A leading doctor has revealed an alarming new symptom he has seen emerging among Ozempic patients.
Dr. Daniel Rosen, a New York-based surgeon and obesity medicine specialist, says a “legitimate number” of his patients have developed a condition called allodynia, or pain hypersensitivity.
Dr. Rosen says this means that even wearing clothes can be painful, as can “the wind blowing on your skin.”
Some people describe the skin sensation as a severe sunburn, where the sensation of touch causes a sharp, stabbing, or burning pain.
The weight loss expert says some patients using GLP-1 medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro have developed extreme sensitivity in their shoulders, thighs, and back.
He says he has heard about the condition developing among those who use semaglutide (the generic name for Ozempic) in the scientific community, but has not yet seen reports of it among those who take terzepatite (better known by the brands Zepbound and Mounjaro).
In his experience, Dr. Rosen says he has seen the most cases of allodynia in patients taking higher doses of terzepatite.
You suspect that weight loss medications are causing nerve sensitivity in your skin “somehow,” but there isn’t enough research on this side effect to know exactly why this happens.
Dr. Daniel Rosen, a New York-based surgeon and obesity medicine specialist, says a “legitimate number” of his patients have developed a condition called allodynia.
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The Cleveland Clinic highlights that there are three types of allodynia.
Dynamic allodynia causes pain from an object moving across the skin, while tactile allodynia causes pain from any amount of pressure applied to the skin.
The third variation is tAirtight allodynia, where a slight change in temperature, such as going from inside to outside, can cause someone to feel pain.
To help patients who have developed allodynia, Dr. Rosen reduced their weight loss medication.
He says this caused the symptoms to go away immediately or, in some cases, the condition went away more gradually.
Dr. Anastassia Amaro, medical director and weight loss specialist at Penn Medicine, says she has also seen a similar side effect among her patients taking weight-loss medications.
In a podcast Q&A in January 2024, he revealed: ‘An interesting side effect I’ve seen recently is allodynia.
‘So people develop that kind of unpleasant, painful skin sensation (tingling or numbness), specifically with semaglutide.
‘I haven’t found it yet with tirzepatide, but with semaglutide, yes. At least two cases are before my eyes.

Dr. Rosen says allodynia means that even wearing clothes can be painful, just like the “wind blowing on your skin.”
‘One responded to the dose reduction and one stayed on it for a while, and then I think we switched to tirzepatide, and I have yet to see how it goes. So, and we will probably see more.”
Currently, there are no studies looking at the link between weight loss medications and allodynia, and the FDA does not list it as an official side effect.
While Dr. Rosen says allodynia is uncomfortable, he doesn’t think the side effect is “very concerning” unless it becomes “annoying.”
And even then, he says, patients must weigh whether “it’s worth going off the medications and somewhat sacrificing the positive benefits of the medications.”
He notes that when his patients reduced their weight-loss medication and slowly increased it again, they did not see their allodynia symptoms return.
For those taking weight-loss medications, Dr. Rosen warns that it’s “something to be aware of (and) if you see it, bring it up with your doctor.”