Anyone else got a cough on Mounjaro?

[Greentrilby]

So I’ve had a cough for a couple of months and been to the GP. Had a chest X-ray and nothing sinister found. Now I read that a cough is becoming a noticeable side effect to taking Moinjaro and I wondered if others had experienced it and, if so, what you did about it?

Yes, it is caused by your digestion system slowing down (so you feel full sooner and for longer) and so the food stays in your oesophagus for longer and causes irritation and a cough. So smaller meals are the order of the day. Hope that helps.

That is helpful, thankyou. Would Gaviscon be worth a try?

Your oesophagus is a transit tube to your stomach, food passes through in seconds and does not stay there for longer due to Mounjaro. If food truly lingers there, that’s a swallowing or motility disorder, not normal digestion slowing down caused by Mounjaro.

It is possibly increased pressure in the stomach due to slowing of digestion causing acid to travel up into the oesophagus/throat which can cause irritation and trigger a cough. This can happen without the usual acid symptoms/sensations (silent reflux).

smaller meals, not eating for 3 or more hours before bedtime, keeping upright after eating may help if it is silent reflux. Or try alginates (gaviscon advance - not the double action one) before bed or after larger meals can help form a raft to keep acid down. Sleeping on left side also helps reflux as it make it harder for acid to travel back up.

Your GP might prescribe a PPI (omeprazole) to suppress acid production , but be aware these long term can cause nutritional deficiencies with b12, magnesium and calcium so try to avoid a prolonged period on them.