Every medication carries its own risks, regardless of the potential benefits it may offer. It sometimes takes time to identify side effects that aren’t immediately obvious. Recent studies indicate that GLP-1 medications, such as semaglutide—found in well-known drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy—could cause some users to experience coughing.
Researchers from the University of Southern California, along with others, analyzed medical records of individuals using GLP-1s to manage their type 2 diabetes. They discovered that these users were more prone to developing a chronic cough compared to those on different diabetes treatments. This finding raises the need for further investigation into this possible side effect, according to the researchers.
A possible risk of chronic cough?
The typical side effects associated with GLP-1 medications are mostly gastrointestinal, including nausea, vomiting, and constipation. There’s also evidence suggesting a potential increase in the likelihood of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and acid reflux, possibly because these medications slow down how food exits the stomach.
GERD and acid reflux frequently cause chronic cough as well. However, researchers noted that prior studies haven’t specifically looked at a connection between GLP-1s and chronic cough.
The team examined electronic health records from 70 healthcare organizations, studying almost 500,000 individuals using a GLP-1 for diabetes and comparing them to a similar cohort of about 1.6 million people using other treatments.
Overall, GLP-1 users had a 12% higher risk of developing a chronic cough compared to those on other diabetes medications. Specifically, when comparing different drug classes, they found no increased risk in relation to SGLT2 inhibitors. Interestingly, a heightened risk of chronic cough persisted even when excluding individuals with a prior diagnosis of GERD.
What does this mean?
These findings are observational, meaning they can’t definitively establish a causal relationship between chronic cough and GLP-1 usage. Thus, this study should primarily serve as a prompt for researchers to further explore this potential link.
“More research is essential to verify the existence, magnitude, and mechanisms of this association,” the authors noted in their study, recently published in JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.
GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide have significantly advanced obesity treatment in recent years. However, continual monitoring of every drug’s safety once it’s available to the public remains crucial. Even if the detection of a new side effect doesn’t alter the overall effectiveness of a medication, it can assist healthcare providers and patients in managing or preventing such issues.
