A pair of studies have found evidence that GLP-1 users are more likely to lose their hair and nails.

45 points•gumby•about 3 hours ago•38 comments•

38 comments

krisroadruckabout 2 hours ago
Reporting on these drugs is so bad. Most of the benefits AND downsides they keep reporting are the same for any major rapid weight loss. Be it hair shedding or sleep apnea resolving. They keep acting like these are novel drug specific side effects rather than weight-loss related side effects.
chisabout 2 hours ago
At this point it might legit be impossible for a side effect to be discovered that outweighs the immense health benefits of losing weight.

It feels like people want there to be some horrible side effect to these drugs. Idk if it’s some moral objection to weight loss without discipline, or just general mistrust of big pharma.

crooked-vabout 2 hours ago
It's absolutely the moral thing. Even on HN there are an endless number of people who treat the use of GLP-1s as a failure that must be publicly shamed.
kelseyfrogabout 2 hours ago
> It feels like people want there to be some horrible side effect to these drugs.

Being able to lose weight is, in many minds, associated with self-discipline. A route to the same goal that elides self-discipline is consequently viewed as a cheat, a shortcut.

It's a product if the cultural pervasiveness of the Protestant work ethic and its relation to the health and wellness domains. That fine, in my opinion, if one is Protestant, but why carry the baggage for someone else's religion if you're not one, ya know?

bluecalmabout 1 hour ago
Recently I've talked to someone who said she is worried about those drugs as they will create 2 tier society because only people with money will get thin. This also increases already bad fat phobia in our society according to her.

She has a PhD in biotechnology and works in a lab. She is also quite thin (always was).

It's crab mentality disguised as moral position. It's especially obvious when the same people advocate for free access to drugs, alcohol or gambling. You should have freedom you do anything as long as it doesn't improve your life or move you to in social hierarchy.

TaupeRangerabout 2 hours ago
“Millions of people live longer healthier lives by reducing cardiovascular and diabetes risk, but their fingernails might be more brittle!” Doesn’t hit the same does it?
usef-about 2 hours ago
Yes, it does look superficially like the kind of thing that happens with nutrient deficiencies. Many of these people eat extremely unhealthily and continue to, but now in significantly lower quantities.

I know with the famous 382 day fast guy they fed him vitamins, but I don't believe they do that with GLP-1/Ozempic prescriptions? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_Barbieri%27s_fast

aisenikabout 1 hour ago
I lost 170 lbs natty (100lbs the first year) and my hair and nails only got better. If your generative follices are dying off you are not losing weight healthily.
Barrin92about 2 hours ago
if you're losing it as a weight loss drug and that's a side effect of the rapid weight loss that otherwise wouldn't occur it's a side effect of the drug in any practical sense, or are you trying to establish the 'guns don't kill people' for pharmaceuticals?

It's a side effect of the treatment regimen that many people in all likelihood aren't even aware of so it's good to report it like this

bawolffabout 2 hours ago
Idk, i think its important to distinguish between side effects that would also happen via diet and exercise vs side effects that do not happen when losing weight via other means.
krisroadruckabout 2 hours ago
If you shoot someone in the face, generally speaking that person will die. Not everyone who takes GLP-1s actually lose weight. A decent fraction of people are non-responders. Those people also tend to not lose their hair or have their sleep apnea and knee problems go away. Your analogy isn't as clever as you might think.
mbirthabout 2 hours ago
If you’re drunk and bump your head into a lantern, would you say that haematomas are a side-effect of alcohol consumption?
turboconabout 2 hours ago
I read the article, but my understanding that rapid weight loss is what is causing the alopecia. This is a pretty well understood process
afavourabout 2 hours ago
GLP1s do seem like incredible science but I will admit to being a little floored when I saw how far they spread and how quickly. I really hope small numbers of hair loss and nail issues are the biggest issues we face.
TaupeRangerabout 2 hours ago
Very large studies already exist. They’re safe. Fearmongering about side effects is actually harmful at this point, because skepticism could keep someone from getting safe, effective treatment.
cjbgkaghabout 1 hour ago
Not only that but the weight loss is often a side effect of fixing other issues, for me I’ve been taking a low dose for autoimmune related ME/CFS for about 4 years now.
apple4everabout 1 hour ago
It definitely kept me from starting on one for 2 years. It was stupid. I lost 70 pounds and feel better than ever, with very little side effects.
sanexabout 2 hours ago
Could these be signs of malnutrition? I see a lot of people who take them but don't also adjust their diet or exercise to make sure they're getting solid nutrition and start looking sickly.
aliasxneoabout 2 hours ago
That was actually my thought. When I started controlling my diet a lot more I was surprised about the (positive) change in my nails. I had heard it was a thing but had never experienced it before.
LoganDarkabout 1 hour ago
I feel like waaay more than people think depends on nutrition. You literally are what you eat. Like for example, sometimes my skin oils get messed up somehow to where everything starts sticking to it, and then I eat some food and it's fixed. I have no idea what this is or how to make it stop happening between every meal, but it doesn't seem related to whether I touch the food while eating, so it's probably something about nutrition.
wpmabout 1 hour ago
> Though these issues aren’t necessarily too serious, both patients and doctors should be aware of the potential risk, the researchers say.

> “For people taking or considering GLP-1 receptor agonists, the main takeaway is: do not panic, and do not stop an effective treatment on your own because of your hair or nails—but do mention these symptoms to your doctor,” study author Charles Taïeb, a clinical dermatologist at Necker University Hospital in Paris, told Gizmodo.

Wow. Sounds pretty fuckin serious. Can't believe people are taking these highly dangerous drugs instead of mustering up a mass of eternal self-discipline they clearly already don't have and never will. Shame on them and the doctors! Side-effects are very serious even if the people taking about them are like "uhhh yeah not a huge deal, but like, be aware and talk to your doctor about it", why not just try being a perfect human being like me! Try not being fat! I am very smart!!!!

EricBettsabout 1 hour ago
What's the law about the challenge of differentiating extreme sarcasm from an honestly held extremist viewpoint?
fragmede43 minutes ago
Poe's

Read the full thread on Hacker News →

Related stories