{"id":505489,"date":"2026-05-27T17:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/505489\/"},"modified":"2026-05-27T17:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T17:32:10","slug":"glp-1s-are-fueling-a-rise-of-a-bizarre-rare-ear-disorder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/505489\/","title":{"rendered":"GLP-1s are fueling a rise of a bizarre, rare ear disorder"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to The Thin Line<\/a>, The New York Post\u2019s series about the darker side of GLP-1 drugs. Though GLP-1 agonists sold under brand names like Ozempic have helped millions of people lose weight, manage diabetes and improve other health conditions, they are not without risks. Check back for more stories about the lesser-known downsides of these wildly popular medications.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The day Sarah Ago<\/a> buried her mother, grief should have been the hardest thing she had to contend with.<\/p>\n

Instead, as the 46-year-old minister rose to deliver the eulogy on that frigid winter morning, something far stranger cut through the sorrow: her own voice.<\/p>\n

Every word seemed to thunder inside her skull, each breath bouncing back in a deafening echo.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like being in a tunnel, only able to hear my own magnified voice,\u201d Ago told The Post. \u201cYou\u2019re in your own head, hearing yourself like Darth Vader.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah Ago, 46, lost more than 60 pounds on GLP-1s \u2014 but developed a rare ear condition linked to rapid weight loss. Courtesy of Sarah Ago<\/p>\n

While mourners sat in quiet remembrance, Ago was fighting a different battle \u2014 one that was loud, disorienting and unfolding within her own body.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt took away from the moment, and it just made something that is already challenging that much more difficult,\u201d she remembered.<\/p>\n

Only later would she discover the cause: patulous Eustachian tube dysfunction<\/a>, also known as pETD, an ear condition that can cause people to hear their own voice, breathing and internal bodily sounds at an overwhelming volume.<\/p>\n

The trigger? Rapid weight loss spurred by a GLP-1<\/a> \u2014 and she\u2019s not the only one.<\/p>\n

Doctors say they\u2019re now seeing a growing number of patients develop the rare ear disorder after shedding weight quickly<\/a> on blockbuster diabetes and obesity drugs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis used to be something we wouldn\u2019t even see once a year,\u201d Dr. Jessica Lee<\/a>, a board-certified otolaryngologist at Charleston ENT and Allergy in South Carolina. \u201cNow it\u2019s gone up to one every other month.\u201d <\/p>\n

A life-changing drug \u2014 and a disturbing symptom<\/p>\n

Weight had long felt like an uphill battle for Ago, who moved from one weight loss program to the next throughout the years.<\/p>\n

Eighteen months ago, she turned to tirzepatide, the active ingredient in GLP-1s like Mounjaro and Zepbound. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt has worked beautifully for me,\u201d said the mother of two, noting she\u2019s lost 60 pounds so far. \u201cTo feel confident in my own body and not feel like I need to hide has been truly a huge relief.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMany patients are initially misdiagnosed with things like allergies or fluid in the ear. Some people, women especially, are just told it\u2019s anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Jessica Lee<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But about six months in, something strange began to happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI could hear things outside with my left ear, but in terms of my right, it was entirely consumed with the sound of my own breathing and my voice, which was like 400 times louder than the normal volume,\u201d Ago said.<\/p>\n

The episodes would come without warning and sometimes last for hours, leaving her nauseous and fatigued. A minister, she says the condition has made it much harder to stay present while preaching.<\/p>\n

Rapid weight loss from GLP-1 drugs is linked to a rising risk of pETD due to loss of fat surrounding the tube. Kateryna \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Ago went to urgent care, where doctors suspected she had a snorkeling-related ear infection and prescribed antibiotics. But when the medication ran out, the symptoms remained.<\/p>\n

Six months later, she booked an appointment with Lee, an ear, nose and throat specialist and board-certified lifestyle medicine physician.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought maybe this was just some fluke. I didn\u2019t know it was a diagnosable condition,\u201d Ago said. But what she was dealing with had a name: pETD.<\/p>\n

A little-known condition on the rise<\/p>\n

Humans have two Eustachian tubes \u2014 one on each side of the head \u2014 that connect the middle ear to the back of the throat. Under normal conditions, these tubes stay closed and briefly open to equalize pressure between the inside of the ear and the outside world.<\/p>\n

But in pETD, one or both tubes remain open. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople will hear echoing of their own voice, or they will hear their breathing loudly, almost like they\u2019re breathing in their own ear,\u201d Lee explained.<\/p>\n

Others experience muffled hearing, ringing in the ears<\/a>, or a persistent sensation of fullness that doesn\u2019t improve with yawning or swallowing.<\/p>\n

In more severe cases, patients can hear internal bodily sounds most people never notice \u2014 from heartbeat and blood flow to neck creaking or even eye movement.<\/p>\n

PETD is characterized by a persistently open Eustachian tube. MdAbdullahAl \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

There can be many causes, but one of the most common is rapid weight loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Eustachian tube is surrounded by tissue. Some is cartilage, some is bone and some is fat. The first two are fixed, but in cases of rapid weight loss, the fat pad around the Eustachian tube can shrink,\u201d said Dr. Hamid Djalilian<\/a>, an ear specialist and tinnitus specialist at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause the fat pad provides structural support to keep the tube shut, when it shrinks, it causes problems,\u201d he explained. <\/p>\n

Doctors have seen this pattern before.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw a rise when bariatric surgery<\/a> became popular several decades ago, but things really tapered off until around two or three years ago when the GLP-1 rise occurred,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n

And its not just in the States. A study published last year<\/a> by a German ENT clinic documented seven patients with pETD between June 2024 and June 2025. Each developed symptoms after four to ten months on GLP-1s, with weight loss ranging from 8.2% to 18.7% of their baseline body weight.<\/p>\n

Still, specialists say awareness remains low.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany patients are initially misdiagnosed with things like allergies<\/a> or fluid in the ear. Some people, women especially, are just told it\u2019s anxiety.\u201d Lee said. \u201cIt\u2019s something that people don\u2019t know about but should absolutely be aware of, because with these medications, the incidence is increasing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Online, some GLP-1 users<\/a> are sharing experiences<\/a> similar to Ago\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have lost 30 lbs. and started in mid-February with hearing my own voice and breathing in my right ear. It has been making me feel like I am losing my mind,\u201d one TikTok user commented on a video about the side effect.<\/p>\n

Ago is still taking a GLP-1 and continues to live with pETD. Courtesy of Sarah Ago<\/p>\n

\u201cI have this on Mounjaro for 6 months lost 60 lbs. and this is driving me crazy,\u201d another wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost 35 pounds this year and have this issue now, I am MISERABLE \u2026 I was told \u2018gain some weight back,\u2019\u201d a third added.<\/p>\n

While pETD itself isn\u2019t dangerous, its impact can be significant.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause these symptoms can occur with daily activities \u2014 speaking, breathing and swallowing \u2014 they can affect daily life. The pressure sensation can also cause discomfort,\u201d said Dr. Ryan Salvador<\/a>, an ENT surgeon at Sinus & Snoring Specialists.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaken together and if severe enough, pETD can cause social withdrawal, in addition to anxiety and depression.\u201d<\/p>\n

The road to relief<\/p>\n

While some GLP-1 users are told to regain weight to ease symptoms, specialists say there are other options. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s not too severe, there are several conservative measures to try. These include things like staying well-hydrated, using certain nasal sprays and avoiding anything that decongests the nose,\u201d said Djalilian, chief medical advisor at NeuroMed Tinnitus Care<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a mid-tier intervention, we can place a small piece of paper over the eardrum to dampen the transmission of sound,\u201d he continued. \u201cFinally, there are more invasive treatments like injectables, stents or even surgeries.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Ago\u2019s case, two doctors recommended surgery. But she was hesitant. It would require stopping tirzepatide \u2014 and even then, the relief would likely be temporary, with repeat procedures potentially needed down the line.<\/p>\n

Instead, Lee tried a less invasive approach: placing a small patch on her eardrum to weigh it down and help retrain her right Eustachian tube.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThis side effect has not been fun and has been challenging, but I think the benefits have outweighed the cost.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sarah Ago<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The outpatient procedure was quick and done without anesthesia, but its effects weren\u2019t permanent. So far, she\u2019s had it done twice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was some improvement, but over time, as I think my body has adapted to the new weight \u2014 which Dr. Lee said could happen \u2014 the instances of when I have this are less and less,\u201d Ago said. \u201cI still have it, but probably 90% of the time I don\u2019t, so that\u2019s a huge improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n

What GLP-1 users should know<\/p>\n

Today, at least 1 in 8 American adults<\/a> have tried a GLP-1 to slim down, and doctors say cases like Ago\u2019s could become more common as new pill versions<\/a> attract more users.<\/p>\n

\u201cWeight loss or the GLP-1 medication aren\u2019t bad. They can be life changing. But the point really is that the rapid tissue loss is what causes these anatomic and physiologic changes,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why working with a doctor is essential, she added, since the treatment can be adjusted to help minimize side effects.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is pretty good evidence from previous studies that if you slow the rate of weight loss down, the body has more time to acclimate and you\u2019re less likely to get these symptoms,\u201d Lee said. <\/p>\n

Even with the complications, Ago says she doesn\u2019t regret starting a GLP-1.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis side effect has not been fun and has been challenging, but I think the benefits have outweighed the cost,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For others navigating similar symptoms, she suggests getting evaluated by a specialist early and exploring all of your options.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re not interested in surgery, or if that thought concerns you, give it time, because it may be that your body will adjust and adapt,\u201d Ago said. \u201cI think sometimes if we can keep that in mind and know that\u2019s a possibility, then it can help us endure in the meantime.\u201d<\/p>\n

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