Does Foundayo Cause Hair Loss?

Does Foundayo Cause Hair Loss?

Hair loss is listed as a common adverse reaction to Foundayo.

In placebo-controlled weight-management studies, hair-loss reactions were reported in 3.7% of patients receiving orforglipron compared with 1.8% receiving placebo.

Importantly, the Foundayo SmPC describes these reactions as transient and associated with weight reduction.

Is Foundayo directly causing my hair loss?

Not necessarily.

Hair shedding can occur during periods of substantial weight loss, particularly when weight falls rapidly or nutritional intake changes considerably.

Other potential contributors include:

• inadequate protein
• iron deficiency
• thyroid disease
• vitamin or mineral deficiencies
• hormonal changes
• other medicines
• illness or significant physiological stress.

What should I do about hair loss on Foundayo?

Avoid automatically taking large doses of supplements without knowing whether you are deficient.

Instead, consider whether you are eating adequately and obtaining enough protein and micronutrients.

Persistent or significant hair loss deserves clinical assessment.

Depending on your circumstances, your clinician may consider your weight-loss rate, dietary intake and whether blood tests such as thyroid function, ferritin or other investigations are appropriate.

Will Foundayo hair loss grow back?

The prescribing information reports that hair-loss reactions observed in clinical studies were transient, which is reassuring.

However, individual causes of hair loss vary, so ongoing shedding should still be assessed.

How Pharmulous can help

At Pharmulous, successful weight management isn't just about the number on the scales.

We also consider nutrition, muscle preservation, wellbeing and long-term maintenance.

If your treatment is suppressing your appetite so significantly that maintaining appropriate nutrition is difficult, this is something worth discussing with your clinician.

References

1. Electronic Medicines Compendium. Foundayo Summary of Product Characteristics, section 4.8: Hair loss. Foundayo SmPC
2. Wharton S, et al. Orforglipron, an Oral Small-Molecule GLP-1 Receptor Agonist for Obesity Treatment. N Engl J Med. 2025;393:1796–1806.