glp1sideeffects.com

Users on Reddit report a wide spectrum of experiences regarding joint pain and arthritis symptoms while using GLP-1 medications. Many find significant relief from pre-existing inflammatory conditions, while others experience a worsening of pain or no change at all. Some users even utilize GLP-1s specifically for their anti-inflammatory properties.

Positive Experiences: GLP-1s Alleviating Joint Pain and Inflammation

Many users have reported a reduction or complete cessation of joint pain and inflammation after starting GLP-1 medications.

General Inflammation and Pain Relief:

One user with perimenopause-related joint pain (hips and lower back) stated that after trying compounded tirzepatide, "in a few hours, all the pain was gone!! "[1]

Another user with chronic back pain and multiple surgeries found that after starting tirzepatide, "my pain was nearly gone... she told me it’s been known as an anti inflammatory. "[3]

A user on compounded tirzepatide and HRT described the combination as "lifesaving" and said, "The anti-inflammatory benefits are off the charts. "[4]

Someone on semaglutide reported, "the joint pain is gone. Even my bum knee that has hurt for years! "[6]

A user with a history of "insane joint pain in my back, knees and shoulders" on compounded tirzepatide said, "Now I have zero joint pain and feel soo much better. "[8]

Another on Tirzepatide noted, "My joints do feel a lot better too. "[9]

A user with lupus on Zepbound shared, "I'm on zepbound and it helps my arthritis so much. "[47]

For psoriatic arthritis (PsA), one user on Mounjaro reported, "I'm in zero pain for the first time in years," and noted that their inflammation markers became normal even before significant weight loss. [86]

Someone with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) who started semaglutide after stopping Humira and methotrexate found they "barely even take Celebrex" and "feel better than I did when I was on Humira treatments. "[61]

A user with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) on Mounjaro (MJ) reported, "Flare ups: basically entirely gone... I haven't had a single one. "[73]

Another EDS patient on Ozempic said, "my joints hurt less, I fell apart less". [74]

Improvement in Inflammatory Markers:

Several users reported improvements in inflammatory markers like CRP and sedimentation rate. [42, 54, 58, 59, 72, 77, 86]

One user on Zepbound for PsA noted their CRP went from 13. 6 to 9. 1. [59]

A user with lupus on Plaquenil and semaglutide said their "inflammation markers are in normal range now. "[42]

Relief Independent of Weight Loss:

Some users experienced pain relief before significant weight loss or attributed it directly to the medication's anti-inflammatory effects. [2, 54, 86]

One user commented, "Even before I lost any weight on one I noticed I was in less pain and my inflammation markers on my blood tests were the lowest they’d ever been. "[54]

Negative Experiences: GLP-1s Worsening or Causing Joint Pain

Conversely, some users, particularly those with fibromyalgia, reported an increase in pain or new pain symptoms.

A user with fibromyalgia described their experience on various GLP-1s: "Body pain... Just every fibro symptom seems magnified to unfathomable levels. "[26]

The same user also mentioned, "The heart issues legit #1 issue that’s gunna make me quit. Just crazy PVCs that I can’t even function... body aches/chills".

Another fibromyalgia patient taking Mounjaro for over a year stated, "it definitely made my joints hurt worse. "[27]

One user with fibromyalgia said, "yes it made my fibro pain and fatigue worse! "[29]

Another shared, "The pain, the headaches, nausea, brain fog and fatigue have been amplified like crazy" on GLP-1s. [30]

A user with lupus started semaglutide and felt "it made my joints hurt more," but found relief after switching to tirzepatide. [49]

Someone with dysautonomia on Ozempic/Wegovy reported, "it made my joints hurt more at first! "[87]

One user with PsA on semaglutide noted, "my muscles hurt more than anything. "[85]

No Change in Symptoms

A number of users, especially those with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) or psoriatic arthritis (PsA), reported no discernible impact on their joint pain or inflammation from GLP-1 medications.

A user with AS on GLP-1s for about 1. 5 years said, "it doesn't effect my symptoms at all... frequency, duration, severity, location, etc of symptoms are unchanged. "[15]

Someone on Ozempic for diabetes stated it "hasnt did anything for my PsA". [16]

Another on Ozempic for weight loss reported it "Did notning to my AS". [21]

A user on Mounjaro/Zepbound for 1. 5 years for PsA said it "Doesn't touch any of the pain/inflammation/fatigue/etc from PsA. "[53]

One user on Trulicity for diabetes mentioned, "I've had extremely high inflammation since then (ESR and CRP). So no, I don't think it has helped me at all. "[55]

Remedies and Preventions Recommended by Users

When GLP-1s cause or worsen joint pain, or to optimize their anti-inflammatory benefits, users recommend several strategies:

Dosage Adjustments:

Lowering Dosage: For users experiencing worsened pain, particularly with fibromyalgia, a lower dose was found to be more tolerable and even led to improvements in joint and muscle pain over time. One user said, "My body can’t handle more than 20, even though I have tried multiple times to acclimate... I’ve recently experienced less joint and muscle pain overall when waking up. (Mornings are the worst. )"[34]

Micro-dosing for Inflammation: Some users intentionally use very low doses for their anti-inflammatory effects. One user stated, "I’m on a micro dose for my inflammation. I can feel a huge difference when I skip a week. "[13] Another found that even the lowest dose of Mounjaro/Zepbound helped their knee arthritis. [28] A user on a "half starter dose (0. 125mg) of ozempic every week" found it "cleaned up remnant inflammation from my Humira pretty nicely. "[64]

Slow Titration: Gradually increasing the dose can help the body adjust and may minimize adverse effects. A user with lupus advised, "I did have to taper up SLOWLY tho as my body needed ALOT of time to adjust to each dose. "[42]

Switching GLP-1 Medications:

If one GLP-1 medication exacerbates pain or is ineffective, another type might be better. A user with lupus whose joints hurt more on semaglutide felt better after switching to tirzepatide. [49] Similarly, a fibromyalgia patient found Ozempic worsened body pain, while Trulicity was manageable. [33]

Managing Accompanying Symptoms:

For symptoms like chills that can occur alongside pain flares, especially in fibromyalgia patients, one user recommended a "heated blanket and sometimes took a Tylenol. " They also suggested magnesium malate and CoQ10 for fatigue. [89]

Using GLP-1s as the Primary Remedy:

Many users start or continue GLP-1s specifically because of their positive impact on joint pain and inflammation, viewing the medication itself as the remedy. [1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 41, 43, 45, 50, 54, 61, 71, 73, 78, 79, 80, 81, 86, 88]

Alternative Supplements (Mentioned if GLP-1s are problematic or for general joint health):

Berberine: One user with AS who had a negative experience with GLP-1s commented, "Berberine for the win. " [18]

Naltrexone: In a discussion about GLP-1s for joint pain, a user mentioned, "I’m on 3mg of Naltrexone and it does help with arthritis pain. " This was suggested as an option if compounded GLP-1s become unavailable.

It's often highlighted that weight loss achieved with GLP-1s can independently contribute to reduced joint stress, but many users report anti-inflammatory effects beyond what would be expected from weight loss alone.