A large-scale analysis of Reddit data identifies symptoms—including fatigue and menstrual changes—frequently missed in clinical trials. These real-world patient insights highlight a broader spectrum of physiological responses to semaglutide and tirzepatide. More on the analysis.

Reproductive symptoms, temperature-related complaints, and psychiatric symptoms were among the side effects of GLP-1 drugs reported in an analysis of Reddit posts.

“Clinical trials tell us a lot, but they’re conducted under very controlled conditions with carefully selected participants,” Neil Sehgal, a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science, Philadelphia, told Medscape Medical News. “At the same time, millions of patients are using Reddit every day and sharing very detailed accounts of their experiences with these medications.”

To investigate signals that the medical community “might be missing or underappreciating,” Sehgal and colleagues developed an AI-based system to automatically extract and categorize symptoms from Reddit posts at scale.