AI Study of 400,000 Reddit Posts Flags Underreported GLP-1 Side-Effect Signals

Overview

• The peer-reviewed paper, published Friday in Nature Health, analyzed more than 400,000 posts from nearly 70,000 Reddit users discussing semaglutide and tirzepatide.
• The analysis surfaced reproductive concerns, with nearly 4% of users reporting menstrual changes such as irregular cycles or heavy bleeding.
• Users also described temperature-related complaints including chills, feeling cold, hot flashes, or fever-like symptoms, and many mentioned fatigue.
• As a check against known risks, about 44% of users described at least one established side effect, most often nausea and other gastrointestinal distress.
• Large language models mapped casual symptom language to the MedDRA clinical dictionary, enabling fast, standardized screening, with plans to extend beyond Reddit and English.