Britt Jones
Researchers have identified what they believe could be lesser-known side effects of taking weight loss jabs, with 44 per cent of people polled, reporting at least one symptom.
Taking medications can always lead to a myriad of side effects, from things like headaches, to stomach woes, or even more serious issues that are rare to occur.
However, usually, it's well established in how medications react to people, thanks to them being on the market for so long that scientists can see how they affect individuals.
However, GLP-1s might be different, as they are only newly being used to lose weight by the masses.
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This means we’re constantly finding out about the way they react to people, depending on many variables like age, weight, other medications, or medical issues.
But this new study might provide a little more clarity into what people can expect.
Researchers from Penn Engineering have revealed that semaglutide, found in Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as tirzepatide, used in Mounjaro and Zepbound, has been found to be linked to underreported issues users have experienced.
Having dredged through 400,000 Reddit posts from over 70,000 users within the last five years via AI to uncover what people have been saying about the weight loss drugs and type 2 diabetes management medications, new data emerged.
44 per cent of people noted effects like menstrual changes, chills, hot flashes, and more.
Most commonly reported in the posts were things like stomach issues and fatigue, then getting chills, hot flashes and finally the feeling of coming down with a fever.
While the study takes into consideration that weight loss drugs target an area of the brain that is responsible for hormone regulation (the hypothalamus), which could account for some problems - there needs to be more awareness on what it can cause in patients.
Lyle Ungar, a co-author on the study, said clinical trials 'generally identify the most dangerous side effects of drugs', but they 'fail to find what symptoms patients are most concerned about' which has been seen in a ‘large collection of posts’ citing side effects previously not commonly associated with the drugs.
Sharath Chandra Guntuku, the study’s author, explained that the side effects were written by users online ‘unprompted’, and that ‘clinicians could potentially pay attention to them.'
Within the study, it was found that four per cent of Redditors experienced menstrual irregularities like heavy periods, missed periods, or irregular length of periods, which can also be seen in those suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), thyroid disorders like Hypothyroidism and more.
It also found that men were more likely to report side effects.
Guntuku added: “Clinical trials are the gold standard, but by design, they are slow. This is not a replacement for trials, but it can move much faster, and that speed matters when a drug goes from niche to mainstream almost overnight.”
UNILAD reached out to Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly for comment.