Page last checked 2026-09-07

Does GLP-1 medication cause nausea?

Yes. Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound list nausea among their common side effects. The frequency depends on the product, dose and study; one percentage does not describe all GLP-1 medicines.

What the product trials found

These are separate trials, so their rates cannot rank the medicines.

Wegovy

The 2.4 mg weekly shot, in the weight trials

Wegovy: Nausea. Percent of people who reported it, by trial arm.
Dose / group	Rate
Placebo1,261 people	16%
2.4 mg2,116 people	44%

Study group and source

2,116 adults with obesity or overweight took the 2.4 mg shot across three placebo-controlled trials. 1,261 took placebo. The average age was 48 and 71% were women.

Up to 68 weeks, then 7 weeks off the drug

Everything reported by 2 in 100 people or more, and more often than on placebo

Read the product label

The 7.2 mg weekly shot, against 2.4 mg and against placebo

Wegovy: Nausea. Percent of people who reported it, by trial arm.
Dose / group	Rate
Placebo303 people	13%
2.4 mg304 people	35%
7.2 mg1,311 people	39%

Study group and source

1,311 adults with obesity took 7.2 mg in two trials. 304 took 2.4 mg and 303 took placebo. Average age 49, average BMI 39.5.

72 weeks

Everything reported by 2 in 100 people or more, and more often than on both 2.4 mg and placebo

Read the product label

All Wegovy side effects

Mounjaro

The two placebo-controlled diabetes trials in adults

Mounjaro: Nausea. Percent of people who reported it, by trial arm.
Dose / group	Rate
Placebo235 people	4%
5 mg237 people	12%
10 mg240 people	15%
15 mg241 people	18%

Study group and source

718 adults with type 2 diabetes took Mounjaro across SURPASS-1 and SURPASS-5. The average age was 58 and people had had diabetes for about 9 years.

An average of 36.6 weeks on the drug

Everything reported by 5 in 100 people or more, and more often than on placebo. Low blood sugar is counted separately.

Read the product label

All Mounjaro side effects

Zepbound

The two placebo-controlled weight trials, dose by dose

Zepbound: Nausea. Percent of people who reported it, by trial arm.
Dose / group	Rate
Placebo958 people	8%
5 mg630 people	25%
10 mg948 people	29%
15 mg941 people	28%

Study group and source

2,519 adults with obesity or overweight took Zepbound across two trials. The average age was 47 and the average BMI 37.4. A quarter also had type 2 diabetes.

Up to 72 weeks, then 4 weeks off the drug

Everything reported by 2 in 100 people or more, and more often than on placebo

Read the product label

All Zepbound side effects

Medically reviewed by Jennifer Montecillo, MD · non-practicing medical reviewer

Information checked 2026-09-07

How these findings apply

The comparison below keeps study results separate from voluntary FDA reports. A share of reports is not the rate among everyone taking a medicine.

Products with the same active drug can have different doses and study groups. Use the product guides for their label results; the table below summarizes compounds.

Compound summary coverage

Compounds that list it

13 of 42

Only in a combined category

No reaction list in this guide

Best available source

FDA label

Which compound summaries list nausea

The rows show which compound summaries mention nausea. Some count it separately, while others group stomach and gut reactions together. Those totals are different measurements.

◆ Nausea across 42 compoundsguide or source for every row

Every compound covered on this site, showing whether it lists nausea and at what frequency its own cited source states.
Compound	How it appears	Frequency reported	Source type
TirzepatideZepbound, Mounjaro	Nausea	Very common (≥10%)	FDA labelRead source
SemaglutideWegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsus	Nausea	Very common (≥10%)	FDA labelRead source
LiraglutideVictoza, Saxenda	Nausea	Reported in Saxenda trials (≥5%)	FDA labelRead source
Retatrutide	Nausea	Reported in trials (dose-dependent)	Human trialRead source
Cagrilintide	Nausea	Reported in 20–47% across trial doses (vs 18% placebo)	Human trialRead source
Cagrilintide	Stomach and gut events overall (nausea, constipation, diarrhea)counted inside a grouped figure, not on its own	Reported in 41–63% across trial doses (vs 32% placebo)	Human trialRead source
Survodutide	Stomach and gut events overall (nausea, vomiting, constipation)counted inside a grouped figure, not on its own	Reported in 75% of survodutide recipients (vs 42% placebo)	Human trialRead source
Survodutide	Nausea	Reported in trials (dose-dependent)	Human trialRead source
BPC-157	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
TesamorelinEgrifta SV, Egrifta WR	Not listed in this summaryThis short reaction list does not include the symptom. Check the full product label or study for more detail.	—	FDA label
PT-141Vyleesi	Nausea	Reported in ≥2% and more often than placebo (24 weeks)	FDA labelRead source
PT-141	Severe or persistent nauseacounted inside a grouped figure, not on its own	Anti-emetic therapy needed by 13% and 8% stopped treatment because of it	FDA labelRead source
CJC-1295	Not listed in this summaryThis short reaction list does not include the symptom. Check the full product label or study for more detail.	—	limited human data
Ipamorelin	Not listed in this summaryThis short reaction list does not include the symptom. Check the full product label or study for more detail.	—	Human trial
TB-500	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
GHK-Cu	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
Sermorelin	Short-term flushing, nausea, dizziness and headachecounted inside a grouped figure, not on its own	Named in the review literature as reported reactions; no incidence figure has been published for them	limited human dataRead source
MOTS-c	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
AOD-9604	Not listed in this summaryThis short reaction list does not include the symptom. Check the full product label or study for more detail.	—	limited human data
NAD+	Not listed in this summaryThis short reaction list does not include the symptom. Check the full product label or study for more detail.	—	limited human data
Epitalon	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
Kisspeptin-10	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
DSIP	Not listed in this summaryThis short reaction list does not include the symptom. Check the full product label or study for more detail.	—	limited human data
Hexarelin	Not listed in this summaryThis short reaction list does not include the symptom. Check the full product label or study for more detail.	—	limited human data
IGF-1 LR3	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
PEG-MGF	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
LL-37	Not listed in this summaryThis short reaction list does not include the symptom. Check the full product label or study for more detail.	—	limited human data
KPV	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
Thymosin alpha-1	Not listed in this summaryThis short reaction list does not include the symptom. Check the full product label or study for more detail.	—	limited human data
SS-31Forzinity	Not listed in this summaryThis short reaction list does not include the symptom. Check the full product label or study for more detail.	—	FDA label
Semax	Not listed in this summaryThis short reaction list does not include the symptom. Check the full product label or study for more detail.	—	limited human data
Selank	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
Melanotan II	Nausea	Mild, at most dose levels in the 1996 trial, and not severe enough in any subject to need treatment for it	limited human dataRead source
Mazdutide	Nausea	Reported by 46.9% on 9 mg weekly (vs 3.2% on placebo)	Human trialRead source
Pinealon	Not listed in this summaryThis short reaction list does not include the symptom. Check the full product label or study for more detail.	—	limited human data
AHK-Cu	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
VK2735	Nausea	Treatment-related event in 64 of 175 participants in the phase 2 safety population	Human trialRead source
Zenagamtide	Not listed in this summaryThis short reaction list does not include the symptom. Check the full product label or study for more detail.	—	Human trial
Pemvidutide	Nausea	In RECLAIM, the sponsor reported 44% with pemvidutide versus 24% with placebo	Human trialRead source
Brenipatide	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
Eloralintide	Nausea	Phase 2 Eloralintide groups: 11% to 64%, versus 13% with placebo	Human trialRead source
Enicepatide	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
Macupatide	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
MariTide	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work
Petrelintide	No reaction list in this guideThis guide has no reaction entries. That does not establish that no human safety evidence exists.	—	no human dose shown to work

These tables summarize selected reaction entries. A missing entry does not mean the full label or all published studies omit it. A summary does not replace the full prescribing information. A pharmacist or clinician can review the complete label alongside the rest of a person’s medicines.

What people reported to the FDA

The first table summarizes labels and published trials. This table shows reports filed with the FDA after the medicines went on sale. Each percentage is the share of reports for that product that mention this symptom—not the share of patients who experienced it.

Each GLP-1 brand in the FDA snapshot, and what share of its reports names this symptom.
Product	Share of its own reports	All reports
Ozempicsemaglutide	15% of Ozempic reports	66,161 reports
Victozaliraglutide	15% of Victoza reports	44,086 reports
Rybelsussemaglutide	14% of Rybelsus reports	7,379 reports
Saxendaliraglutide	14% of Saxenda reports	10,040 reports
Wegovysemaglutide	14% of Wegovy reports	21,044 reports
Trulicitydulaglutide	12% of Trulicity reports	88,332 reports
Zepboundtirzepatide	11% of Zepbound reports	70,141 reports
Mounjarotirzepatide	10% of Mounjaro reports	93,975 reports

A row reading “below” is not a zero. The snapshot keeps each product’s 25 most-reported terms, so a term missing from that list was either never reported or reported outside the stored list. The cutoff provides an upper bound, not an exact count. Read from FDA on 2026-08-17.

Reports are not rates and a report is not proof the drug did it. How to read this data, and the questions it answers on its own.

3Read deeperWhy it happens, when it appears, and what the evidence shows

Why nausea can occur

GLP-1 medicines affect digestion as well as appetite. The product labels describe delayed stomach emptying and list nausea as a reaction.

Nausea alone does not show whether a dose is suitable or whether treatment is helping. The prescriber can consider it alongside the rest of your treatment course.

Vomiting and fluid loss

Vomiting and Stomach and gut events overall (nausea, vomiting, constipation) is also listed for Tirzepatide (common (1–10%)), Semaglutide (very common (≥10%)), Liraglutide (reported in Victoza trials (≥5%)), Retatrutide (reported in trials (dose-dependent)), Survodutide (reported in 75% of survodutide recipients (vs 42% placebo)), Tesamorelin (reported in ≥1% and more often than placebo (26 weeks)), PT-141 (reported in ≥2% and more often than placebo (24 weeks)), Mazdutide (reported by 53.1% on 9 mg weekly (vs 1.3% on placebo)), VK2735 (treatment-related event in 22 of 175 participants in the phase 2 safety population), Pemvidutide (in RECLAIM, the sponsor reported 18% with pemvidutide versus 6% with placebo) and Eloralintide (phase 2 Eloralintide groups: 0% to 25%, versus 0% with placebo). Each result links to its original source.

Vomiting is counted separately from nausea. Ongoing vomiting or diarrhea can cause dehydration. The product labels warn that fluid loss can lead to kidney problems.

Nausea during dose increases

Mounjaro and Zepbound prescribing information reports that nausea, vomiting and diarrhea occurred mostly during dose increases and became less frequent over time.

That is a study pattern, not a deadline for your symptoms. The tables below do not report how long each episode lasted. Tell your prescriber when symptoms started and whether they changed after a dose increase.

What the evidence shows

Read each finding with the limits of the source that measured it.

What the evidence shows
The claim	What the evidence shows
Nausea is a documented reaction.	The product labels list it. The wider table also includes trial summaries, whose methods and groups may differ.
The smallest number identifies the best-tolerated medicine.	Not from these separate studies. A direct comparison needs its own study design and results.
Nausea disappears after a fixed number of weeks.	These reaction tables cannot provide that timetable. A group pattern does not promise the same course for each person.
Nausea tells me to change my dose.	The symptom matters to a treatment review, but this table cannot select a dose. Discuss tolerability with the prescriber.

When nausea and vomiting need medical attention

Get prompt medical help if you cannot keep fluids down, or if nausea occurs with severe or lasting belly pain. The label warnings below cover dehydration, pancreas and gallbladder problems.

Acute pancreatitis

Urgent

Signs: Severe pain high in the abdomen that will not let up and may bore through to the back, often with nausea or vomiting that does not settle. People describe it as different from ordinary post-dose nausea, in that it does not come and go with meals.

The prescribing information lists this as a reaction that needs medical assessment. Call a clinician without waiting for the next appointment, or emergency services if the pain is severe.

Gallbladder disease

Prompt

Signs: Pain in the upper right side of the abdomen, sometimes after eating, with fever, yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes, unusually pale stools, or dark urine.

These are signs to get seen promptly rather than wait and watch.

Acute kidney injury from dehydration

Prompt

Signs: Vomiting or diarrhea bad enough that you cannot keep fluids down, passing much less urine than usual, dizziness when you stand up, or unusual weakness.

The label links the risk to dehydration, so ongoing fluid loss is worth reporting early. A clinician can check kidney function.

These warnings can help you recognize a concern. A clinician can assess your symptoms alongside your health history and other medicines.

EmergencySome symptoms should not wait for an appointment. Call emergency services (911 in the US) if they are severe, getting worse fast, or involve trouble breathing, chest pain, fainting or confusion.

Common questions

Which GLP-1 compound causes the least nausea?

These separate study figures do not identify one medicine as causing the least nausea. Check direct trial comparisons and the exact product and dose being considered.

Is nausea worse on semaglutide or tirzepatide?

Both have product labels that report nausea. Similar broad frequency bands do not mean identical rates.

This table combines separate sources; it is not a direct comparison of semaglutide with tirzepatide.

How long does GLP-1 nausea last?

The tables here do not measure the length of each episode. The dose-increase pattern described above cannot predict when your symptoms will stop.

Does the placebo group really report nausea too?

Yes. Where a trial includes placebo, its nausea rate helps put the treatment group’s rate in context.

Keep both groups from the same study together. A placebo result from another trial is not a substitute.

What should I do if I cannot keep fluids down?

Seek prompt medical help. Persistent vomiting can lead to dehydration and kidney problems. Severe symptoms need urgent assessment.

Does eating differently reduce it?

The studies summarized here do not compare meal plans for preventing nausea. Ask your care team about food and fluid intake, and describe what you can tolerate.

Do the investigational compounds have the same nausea profile?

Their study reports may count nausea on its own or group it with other gut reactions. Read the row’s wording and study context rather than treating every total as a nausea rate.

Want the full picture for one compound? Open its guide for uses, dosage information, side effects and serious warnings.

The full tirzepatide profile behind its nausea entry

Frequencies as the tirzepatide source states them, read directly rather than via nausea.

What else semaglutide lists besides nausea

Including the semaglutide boxed warning, on the semaglutide page rather than on nausea.

Fatigue across every page, as with nausea

Which sources name fatigue, under what wording and at what frequency, beyond nausea.

Constipation read the same way as nausea

8 of 42 pages carry constipation, counted class-wide rather than within nausea.

Find compound information beyond nausea

Look up uses, dosing information and side effects relevant to nausea.

Every Melanotan II reaction, not only nausea

3 common and 5 serious Melanotan II reactions, in full past nausea.

Reading nausea for a length nobody published

Three different questions hide inside this one, and each needs a different study, including nausea

What else eloralintide lists besides nausea

No boxed warning applies to eloralintide, on the eloralintide page rather than on nausea.

Every VK2735 reaction, not only nausea

3 common and 1 serious VK2735 reactions, in full past nausea.

Every symptom in this section is listed on the symptom questions index.

Questions readers ask

How do you get rid of nausea from GLP-1?

The sources on this page do not test nausea remedies. They describe how often nausea occurred during treatment.

Zepbound’s label says nausea, vomiting and diarrhea occurred most often during dose increases and decreased over time. That finding does not set a recovery date for one person. A prescriber can review persistent symptoms and the next dose step.

Does semaglutide nausea ever go away?

Nausea can ease during treatment, but the Wegovy label does not promise when it will end for one person.

A trial rate counts people who reported nausea. It does not tell you how long each episode lasted. The dose, product and symptoms matter when discussing what happens next.

Why am I always nauseous on GLP-1?

The drug may contribute, but a reaction table cannot explain why nausea persists for you.

Nausea appears in the Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound labels. These products affect how quickly the stomach empties. Ongoing symptoms still need a clinical review; the label cannot identify the cause in one person.

18primary sources, each with the day we read it — open the documents used on this page

Zepbound (tirzepatide) — FDA-approved Prescribing Informationretrieved 2026-09-19FDA label
Wegovy (semaglutide) — FDA-approved Prescribing Information (DailyMed)retrieved 2026-08-20FDA label
Saxenda (liraglutide) injection — FDA-approved Prescribing Information (DailyMed)retrieved 2026-09-19FDA label
Victoza (liraglutide) injection — FDA-approved Prescribing Information (DailyMed)retrieved 2026-09-19FDA label
Jastreboff AM et al. Triple-Hormone-Receptor Agonist Retatrutide for Obesity — A Phase 2 Trial. N Engl J Med 2023;389:514-26 (PMID 37366315)retrieved 2026-08-12Human trial
Lau DCW et al. Once-weekly cagrilintide for weight management: dose-finding phase 2 trial. Lancet 2021;398:2160-72 (PMID 34798060)retrieved 2026-08-17Human trial
le Roux CW et al. Glucagon and GLP-1 receptor dual agonist survodutide for obesity: dose-finding phase 2 trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2024 (PMID 38330987)retrieved 2026-08-20Human trial
VYLEESI (bremelanotide) injection — FDA-approved Prescribing Information (DailyMed SPL)retrieved 2026-09-19FDA label
Dominikowski A, Rękoś Z, Olejarz M, Szczepanek-Parulska E, Domin R, Ruchała M. The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating GH-IGF1 axis: bridging the gap between clinical evidence and patient self-administration. Front Endocrinol 2026;17 — Table 1, sermorelin safety-signal rowretrieved 2026-08-12limited human data
Dorr RT, Lines R, Levine N, Brooks C, Xiang L. Evaluation of melanotan-II, a superpotent cyclic melanotropic peptide in a pilot phase-I clinical study. Life Sci. 1996;58(20):1777-84retrieved 2026-08-13limited human data
Peters B, Hadimeri H, Wahlberg R, Afghahi H. Melanotan II: a possible cause of renal infarction: review of the literature and case report. CEN Case Rep. 2020;9(3):219-222retrieved 2026-08-13limited human data
Gao L et al. Treatment With 9-mg Mazdutide for Weight Reduction in Chinese Adults With Obesity: The GLORY-2 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA 2026;336(5):377-388 — 60 weeks, ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06164873 (PMID 42251595)retrieved 2026-08-17Human trial
Bays HE et al. Weekly Subcutaneous VK2735 for Weight Management: Phase 2 VENTURE Study. Obesity 2026;34:537-549 (NCT06068946, PMID 41508550)retrieved 2026-08-16Human trial
Altimmune SEC exhibit — RECLAIM phase 2 topline results in alcohol use disorderretrieved 2026-08-17Phase 2 results in a company SEC filing
NCT06230523 — 48-week Phase 2 Eloralintide trialretrieved 2026-08-29Human trial
EGRIFTA SV (tesamorelin) for injection — FDA-approved Prescribing Information (DailyMed SPL)retrieved 2026-09-06FDA label
MOUNJARO (tirzepatide) injection — DailyMed SPL, sections 5, 6.1, 8.4 and 14.6retrieved 2026-09-13FDA label
ZEPBOUND (tirzepatide) injection — DailyMed SPL, sections 5 and 6.1retrieved 2026-09-13FDA label

Does GLP-1 medication cause nausea?

What the product trials found

Wegovy

Mounjaro

Zepbound

Compound summary coverage

Which compound summaries list nausea

What people reported to the FDA

Why nausea can occur

Vomiting and fluid loss

Nausea during dose increases

What the evidence shows

When nausea and vomiting need medical attention

Acute pancreatitis

Gallbladder disease

Acute kidney injury from dehydration

Common questions

Which GLP-1 compound causes the least nausea?

Is nausea worse on semaglutide or tirzepatide?

How long does GLP-1 nausea last?

Does the placebo group really report nausea too?

What should I do if I cannot keep fluids down?

Does eating differently reduce it?

Do the investigational compounds have the same nausea profile?

The full profile for each compound

Questions readers ask

How do you get rid of nausea from GLP-1?

Does semaglutide nausea ever go away?

Why am I always nauseous on GLP-1?