Insulinoma Unmasked By Tirzepatide: A Rare Case of Postprandial Hypoglycemia In a Nondiabetic Patient

Michael Polisky; Dina Kamel; Jeong-Hee Ku

doi:10.1210/jcemcr/luaf290

Insulinoma Unmasked By Tirzepatide: A Rare Case of Postprandial Hypoglycemia In a Nondiabetic Patient

JCEM Case Rep. 2025 Dec 4;4(1):luaf290. doi: 10.1210/jcemcr/luaf290. eCollection 2026 Jan.

Authors

Michael Polisky¹, Dina Kamel¹, Jeong-Hee Ku¹

Affiliation

¹ Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.

Abstract

A 63-year-old woman with obesity presented with severe postprandial hypoglycemia that worsened after starting tirzepatide for weight loss. Further evaluation led to the diagnosis of insulinoma. This case suggests that the use of tirzepatide can provoke severe hypoglycemia episodes in patients with insulinoma and highlights the importance of including insulinoma as a differential diagnosis for hypoglycemia in patients taking incretin-based therapy.

Keywords: GIP receptor agonist; GLP-1 receptor agonist; insulinoma; neuroendocrine tumor; postprandial hypoglycemia; tirzepatide.

Publication types

Case Reports