Hair loss timeline — anyone have experience?

LibrarianMeg said:

This is telogen effluvium and the trigger is the rate of weight loss rather than the molecule.

Hair loss update related to hair shedding: I experienced noticeable shedding starting around month 5. My dermatologist confirmed it's telogen effluvium — a stress response to rapid weight loss, NOT the medication directly.

What's helping:

• Biotin 5000mcg daily
• Adequate protein (130g+/day)
• Iron and ferritin levels checked and supplemented
• Collagen peptides 20g daily
• Minoxidil 5% topical (prescribed)

The shedding slowed after 2 months and my hair is now growing back. Temporary but definitely stressful.

LibrarianMeg said:

This is telogen effluvium and the trigger is the rate of weight loss rather than the molecule.

This is where I part company with the consensus forming above. This treats a plausible mechanism as a demonstrated one. Plausible is where you start looking, not where you stop.

Answering the narrow version, because the broad one does not have a single answer. It helps to ask what evidence would change your mind before you look at any. If nothing would, the discussion is not about evidence, and it is better to say so early than to spend nine posts discovering it.

pete_manc_UK said:

Hair loss update related to hair shedding: I experienced noticeable shedding starting around month 5.

This matches mine closely enough to be worth saying so out loud.