Hormonal
Semaglutide increases the risk of non-serious gastrointestinal adverse events, specifically nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, in patients at increased risk of cardiovascular events.
Expect stomach issues like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when starting semaglutide. These are common, usually get better over time, and are not considered 'serious' adverse events. Managing diet and starting with a low dose can help mitigate these effects.
Meta-analysis showed that semaglutide decreased the risk of SAEs (RR 0.93, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.98; I2 = 24.1%; p < 0.01), but increased the risk of several non-serious gastrointestinal AEs including nausea (RR 3.00, 95% CI 2.63 to 3.42), vomiting (RR 4.12, 95% CI 3.47 to 4.90), and diarrhea (RR 1.88, 95% CI 1.68 to 2.11).
Why this rating
High certainty of evidence for the association, though heterogeneity exists for some GI events.
Source
The adverse effects associated with semaglutide use in patients at increased risk of cardiovascular events: a systematic review with meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis
Christina Dam Bjerregaard Sillassen et al. · BMC Medicine · 2025
DOI 10.1186/s12916-025-04486-0
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