Fat jabs left me with huge bald patches but I refused to stop taking them – I’d rather be skinny than have hair

STANDING in the shower, Shannon Jones noticed that chunks of hair were coming away while she was washing it. But despite discovering that her pillow was also covered in strands every morning, the 33-year-old was pleased with what she saw in the reflection and on the scales – she was finally losing weight. 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 Credit: Jam Press Although she knew that the popular drug could lead to hair loss, nothing could’ve prepared her for how much her once-healthy tresses would change. Credit: Jam Press 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, Shannon says everyday tasks became increasingly difficult. Desperate to become the healthiest version of herself – and her kids – the mum decided to turn to Mounjaro. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! But although she knew that the popular drug could lead to hair loss, nothing could’ve prepared her for how much her once-healthy tresses would change. “My hair before Mounjaro was perfect,” Shannon, a childminder from Bristol, said. 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 Credit: Jam Press Shannon believes people should be given a clearer understanding of just how severe the hair-loss side effect can become Credit: Jam Press “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. Most read in Fabulous “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 ponytail 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.” Reflecting on her weight loss journey, the mum said that after having three children her figure was “ruined” and the “weight just kept going up and up”. “I woke up one day and decided 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 homemade 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. Everything you need to know about fat jabs Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases. Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients’ sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of Wegovy is controlled through specialist weight loss clinics, while Mounjaro is available from GPs but only for the highest risk patients. For Wegovy, a patient will typically have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. They will be expected to have tried diet and exercise already. Mounjaro is available from NHS GPs for weight loss but only to a tiny group of patients, with the rollout starting with those with a BMI higher than 40 and with four weight-related health conditions. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.” Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients’ mental health. “It got to a point where I was so big, I struggled to even paint my own toenails or tie up my shoelaces 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 them 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.” Comment now