{"id":317005,"date":"2026-03-07T03:07:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-07T03:07:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/317005\/"},"modified":"2026-03-07T03:07:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T03:07:08","slug":"glp-1-patients-report-new-side-effect-and-its-worse-than-ozempic-face","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/317005\/","title":{"rendered":"GLP-1 Patients Report New Side Effect\u2014and It\u2019s Worse Than \u2018Ozempic Face\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Close-up<\/p>\n

Tatsiana Volkava\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

A newly reported side effect of the popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs may be its most annoying yet.<\/p>\n

From \u201cOzempic ears\u201d and \u201cOzempic butt<\/a>\u201d to \u201cOzempic breasts\u201d and \u201cOzempic face,\u201d 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<\/a> side effects, but those related to patients\u2019 physical appearance often receive the most attention.<\/p>\n

Now, Vogue<\/a> 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\u2019s sleep: perpetual itching.<\/p>\n

On Reddit, posts about GLP-1-related itching have surfaced.<\/p>\n

Get a First Look<\/p>\n

Sign up to receive news and updates from The Looker<\/p>\n

A year ago, one person wrote<\/a>: \u201cIs constant itching a side effect of the shot? I don\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GLP-1<\/p>\n

Another person posted<\/a> a similar sentiment, writing, \u201cI want to claw my legs and now even my forearms to bits! I have one more injection, but I think I\u2019ll be taking a break from it for a bit because idk why it\u2019s gotten so bad, but I just want to scratch to the point I could draw blood.\u201d<\/p>\n

A third person wrote<\/a> that after starting the medication, \u201cI have been having severe itchiness over my entire body. From my head to my toes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"GLP-1<\/p>\n

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<\/a>, Oprah<\/a>, and Amy Schumer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

According to Dr. Anne Peters, an endocrinologist at Keck Medicine of USC<\/a>, interviewed by Vogue<\/a>, clinical trials show that skin issues are reported among three to eight percent of people using GLP-1s.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is in an individual reaction to the chemical or, in some cases, maybe even just getting an injection,\u201d she told the outlet.<\/p>\n

Mild skin reactions\u2014such as itching and redness around the injection site\u2014are common with any injection.<\/p>\n

\"GLP-1<\/p>\n

Anna Efetova\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re thought to come from the body\u2019s local response to the needle trauma or the medication being injected under the skin,\u201d board-certified dermatologist Dr. Hadley King<\/a> told Vogue. <\/p>\n

A visit to a dermatologist or an allergist, or changing the injection site, might be helpful if symptoms like that appear.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome parts of your body are more sensitive and sometimes giving [the drug] in an anatomically different site and making sure that it\u2019s rotated is helpful,\u201d Dr. Peters said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Login dialog<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tatsiana Volkava\/Getty Images A newly reported side effect of the popular GLP-1 weight loss drugs may be its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":317006,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[1872,7013,9457,134,263,156230,524,15561,111,139,69,7014,92965,18953,560,5510],"class_list":{"0":"post-317005","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-face","9":"tag-glp-1","10":"tag-glp-1s","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-lifestyle","13":"tag-looker","14":"tag-medication","15":"tag-mounjaro","16":"tag-new-zealand","17":"tag-newzealand","18":"tag-nz","19":"tag-ozempic","20":"tag-the-looker","21":"tag-wegovy","22":"tag-weight-loss","23":"tag-wellness"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=317005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/317006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=317005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=317005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=317005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}