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Tesamorelin
Care field guide
Unwanted effects
Side effects
A side effect is an unwanted effect during treatment.
The label’s trial figures describe groups of people, not your own odds of a particular result.
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Put the comparison beside the number Blood sugar and swelling also matter Know how to raise a concern
Placebo
A dummy shot used to compare results with the medicine.
Put the comparison beside the number
In the label’s main side-effect table, injection-site reactions affected 17 in 100 people on tesamorelin and 6 in 100 on placebo.
These are reactions around the spot where the injection went in.
Joint pain affected 13 in 100 on tesamorelin and 11 in 100 on placebo.
The figures come from the first 26 weeks of the main trials.
The label’s warnings section counts reactions at the injection spot more broadly. Over the same 26 weeks, it reports reactions in 25 of 100 people on tesamorelin and 14 of 100 on placebo. The two sections count reactions differently, but both show more reactions with tesamorelin.
Fluid retention
The body holding on to fluid, which can cause swelling.
Blood sugar and swelling also matter
Tesamorelin can cause fluid retention, with swelling and joint discomfort.
It can also raise blood sugar.
The main trials used a blood sugar test called HbA1c. By week 26, the result had reached at least 6.5% in 5 in 100 people on tesamorelin and 1 in 100 on placebo. These figures count people with a high test result; they are not a count of confirmed diabetes diagnoses.
Ask how your blood sugar would be checked and who discusses a change with you.
MedWatch
A reporting service run by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Know how to raise a concern
Use FDA’s MedWatch service to report a possible problem with a medicine.
Ask your doctor or other health professional how to contact them about a new symptom.
Write down the symptom and when it began so you can describe it clearly.
Read about MedWatch
Find the urgent-help signs
Brief source notes
Trial figures and cautions: the tesamorelin (EGRIFTA WR) label, checked September 28, 2026.
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