There has been a lot of discussion online about Ozempic side effects that go beyond what is on the label. But while “Ozempic face” and “Ozempic butt” have gotten a lot of attention, there is one potential side effect that Ozempic users continue to talk about that is more subtle: a runny nose. .

Reddit is full of stories from people claiming to have developed a runny nose or postnasal drip after starting Ozempic. “I just took my first 0.5 (milligram) injection last night and within 20 minutes it started,” one user said. wrote. “I didn’t have this side effect at all after a month of taking 0.25 (milligrams). I hope this goes away, it’s very annoying.

Another wrote“I’ve never had postnasal drip – certainly not this extreme before – so (I wonder) if it’s the Ozempic.”

It’s easy to dismiss the problem as a strange coincidence (and maybe it’s just that, as you’ll learn later!). But some doctors who prescribe Ozempic—a semaglutide drug which is technically approved for blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes, but is prescribed off-label for weight loss – let’s say there is a possible link between weight loss drugs and the development of a nose that flows. “There is definitely a mechanism behind this,” says Kunal ShahMDassistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center.

Here’s what’s behind this side effect and what to do if you experience it.

Meet the experts: Alexandra Sowa, MDis an internal medicine physician specializing in preventative health, nutrition, and obesity medicine and the author of the forthcoming book The Ozempic Revolution. Kunal ShahMDis an assistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center.

There are few possible reasons why you might notice a runny nose after taking Ozempic.

The first is that your runny nose might actually be linked to a virus, says Alexandra Sowa, MD, author of the upcoming book. The Ozempic Revolution. COVID-19 is still circulating, and it is also cold and flu season– and these viruses don’t magically stay away once you go to Ozempic. So with that, you may have caught a cold or other upper respiratory virus when you started taking Ozempic, so keep that in mind.

Another consideration: You may be more aware of your body while taking the medication. After all, it’s well known at this point that many people experience side effects with Ozempic, and your prescriber will likely review them with you as well. So, maybe your nose was already runnier than usual and you just didn’t notice it until you started treatment and became hyper aware of what was happening in your body at the same time. “Two things could be true: you have a runny nose and you are taking Ozempic – and have nothing to do with them,” notes Dr. Sowa.

It is also entirely possible that Ozempic is using East directly related to the side effect of runny nose.

“Typically, the reason this happens with these medications (GLP-1 agonists) is that they can cause or make gastroesophageal reflux worse,” says Dr. Shah.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease, commonly known as acid reflux, is a condition in which stomach contents flow back up into the esophagus. “Acid irritates the lining of the throat,” says Dr. Shah. This can cause postnasal drip and runny nose, as well as other symptoms such as nausea, pain when swallowing, and hoarseness, he says.

Finally, runny nose may be related to how your GLP-1 medication stimulates an important nerve in your body called the vagus nervewhich is part of a nervous system that controls your digestion, heart rate and immune system, says Dr. Sowa. The vagus nerve has GLP-1 receptors, and this group of drugs targets GLP-1 receptors in the body. In turn, using any of these medications impacts the vagus nerve and can lead to other bodily symptoms, including a condition known as vasomotor rhinitis, says Dr. Sowa, characterized by symptoms cold and allergy type, including congestion, runny nose and sneezing.

The runny nose effect is not necessarily specific to Ozempic and other semaglutides (like Wegovy).

Dr. Shah notes that this can also happen with tirzepatides like Zepbound and Mounjaro, among other drugs in the class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists. For example, experts know that “acid reflux occurs with tirzepatide, so we can infer that people are probably also at risk for a runny nose,” he says.

Always discuss side effects with your doctor.

If you suffer from constant postnasal drip or runny nose and are confident you can don’t do it If you have a virus, see your primary care physician to have acid reflux evaluated, Dr. Shah recommends. You can also try taking over-the-counter acid-suppressing medications like famotidine with meals to see if that helps, he says.

But you’re unlikely to deal with this problem for too long. Most people stop having side effects after a few months, when they reach a maintenance dose (that is, you take the same dose that you plan to take for a while ), explains Dr. Sowa.

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