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A newly reported side effect of the popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs may be its most annoying yet.
From “Ozempic ears” and “Ozempic butt” to “Ozempic breasts” and “Ozempic face,” people have given many names to the side effects attached to the increasingly popular class of drugs known as GLP-1s. Gastrointestinal discomfort and nausea are the most common side effects, but those related to patients’ physical appearance often receive the most attention.
Now, Vogue reports that GLP-1 users are bringing up a new side effect that is invisible yet deeply distressing. It may not affect your appearance, but it can certainly keep you from getting a good night’s sleep: perpetual itching.
On Reddit, posts about GLP-1-related itching have surfaced.
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A year ago, one person wrote: “Is constant itching a side effect of the shot? I don’t mean like hives or anything. I mean areas that continuously itch no matter how much you scratch. I noticed a spot on my back and a spot on my arm that became like that just since I started the shots.”
Another person posted a similar sentiment, writing, “I want to claw my legs and now even my forearms to bits! I have one more injection, but I think I’ll be taking a break from it for a bit because idk why it’s gotten so bad, but I just want to scratch to the point I could draw blood.”
A third person wrote that after starting the medication, “I have been having severe itchiness over my entire body. From my head to my toes.”
GLP-1 receptor agonists are a group of drugs that help suppress appetite. They are sold under names like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, and used by celebrities like Serena William, Oprah, and Amy Schumer.
While Ozempic is just one of many drugs in the category, its brand-name recognition has led to many side effects being directly attached to it in the media. Wegovy and Mounjaro are two other popular GLP-1 drugs, but are rarely given the same types of monikers as their more ubiquitous peer.
According to Dr. Anne Peters, an endocrinologist at Keck Medicine of USC, interviewed by Vogue, clinical trials show that skin issues are reported among three to eight percent of people using GLP-1s.
“It is in an individual reaction to the chemical or, in some cases, maybe even just getting an injection,” she told the outlet.
Mild skin reactions—such as itching and redness around the injection site—are common with any injection.
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“They’re thought to come from the body’s local response to the needle trauma or the medication being injected under the skin,” board-certified dermatologist Dr. Hadley King told Vogue.
A visit to a dermatologist or an allergist, or changing the injection site, might be helpful if symptoms like that appear.
“Some parts of your body are more sensitive and sometimes giving [the drug] in an anatomically different site and making sure that it’s rotated is helpful,” Dr. Peters said.
If the reactions are more widespread and pronounced, such as hives, blisters, or itchy patches, it may indicate sensitivity to the drug itself. In that case, Dr. Peters advised patients to stop taking the drug until the itch resolves and to visit a health care professional without delay.
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