I started taking Qsymia in November 2012 and had to stop in June 2013 due to hair loss. I lost 55 lbs and was very happy with the way it helped me control my eating but losing my hair was not a side effect I was aware of until it happened to me and I began researching. I found that hair loss is a common side effect with Topiramate. I'm one month out from stopping Qsymia and my hair is still shedding horribly every day. Anyone else experiencing this symptom?
Qsymia - Anyone else experience hair loss?
Question posted by jenlikesfood on 8 July 2013
Last updated on 24 August 2024 (2 weeks ago) by 1031
28 Answers
Did anyone have there hair grow back after stopping this medication?
Yes I lost a big chunk of hair and now have a bald spot on the side of my head and my doctor said to stop the medication and it will grow back but I’m scared it won’t grow back
I took it for a month and lost no weight. It caused me to dive into deep darkness mentally. What I did lose was 75% of my hair. I also made sure to take my vitamins at nighttime so they would absorb. It didn’t matter. I had hair down the middle of my back. Now I have lost one inch of my hairline on my forehead/all around and what’s left of the rest is feathery thin. I can’t wear my hair down anymore. I look ridiculous and I am VERY upset. There should be a lawsuit. I’ve been searching for it.
I had been taking QSYMIA for 6 months July - December 2022. I started noticing losing hair more then normal in the beginning. I thought it had to do with vitamins, although I had been taking a multi-vitamin & Zinc with Magnesium. As the months went on I was noticing more & more hair coming out when I would comb it out in the morning! I finally started checking out about QSYMIA & found this page! I had successful weight loss of 63lbs, but my hair is not part of the deal of what I want too lose!! So I weaned myself off of it in December!! I'm told that to have my knee replacements on both knees that I have to lose a lot more weight, there has to be better ways to help you lose weight!
I wanted to respond to everyone who has commented and responded by saying thank you for leaving a response. I also wanted to say that after extensively researching since my doctor won’t do it, it seems the reason this drug causes hair loss is due to it blocking vitamin absorption in the body. Specifically zinc, selenium, magnesium and folate. Before starting this drug, your doctor should be informing you to take a multivitamin that contains those specific ones while on this drug. There should be a class action lawsuit against the maker for not disclosing this information and causing such heartache in so many people. It took many months for my hair to grow back and it has never been the same thickness but I do not have bald spots or thinning so bad to the point of needing to cover up my hair. There are other weight management medication options now available that do not cause this side effect. Good luck to everyone!!
Thank you so much for this response. It's really giving me, and I'm sure all of us, hope for the future. I'm a 20 year old male, and this has been affecting me to no end. My hair used to be so amazingly thick and curly. It used to be a common topic of discussion. After I noticed my hair was falling out, it felt like a death in the family, and it still does. Your response comes at a wonderful time.
I'm gonna start to those vitamins very soon to see its effect. I suppose I have a few questions.
How long did it take for your hair to reach its new normal?
Did you take a simple multivitamin, or take those specific vitamins separately?
Did you notice a true difference taking these vitamins?
Again, thank you so much. This offers a lot of insight and help.
Thank you for the information❣️
I had been taking QSYMIA for 6 months July - December 2022. I started noticing losing hair more then normal in the beginning. I thought it had to do with vitamins, although I had been taking a multi-vitamin & Zinc with Magnesium. As the months went on I was noticing more & more hair coming out when I would comb it out in the morning! I finally started checking out about QSYMIA & found this page! I had successful weight loss of 63lbs, but my hair is not part of the deal of what I want too lose!! So I weaned myself off of it in December!! I'm told that to have my knee replacements on both knees that I have to lose a lot more weight, there has to be better ways to help you lose weight! With my knees the way they are exercising is not the easiest thing to do!!
Yes. The last I've taken Qsymia was a little over 9 months ago, and stopped it at the time due to RAPID shedding. During this time, I was taking minoxidil to hopefully help. After seeing a dermatologist and they told me it should come back, I stopped minoxidil to see if my hair would come back naturally. That was many months ago. Today, my hair density on the top of my head is still 50% less than normal. I called VIVUS and they basically told me that at the 7.5 dose, 3% of the sample size who took Qsymia experienced alopecia. They also told me to go to a doctor and go away. They couldn't do anything about it. This affects me greatly and I wish I knew what I could do. They should be more transparent about this and I believe that they should be punished. If I had known that alopecia was a side effect that was even possible, I wouldn't have even taken Qsymia. Even with the weight loss I experienced, it wasn't even worth hair loss.
I was Qsymia for about 6 months. I didn’t notice hair loss immediately. I started losing hair after I stopped taking it. I couldn’t get over forgiveness, loss of sexual desire, dry mouth, and then eventually hair loss. I didn’t want to sacrifice hair for weight.
I started taking Qsymia 3 weeks ago. The medication works great for weight loss. I started noticing over the past 3 weeks my shower drain is filled with my hair then when gently combing my wet hair after a shower after adding spray in conditioner as I always do my wide tooth comb is loaded with more hair loss. All day long my hair is falling out and I see it all over my clothes and around the house. It is definitely this medication. I'm no longer going to take it. Working hard to loose weight to be bald is not a trade off. Thank You all who posted their experience as it made me realize that it's definitely the medicine that is causing this problem.
I started taking Qsymia In October 2021 and noticed my hair falling out 6 months into taking 7.5 dose and 47 pounds later. I was thinking it was because of my low thyroid and then I decided to research Qsymia hair loss and discovered the post from others with hair loss. I agree there should be some accountability from the company.
This happened to me prob like three years ago lost half of my hair and was one of the most devastating things ever
Thinking of starting a class action lawsuit. Who wants in ?
Yes!
Not in the beginning. I successfully lost 40 pounds in 7 months but once I hit that threshold the hair started to fall out.
Unfortunately, it has never grown back.
It did continue to fall out for months after until the topiramate was out of my system.
My hair is now much thinner and brittle.
I’m so bummed since I still had another 30 pounds to lose!
My dr changed me to Phentermine since that is in Qsymia but it didn’t help me lose. It slowed the weight gain by a lot but haven’t been able to find anything quite as successful as Qsymia is.
If I didn’t need hair I would continue on it! Anyone else find success in another drug without this side effect?
I have been taking Qsymia and just noticed today hair loss on the top of my head! I also take thyroid medication and have never had any issues. I also take Biotin 10,000 mcg with Keratin 100mg everyday and my hair and nails always have grown quickly. Now that I am seeing that I am having the hair loss I am definitely getting off of the Qsymia. I had lost weight (18 lbs total) but did find it has not been working as well as it did when I began. I have been on the highest dose for about 4 months and I seem to be falling back into my old eating habits, ugh!!! I loved when I started and it really kept me from the nightly snacking, but I am not going to lose my hair in the process, it is not worth it if it isn't working for me as well anymore.
I've been on Qsymia for a year now and have lost 55 lbs. I've noticed in the last 3 month's I've been losing a lot of hair. I am asking the doctor to take me off of it.
My hair has been falling out all over the place. Thinned out too much that I need to stop taking it. Hair loss was not listed originally on their spite and my doctor assured me it was stress not Qysimia. My skin doctor that I just went to assured me Topamax causes hair loss. I am so upset at this drug that has cost me a fortune for the 3 years on it
I took Topimax years ago for migraines. I lost 40 pounds then and was happy for it but then about 6 months in my hair started coming out by the handfuls. I cried. I had long thick hair and ended up having to cut it incredibly short. It took years to fill back in. I was hopeful that with this being a combo drug that that effect would be lessened. Seeing the comments, I'm guessing not.
Related topics
weight loss (obesity/overweight), qsymia
Further information
- Qsymia uses and safety info
- Qsymia prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Qsymia (detailed)
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