GLP-1 medications are a class of prescription drugs that not only improves blood sugar control but may also lead to weight loss. This class of drugs is commonly called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists. Weight loss can vary, depending on which GLP-1 drug you use and the dosage. 

Some of the more common side effects include:
Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea.

Side effects can often be mitigated by correctly titrating your dosage upward, so you’ll want to ensure that you are taking the medication exactly as prescribed by your provider to minimize risk and/or severity of side effects. Anti-nausea medications such as ondansetron (generic Zofran) are also helpful to assist in mitigating nausea.

Low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia) are a more serious risk linked to the GLP-1 class of drugs. But the risk of low blood sugar levels often only goes up if you’re also taking another drug known to lower blood sugar at the same time, such as sulfonylureas or insulin. The GLP-1 class of drugs isn’t recommended if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasia. Lab studies have linked these drugs with thyroid tumors in rats. But until more long-term studies are done, the risk to humans isn’t known. The GLP-1 class of drugs is also not recommended if you’ve had pancreatitis.