Teen Develops Blood Clot Two Weeks After Starting Oral Semaglutide | Research

The takeaway

A 16-year-old male developed deep vein thrombosis within two weeks of starting oral semaglutide, adding to emerging concerns about potential thromboembolic risk with GLP-1 RAs.

DVT within 2 weeks
16-year-old male after starting oral semaglutide 7mg daily

What the researchers found

A 16-year-old developed acute DVT within 14 days of starting oral semaglutide 7mg, suggesting a possible temporal association with GLP-1 RA initiation.

Why it matters

GLP-1 RAs are increasingly prescribed off-label to younger patients for weight management. Any potential thromboembolic signal in this population warrants attention.

How the study worked

Case report — single patient clinical observation.

What this study cannot tell us

Single case report — cannot establish causation; patient had pre-existing risk factors (overweight, sedentary); temporal coincidence possible.

How to read the evidence

Single case report — the lowest level of clinical evidence. Raises a hypothesis but cannot prove a drug caused the event.

When this study was published

Published 2026 in Cureus. Reflects growing off-label GLP-1 RA use in young adults.

The bigger picture

As GLP-1 RA prescriptions expand to younger and off-label populations, monitoring for rare but serious adverse events like thromboembolism becomes increasingly important.

Questions still open

Is there a biological mechanism linking GLP-1 RAs to thrombotic risk?
Should young patients starting GLP-1 RAs receive thromboembolism risk counseling?

Common questions

Can semaglutide cause blood clots?

One case report describes a teen developing a blood clot shortly after starting semaglutide, but a single case cannot prove the drug caused it. The patient also had other risk factors for blood clots.

Should teens take GLP-1 medications?

GLP-1 RAs are increasingly used in adolescents for obesity, but this case highlights the importance of evaluating individual risk factors and monitoring for rare adverse events.

Read the original research

Deep Venous Thrombosis Within Two Weeks of Initiating Oral Semaglutide (Rybelsus): A Case Report.

Cureus, 18(1), e100836

View on PubMed ↗Publisher’s paper ↗

Citation

Alsermani, Maamoun; Ali Alkahmous, Baraa; Alhutayrashi, Arwa A; Alshalhoob, Fai S; Abulrahman Almosaiteer, Sarah; Aljubayri, Eman; Saleh Alwabel, Assia; Sermani, Anas. (2026). Deep Venous Thrombosis Within Two Weeks of Initiating Oral Semaglutide (Rybelsus): A Case Report.. Cureus, 18(1), e100836. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.100836