss.
asilreyom
11 April 2021
I used to have super super thick hair before taking Contrave. All my life I got compliments on how thick my hair was. Until Contrave. I first noticed a couple months after I started just one pill a day, when I parted my hair, the amount of scalp I saw shocked me! Then I washed it I never saw my scalp because my hair was so thick. Now I see scalp, mostly in the top and front sections of my head. I have 3 bottles of Contrave just sitting here because I had to stop taking it. Update: its been 3 months since I stopped taking Contrave and my hair is starting to come back. Thank Goodness!!!
Steelflower
21 Oct 2021
Update: I stated that my hair had started to grow back after quitting Contrave. I was mistaken, guess it was wishful thinking. It has been a year since I stopped taking Contrave and my hair volume is still thin. Its no longer falling out but my thickness is not returning as of yet. And its been a year.
Ccpick
24 Oct 2019
Omygosh So glad I found these responses I did use contrave for year Wasn’t losing more so stopped My hair is really thinning No body Limp So depressing
Wish I had never started Why don’t our doctors mention this before they prescribe I trusted my doctor I would not have taken if I thought my hair would fall out
Hai1971
15 Aug 2018
Hi Tori. I am a 47 year-old woman. I begun taking Contrave in January 2018. I’ve lost 31 lbs. since. I had nausea and a sense of being outside my body during the first 6 eeeks or so, and it took me 2,5 months to get up to the 4 pills/day dosage. I’d noticed my hair was a bit thinner about 2 months ago but I just thought it was cause I wasn’t spending so much time styling it. It’s been in the last weeks I’ve noticed that I’m definitely balding. When I wash my hair and then brush it, I notice more hair loss than ever in my life and when I dry it and part it, I can see that there is less hair and volume. I went to check and It’s one of the indicated side effects. It’s why I searched in the internet and found this site. So to answer your question, yes I do believe it’s the Contrave.
I’ve been very pleased with the weight loss results but I don’t want to lose more hair so I’m considering stopping completely. My question to you or others is: Now that some more time has passed since you stopped (meaning a year) has your hair regrown? Did you at least notice that you weren’t losing more hair when you stopped. I’m definitely freaking out about this.
cbosi0012
29 Aug 2018
I have experienced hair loss while taking Contrave. I am definitely interested to know if the hair grows back after stopping Contrave. Dies anyone know?
TxRNurse
31 Aug 2018
I personally took contrave for a very short period, a little less than 3 weeks, & noticed significant hair loss. After blood work ruled out any other possibility, process of elimination led me to conclude taking this medication was likely the cause. While I do not believe this is a common occurrence, I’ve chosen to discontinue the contrave & have scheduled myself for a block of PRP hair treatments. I will continue to exercise & eat healthy on my own. Best wishes to everyone on their journey to a healthier lifestyle❤️
chuck1957
12 Feb 2017
Tori; Yes it is very rare but I finally found the Hair loss, and or Hair thinning. way down at the end of the side effects of Concave. You should talk with the doctor and see if there is anything that can be done to help. So give your doctor a call on Monday. Less common or rare: is what this is listed under. good luck to you. Chuck1957
thinning of the hair
hair loss
tori1977
12 Feb 2017
Wow @chuck1957 thank you so very much! I really appreciate your research! I'm very thankful that I didn't get any of the other horrible side effects... so, something this rare ,I guesd I can deal with! When I told my prescribing Endocrinologist of my hair issues ( 9 months later after beginning Contrave), she had told me I was only one of the few patients that had been on it and she had never heard of hairloss being a complaint! I'll definitely call her on Monday but of course I'm sure she will reiterate the fact that I'm" no longer on it and green leafy vegetables, vitamin supplements will probably get it growing in no time!
Lamcintyre
6 July 2017
Yes I been taking contrave since October and my long hair is short and my edges are taking turn falling out I have no hair in the back of my hair I'm so heart broken my hair loss is making me depressed.
Tiamommaslittlebaby
31 Oct 2017
Yes I have major hair loss since using Contrave. I don't remember reading that as one of the major side effects. I am saddened by losing my thick thick hair. Now I am wondering if Contrave was worth it.
Renee Bumgarner
12 Feb 2018
I have been on Contrave since June. There were some early adverse effects, like the nausea. And constipation has been constant but easily managed with Miralax. I am 5'2", and have lost 25 lbs. That may not sound like much, but I am proud and feel much better about myself. Just this week I have started tapering off: now taking three a day and next week will decrease to two a day. YES, just in the past three months I have begun to experience hair loss and thinning. I certainly hope it reverses when I complete the Contrave. If I had it to do over again I would. People say well if you just eat less and exercise more, you can loose weight. Well at 65, that just isn't so and I am thankful to my physician for ordering the Contrave. It worked!!! Now let's get our hair back!!
Related topics
weight loss (obesity/overweight), hair growth, shoulder, contrave, hair
Further information
- Contrave uses and safety info
- Contrave prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Contrave (detailed)
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