This article looks at the unwanted side effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. Click on the arrows at the top of each section to read more.
Sources for Figure 21–8
Further reading
This feature was based on evidence available at the time of writing.
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A recent review noted that there seemed to be an increased prevalence of ADRs in females versus males. It also reported a paucity of data from pre-clinical studies in female animals and fundamental research, in women. (Stina Börchers and Karolina P. Skibicka Endocrinology, GLP-1 and Its Analogs: Does Sex Matter? 2025, 166, bqae165 https://doi.org/10.1210/endocr/bqae165)
When wisely urging pharmacists to complete Yellow Card submissions regarding the drug class, perhaps pharmacists could be urged to be alert to the possibility that ADRs might have different qualitative or quantitative characteristics in males and females. Although pharmacists must report raw data in an unbiased way, ensuring that they collect sufficient depth of data to identify qualitative and quantitative differences between patients would be helpful. Asking females about any effects on menstrual cycle of whether ADRs varied over the cycle would be an example, as would seeking as much information as possible about the perceived magnitude of any symptom.