GLP-1s linked to a nasty side effect in nails: study

Ozempic and Mounjaro can cost an arm and a leg — and maybe a fingernail.A new study found that people on GLP-1 drugs were nearly 25% more likely to experience a nail disorder than those not on the drugs.And one particularly squirm-inducing problem was over four times more likely to appear in GLP-1 users.The new study, presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, found that 39% of GLP-1 users reported nail detachment — when the finger or toe nail separates from the nail bed — compared to just 9% of controls.Once it’s detached, the nail can’t be reattached.

It’ll take several months or over a year to regrow.But that’s not all.Researchers report two thirds of GLP-1 users report at least one nail disorder, including nail discoloration — which appeared 2.7 more frequently in those on the meds.“Until now, nail changes associated with GLP-1 therapies had essentially been anecdotal,” said study author Charles Taïeb.

In trials, GLP-1s have shown to cause up to 22% weight loss — while real-world loss is more around 2-8% in a year.That weight loss can cause nail problems, though, from slower growth to brittle nails.This is connected to nutritional deficiencies as a result of less eating, and dehydration.Researchers of the new study can’t say for sure whether it’s the meds causing nail issues, or primary effects like weight loss.While researchers did try to adjust the results accounting for existing dermatological conditions, nutritional deficiencies, and weight loss, nail detachment and discoloration still showed up two to three times as often with GLP-1 users.“Our findings show a clear association, but they also underline an important point: not everything that happens during GLP-1 treatment is necessarily caused by the treatment itself,” Taïeb said.A companion study with the same participants in the first showed that hair loss was also significantly higher in those on a GLP-1 drug.Unusual hair loss (noticeable sheddi...