Do Biotin Pills Make You Gain Weight?

Dec 16, 2016

Hadeev S.

I've been perimenopausal for almost 9 years. I sported a bald head for 15 years, and decided in Jan 2016, to let my hair grow back. The hair strands are very fine, and silver grays are noticeable now. This year, I put on about 30-35 pounds. Someone on instagram suggested I take biotin to help my hair grow. I bought the gummies. My menstrual cycle had stopped for over a month prior to starting biotin. After a month into it, my period came back. My hair is a thick, curly, coily afro now, and my brittle nails are strong. I haven't lost any of the 30+ pounds I gained this year, but now I notice my face has filled out more. It went from heart-shaped to square. I will cut down on the dosage to see if it helps with weight loss. I can't fit my fat clothes anymore. Ugh!

Nov 23, 2016

Leigh H.

So! Here's the problem with the weight gain and biotin...Never ever take the actual dosage that these supplement companies "recommend" because it throws your body into "I'm being attacked!!" mode and you start to put on weight. At the MOST, take 30mcgs a day and do not be interested in overnight success by taking 1000mcg or more (which is what the tabs mainly come in). Take 30mcg or even cut THAT in half. It will work fine...and BETTER. And you will not shock your system. This is true of ALL supplements. Buy tabs--not capsules--and get a good pill cutter (the CVS cheap kind is the best...don't pay a lot for one). Chop those babies up and take a lot less for a long time. Trust me, it will be far more effective!! Good luck out there!!

Sep 7, 2016

Rebecca W.

Your story seems so much like mine, in fact, I was in this very state a few years back, with people commenting on my weight. I was about 50 pounds overweight and yes was looking bad. I had lost all confidence in myself, stayed away from parties, avoided meeting friends, and my life was a complete nightmare. People did suggest me many weight loss supplements, exercises, yoga, and all that. I too tried some of them, ardently followed for about few weeks and gave up. I came across an article that said www.certifiedbiotin.com helps lose weight amazingly. I tried not one but two biotin brands one after the other, but the results were not the least impressive.
In just a couple weeks, I started noticing results. Keeping in mind how overweight I was, when I could see results, it clearly meant changes were actually happening. Not only that, certifiedbiotin.com also has had its effect on my nails and hair, they are much stronger and much shinier than before am getting compliments from everyone, it feels amazing. So, I would suggest you try this amazing product, has worked for me, and I pray it works for you too.

Aug 16, 2016

Nerline G.

Thank you so, so much ladies. Your comments just opened up my eyes. I took 250 Natrol 5,000 mcg fast dissolve Biotin tabs within a year. I went from 140 pounds to 185 pounds. I got so desperate that I started taking diet pills. But even the diet pills that worked for me in the past did nothing to cut my appetite. I stopped eating meat and started a regular exercise routine, only to lose a few pounds and gained it back within a week because the biotin kept making me HUNGRY. Like another lady said here, I felt like I was on steroids. My head became bigger, I have acne that hurts so badly, and the bloating is just irritating. But here's my theory: when you are thirsty, and biotin does require that you drink a lot of water, the body sends the same signal as when you are hungry. So might think that you need food, but plenty of fluids is what you really need. I just finished the bottle. So, I'm going to start by drinking as much water as I can, workout regularly for two weeks, and try the diet pills after 4 weeks to see it there will be a difference. BUT I AM DONE WITH BIOTIN.

Jun 6, 2016

Jenny D.

Omg I had to goggle this because I've been sooo bloated to the point where my kids have told me to go to the hospital n get checked and I've gained 10 pounds and I've only been on it for 3 weeks...I'm constantly in my kitchen in the middle of the night...so I came to the conclusion that maybe it was this pills...my hairs been growing beautiful n my nails also skin but I shave my eyebrows n legs n the next day I have to do it again...forget this I'm done...thanx for all you ladys for coming out with out ya we would never known....every thing that's good for you ends up messing something else....so not all things our good for us

Feb 24, 2016

Natasha P.

I've been taking Hairfinity for a few weeks and I feel like I gained weight, definitely a lot of bloating as well. I stopped taking them and you can definitely notice a difference in the bloating.

Dec 9, 2015

Ashley H.

I have just started Biotin because I'm in my 30s and have noticed my hair thinning so my hair dresser told me to try it I know she is no doctor but I accepted her advice I'm 5'7 and weigh about 110 I have noticed my appetite is through the roof but I have wanted to gain weight for a long time because I am under weight but I haven't noticed any change in my hair skin or nails. I literally want to eat constantly and seems like I can't get enough to eat. I do believe it slows down your metabolism the weight gain I'm ok with so far

Oct 19, 2015

Karen M.

Biotin is great and really has helped me! 10 000mcg was too much for me tho.
My energy levels are high. I remember that at the beginning I did cardio and interval training which helped me lose weight but I did not realize how biotin played a part in my weight loss until AFTER I stopped working out. I continue to take biotin 5,000 mcg every day and now that I am no longer on my diet I eat whatever I want and I don't gain weight. It appears the biotin may be keeping my metabolism to the level it was at during my training.
Also my hair and nails grow SO much quicker. Hair has increased in the rate and are so long now. Dreams come true :)
I've been taking 5,000mcg of Biotin every day for years. I’ve tried like 4 different brands until I found that the best one for me.
So I highly recommend it to you. For me the best is certifiedbiotin.com my friends also use this one.

Oct 19, 2015

Liza F.

Does biotin really help you lose weight? Some recommendations?

Aug 12, 2015

Tay S.

I'm so glad I read these comments. I just had a series of blood panels and a CT scan because I had painful bloating and extreme weight gain.. I was in a major car accident in June so I just figured that's why I gained so much weight (3broken ribs and a fractured sternum) can really immobilize you. I've gained almost 30 pounds in 2 months which is crazy for me since I'm also diabetic type 1 so for the last 4 years I've had no luck in gaining and keeping weight now I feel as though I'm 7months pregnant.. I'm definitely done with biotin...

Aug 1, 2015

Jaihe L.

@Vicky,

I've been off of Biotin for about a week now and I lost 2 lbs without much effort. So I'd say the results are pretty fast.

May 15, 2015

Vicky W.

I've been taking 5,000 Biotin for 2 1/2 months now and WOW!! I can't believe how I've blown up! I just googled this morning whether Biotin caused weight gain because it's the only thing that I've changed in my diet lately. This is how I found all of your ladies comments and I'm sooo thankful that I did! I bet I've gained at least 12 lbs in this short amount of time and always feel bloated.
I seen where one lady said in 4 days she felt a lot better w/ the bloating , I'm hoping I can tell the difference this soon.
DO ANY OF YOU LADIES HAVE AND COMMENTS ON HOW SOON YOU NOTICED RESULTS OF LOSING WEIGHT OR BLOATING AFTER STOPPING THIS VITAMIN?? I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR SOME RESULTS OF YOUR STORIES SO THAT I KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TOO. :) tHANKS

Mar 15, 2015

Annette G.

THANK YOU for your comments. I am in a weight loss challenge and have been baffled why I just began to gain instead of lose weight. The only significant change were my vitamins. I began losing my hair (some speculate due to losing 59 pounds, hormones, who knows) so Dr recommended Hair Skin and Nails vitamins. I began taking 3000 mcg, 3 pills/day. After 5 weeks my hair stopped falling out and began to grow. Yay! My weight loss slowed significantly, and I was busting my butt to eek out a pound or two a week. I ran out of vitamins and found they were cheaper at local bulk store, but they were 5,000 mcg ( 3 pills/day). I thought, "Great! That'll help my hair grow faster!" Then the weight loss STOPPED and I began to GAIN weight! Unacceptable since I'm in a weight loss competition with friends. I'm so relieved to find this conversation thread to validate my concerns. I stopped taking the pills today. Told my hubby, " You can either have a bald thin wife or a hairy plump one!" LOL I'm choosing health over hair. ( By the way - I even bought Rogaine, but then read the side affects are acne and weight gain, so I'm taking it back, too!)

Jan 29, 2015

Quinn M.

I found this page on google. I'm a man and I created an account just to say that I have experienced these results too. I've been taking biotin 5000mcg to grow my facial hair and it works well. So good in fact that I even took 2 pills a day at one point because I wasn't noticing side effects. Well its been a few months now and I definitely am experiencing the bloating, weight gain (about 10 pounds), and acne, all of this although my normal routines havent changed. I've been on a steroid before so I completely agree with Lin, biotin acts ALOT like a steroid! I'm disappointed that no other websites warns of this including amazon. I like what it does for my hair so I think ill drop to maybe 3 pills a week and drink as much water as I can stand a day... Also, I think the benefits of biotin (hair and nail growth) decrease when the side effects start showing so Im going to see if drinking alot of water daily reverses everything...

Jan 18, 2015

Sid B.

Ladies all of your comments have been so helpful... I'm 46 and have had weight loss surgery I've lost 152lbs for almost 4yrs now. I recently about 3 weeks ago started taking 1000mcg Biotin as advised by my cousin to thicken my hair. And strangely have been eating even more than I can take in. I'm constantly hungry and I have gained 6lbs added on to the 6 I gained during the holidays lol. I started to panic that my surgical procedure was starting to fail.
Your comments have truly helped me. Now I have to get this 12lbs off of me for good. Good luck to you all.

Oct 16, 2014

Adrienne S.

Hey Ladies :) I want to say yes biotin does make you gain weight and fast! Anything over 1000mcg for me does it. I'm ok if I stick with 1000mcg the weight does come off once I come back down to that MCG. I was just on 2500 gnc biotin it was working on my hair and skin but it's too much for me. I tried 5,000 and 10,000 before lmao I was blowing up fast! I'm 5'1 and normally around low 120's. I now weigh 136.5 believe me I'm working on losing the weight!

Aug 14, 2014

Jeanai C.

Weight gain is usually caused by water retention and the only thing to stop that is to drink more water and eat less sodium. water although it may seem counteractive, helps to break water retention. solo if you're taking more than 1000 mcg a day, you need to be drink in more water than ever to break that. it WILL increase your appetite but you have to know that you need to control your diet the normal way you used to.

This was all very helpful for me too lol. because I'm also trying to lose weight

Jun 5, 2014

Bella T.

I took biotin for 6 days and experienced a lot of sides effects and the only thing changed in my life was the 5000 mg biotin intake. I interrupted the treatment but still am experiencing the bloating and huge appetite. My question is how long will it take for my body to come back to its normal state like before the biotin?

Apr 25, 2014

Yareli B.

I've been taking them over a year now & yes I love my hair nails Ect I've been experimenting with them. I've gained weight, breaking out like crazy but I want to start just taking them week days then cutting it back to 3 times a week & Ect so ladies I do not recommend biotin!!

Apr 16, 2014

Lin P.

Just wanted to do a quick follow up to my above report in hopes that it helps others. Immediately after I noticed the EXTREME bloating and read NUMEROUS reports from others how the biotin affected them I was dumbfounded. Although I was taking it for weeks, it seemed like I became symptomatic almost overnight. Now after not taking ANY vitamins for just 4 days or so (I just wanted to get off ANY additional B intake so I even ditched my multivitamin since even that has some) but after the 4th day of being off, the bloating has gone down significantly. I am left with some residual weight gain, but now that I've pinpointed the problem I'm confident I can lose it fairly quickly through regular diet and exercise. I'm pretty active so hopefully that weight won't stick like glue! OK all that said the weird thing was that as soon as I went OFF the biotin, THEN I DID experience an increase in actual appetite, which I did NOT have when I was ON it. I attribute this to my body just saying wtf and trying to RE-regulate itself. I'm just making sure to respond by eating healthy foods that won't add extra lbs. So far so good being off it but wow, what a lesson. One last thing, I'm no doctor but when I was discussing this whole thing with someone, they suggested that it seemed as if the biotin almost acted like a steroid-bc steroids give you almost those same exact symptoms! Think about it - the increased appetite, weight gain, acne breakouts, bloating - all symptoms like steroids! Again, I'm no doctor but just something to think about! If you are considering taking biotin, think twice! Unless your doctor or nutritionist REALLY recommend it I would steer clear. Make sure the benefits are going to outweigh these extreme side affects, and pay attention to your body if you go ahead with it. Some of these vitamins can almost be like taking medications so proceed with caution. If I remember I will try to post an additional update in maybe a few weeks about the weight gain. Meanwhile, peace, health and love to all!

Apr 9, 2014

Lin P.

OK I have been taking it for about 2 months and all of a sudden I noticed I'm extremely bloated and feel like I definitely gained weight! Since I haven't really been doing anything else different, I suspected maybe it was the extra biotin and now here's all these other testimonials! Thank you..I thought I was going bonkers! BTW while I DID experience bloating and weight gain I also did see an improvement in my nails (which was the main reason I started bc I have very thin nails) and even my hair (including leg hair was growing super fast) but I personally did not experience acne problems, nor did I feel increased ApPetite, just weight gain from not doing anything much different. (but I did crave a lot of nuts! - weird) OMG for me I guess it's a choice now, thicker nails or thinner me… that's a no brainer.. guess I'm going off the biotin!!

Feb 25, 2014

Candy P.

I thought it was helping my hair but I've started to notice my appetite has been through the roof I'm starving even after I eat, it's also causing unwanted breakouts (not that they are ever wanted) I'm definitely quitting them ASAP.

Feb 17, 2014

Jewyll W.

I'm no longer taking biotin. I'll try other methods for healthy hair and nails
I also excercise regulary..biotin really did not help weight issue s for me.

Feb 17, 2014

Jewyll W.

For me yes biotin makes you gain weight. I started taking biotin my hair did get longer quickly my nails also but I was gaining weight extremely fas?t. 15 pounDS in one week of taking biotin.I I also felt bloated constantly.I stopped taking biotin for a month. ose the weight immediately and no bloating.I started back taking biotin again just a week I gained 10 pounds again.