I’m curious if anyone else has experienced something like this because I feel like I’m only now connecting the dots.
I’m a 36-year-old AFAB person. About a year ago I started taking a GLP-1 through Hers. I didn’t know what to expect, but within the first couple of months I developed terrible rosacea that kept getting progressively worse. Around the same time I also started having increasing back and hip pain.
At first I didn’t think much of it because I’ve had chronic back pain for most of my life. I was also working with a personal trainer who had me strengthening my legs, so I assumed I’d just overdone it.
Then I got bitten by a dog and had a pretty serious wound in my leg that took about two months to heal. I wasn’t working out at all during that time, yet my back and hip pain continued getting worse.
I started seeinga chiropractor regularly. The pain got worse. We even switched to gentler adjustments because I thought the treatments might be aggravating things, but it kept getting worse. Eventually I was crying almost every day because the pain was so intense. Meanwhile, I kept increasing my GLP-1 dose according to the schedule.
I was taking Advil, Aleve, and Tylenol daily with almost no relief. I ended up seeing a pain management specialist, had a nerve block procedure, and was discussing multiple nerve ablations because everyone assumed the pain was coming from my spine. I was eventually diagnosed with hip bursitis.
Through all of this, it never crossed my mind that the medication could be contributing. I started journaling almost every day because I felt like I was losing my mind. I’d take long breaks at work just to cry because I couldn’t understand why I was in so much pain. I also wasn’t losing weight, I was slowly gaining even though I was staying in a calorie deficit.
Eventually I decided to lower my GLP-1 dose while getting back into the gym. As I gradually decreased the dose, the pain started improving. The rosacea also slowly faded. Over time I tapered off the medication completely.
Today I still have some daily back and hip pain, but it’s nowhere near what it was. I no longer see the pain management specialist, and I only occasionally see my chiropractor.
Obviously, Ican’t prove the GLP-1 caused all of this. But looking back, the timeline seems suspicious. I wish it had occurred to me sooner that the medication might have been playing a role.
Has anyone else experienced severe pain, inflammation, bursitis, rosacea, or other unexpected side effects while taking a GLP-1, especially through Hers? I’d really love to know if I’m alone in this or if others have had a similar experience. I am not asking for medical advice.
TLDR: I developed progressively worsening back and hip pain, hip bursitis, and severe rosacea while taking a GLP-1 from Hers. After tapering off, both the pain and rosacea improved dramatically. Has anyone else experienced something similar?