Every drug has its risks, no matter how tremendous its benefits may be, and sometimes it can take a while to uncover less obvious side effects. New research suggests that GLP-1 medications like semaglutide\u2014the active ingredient in popular drugs Ozempic and Wegovy\u2014might leave some users feeling a little wheezy.<\/p>\n
Researchers at the University of Southern California and others examined the medical records of people taking GLP-1s for their type 2 diabetes. Compared to people on other diabetes treatments, GLP-1 users were more likely to develop a chronic cough, they found. The findings warrant more study into this potential side effect and why it may be happening, the researchers say.<\/p>\n
A potential risk of chronic cough? <\/p>\n
The most common side effects of GLP-1s are gastrointestinal, such as nausea, vomiting, and constipation. Research has also indicated<\/a> that they can raise the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and acid reflux, likely because they slow the emptying of food from the stomach.<\/p>\n GERD\/acid reflux can also be a common cause of chronic cough. According to the researchers, though, there hasn\u2019t been any study specifically looking into a potential association between GLP-1s and chronic cough.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The researchers analyzed electronic health care records collected from 70 health care organizations. They looked at nearly a half million people taking a GLP-1 for their diabetes and compared them to a similar group of 1.6 million people taking other medications.<\/p>\n All in all, GLP-1 use was associated with a 12% higher risk of a new case of chronic cough compared to all other diabetes medications. When looking at specific drug classes, they failed to find any increased risk compared to SGLT2 inhibitors. Interestingly enough, a higher overall risk of chronic cough was still seen even when the researchers excluded people who had a past diagnosis of GERD.<\/p>\n What does this mean? <\/p>\n These findings are observational, meaning they can\u2019t concretely prove a cause-and-effect link between chronic cough and GLP-1 use. So for now, this study should only encourage scientists to look deeper into this possible connection, the researchers say.<\/p>\n \u201cFurther research is needed to confirm the existence, strength, and mechanisms of this association,\u201d they wrote in their paper, published<\/a> late last month in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology\u2013Head & Neck Surgery.<\/p>\n