Key takeaways:
Mounjaro is an FDA-approved medication for treating Type 2 diabetes.
Some people report headaches while taking Mounjaro. This may be related to Mounjaro side effects like low blood sugar and dehydration.
Drinking fluids throughout the day, avoiding low blood sugar, and limiting alcohol intake can help prevent a Mounjaro headache.
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Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is an injectable medication used to treat Type 2 diabetes. For some people, taking Mounjaro can lower hemoglobin A1C, which is the long-term measure of blood sugar control.
Mounjaro can be an excellent tool for managing blood sugar, but it does carry a risk of side effects. The most common side effects of Mounjaro are nausea, diarrhea, decreased appetite, and vomiting.
Some people taking Mounjaro also experience headaches. But are headaches really a side effect of Mounjaro? Let’s review the evidence behind Mounjaro and headaches.
How does Mounjaro work?
To understand possible side effects of a medication, it’s helpful to know how it works. Mounjaro is similar to other injectable medications for diabetes, such as Ozempic. But it works a little differently.
Mounjaro is the first medication approved in a new class of drugs called dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (called dual GIP / GLP-1 receptor agonists for short). This means that Mounjaro acts like two natural hormones in your body: GLP-1 and GIP. GLP-1 and GIP are gut hormones that help balance blood sugar levels and manage appetite.
Mounjaro works by:
Increasing insulin production
Making your body more sensitive to insulin
Causing you to feel less hungry
Helping you feel full faster
Can Mounjaro cause headaches?
There’s no evidence that Mounjaro directly causes headaches.
But some common side effects of Mounjaro can lead to headaches. And since Mounjaro is a relatively new medication, researchers are still learning about its long-term effects.
Let’s go through how you might develop a headache while taking Mounjaro.
Low blood sugar
Mounjaro lowers blood sugar levels. Severely low blood sugar levels aren’t common on Mounjaro alone. But it can happen if you’re also taking other medications that lower your blood sugar, like insulin or sulfonylureas.
If your blood sugar drops too low (this is called hypoglycemia), you can start to feel sick.
Symptoms of hypoglycemia include feeling:
Warm
Dizzy
Weak
Hungry
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Some people also get a headache if they become hypoglycemic.
Dehydration
Mounjaro decreases your appetite and helps you feel full longer. This causes you to eat and drink less. Plus, Mounjaro slows down how fast food empties from your stomach. This can lead to nausea and vomiting.
Together, these side effects can lead to dehydration. And with dehydration, there’s the risk of getting a headache.
Dehydration headaches have been described as feeling like someone is squeezing the top of your head. Dehydration can also trigger other types of headaches, like migraines or tension headaches.
Lower blood pressure
Mounjaro isn’t a blood pressure medication. But people taking Mounjaro may develop lower blood pressure over time. One study found that people taking Mounjaro for 36 weeks saw their systolic blood pressure drop by up to 10 mmHg. This effect is thought to be linked to Mounjaro-related weight loss.
Headache can be a symptom of low blood pressure. For most people, weight loss and lower blood pressure are good things. But if you’re taking blood pressure medication and then lose a significant amount of weight from taking Mounjaro, your blood pressure can drop too low. That’s why it’s important to check in with your healthcare team. They may need to adjust or stop your blood pressure medication if your blood pressure is too low.
Drinking alcohol while taking Mounjaro
There’s no direct interaction between Mounjaro and alcohol. But drinking alcohol can make Mounjaro’s side effects worse. That’s why it’s best to avoid combining Mounjaro and alcohol if you can.
Alcohol and Mounjaro together can increase your risk of becoming dehydrated or hypoglycemic — both of which can cause a headache.
This can happen in two ways:
Alcohol makes you pee more. And it also directly irritates your stomach lining. This can cause nausea, vomiting, and dehydration — leading to a headache.
Alcohol can lower your blood sugar. This means there’s a risk of hypoglycemia if you’re drinking alcohol while taking Mounjaro. Symptoms of hypoglycemia may include dizziness, sweating, and headache.
How can you treat Mounjaro headaches?
Some of the common side effects of Mounjaro can lead to headaches. But a few simple measures can help prevent or relieve a Mounjaro headache.
Water
Drinking enough fluids is important to avoid dehydration and dehydration-related headaches. You can help yourself drink more water by carrying a refillable water bottle with you.
Some people find it helpful to set reminders on their phone to encourage them to drink throughout the day.
Medication for nausea
Up to 1 in 5 people taking Mounjaro experience nausea as a side effect.
Eating smaller meals and using over-the-counter (OTC) medications can help. Talk with a healthcare professional if you experience nausea while taking Mounjaro. Get emergency care if nausea happens with abdominal pain. This can be a sign of a more serious side effect, like gallbladder problems.
Monitor your blood sugar
When you start Mounjaro, your healthcare professional may advise you to monitor your blood sugar more often. This is especially true if you’re taking other medications that can lower your blood sugar.
Recognizing low blood sugar, and treating it quickly with a fast-acting sugar source, is important. Untreated hypoglycemia can be life-threatening.
Let your healthcare professional know if this happens often. Your other medications may need to be adjusted to avoid hypoglycemia.
OTC pain medications
Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are common OTC medications for headache relief. But talk with your healthcare professional before taking ibuprofen if you have chronic kidney disease or problems with stomach ulcers.
Frequently asked questions
Both Mounjaro and Zepbound contain tirzepatide, so Zepbound can cause headaches too. Zepbound is FDA-approved for weight management.
Talk with your healthcare team if you develop new or worsening headaches while taking Mounjaro. You’ll want to make sure your headaches aren’t caused by something else. Seek emergency care for headaches that are accompanied by fever, rash with neck stiffness, confusion, slurred speech, or vision changes.
Right now, there’s no evidence that stopping Mounjaro or lowering your dose will lead to headaches. There’s also no evidence that stopping Mounjaro or lowering your dose will worsen headache syndromes, like migraines or tension headaches.
Both Mounjaro and Zepbound contain tirzepatide, so Zepbound can cause headaches too. Zepbound is FDA-approved for weight management.
Talk with your healthcare team if you develop new or worsening headaches while taking Mounjaro. You’ll want to make sure your headaches aren’t caused by something else. Seek emergency care for headaches that are accompanied by fever, rash with neck stiffness, confusion, slurred speech, or vision changes.
Right now, there’s no evidence that stopping Mounjaro or lowering your dose will lead to headaches. There’s also no evidence that stopping Mounjaro or lowering your dose will worsen headache syndromes, like migraines or tension headaches.
The bottom line
Mounjaro is an FDA-approved treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Some people report headaches as a side effect of Mounjaro. While Mounjaro doesn’t seem to cause headaches directly, the medication can lower your blood sugar or lead to dehydration — both of which can trigger headaches. You can reduce your risk of getting a headache while taking Mounjaro by monitoring your blood sugar, drinking plenty of fluids, and avoiding alcohol. Talk to a healthcare professional if you have side effects while taking Mounjaro.
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References
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Farzam, K., et al. (2024). Tirzepatide. StatPearls.
Karrar, H. R., et al. (2023). Tirzepatide-induced gastrointestinal manifestations: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Cureus.
Matthew, P., et al. (2022). Hypoglycemia. StatPearls.
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National Headache Foundation. (n.d.). The fasting headache.
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U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2023). Drug trials snapshots: Mounjaro.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2023). FDA approves new medication for chronic weight management.
