Weight-loss drugs have skyrocketed in popularity this year, causing shortages of popular treatments like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic (the latter of which is indicated for type 2 diabetes, but often prescribed off-label for weight loss).
In the coming years, analysts say that demand will only grow, with more and more patients seeking options to help them shed stubborn pounds.
But while these treatments are miracle drugs for some, others are getting more than they bargained for, with Ozempic reportedly causing “severe” side effects. In the most extreme cases, patients are seeking emergency treatment.
According to a Dec. 20 press release, between 2022 and 2023, the Banner Poison and Drug Information Center saw a 100 percent increase in calls related to semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in both Ozempic and Wegovy.
Reports were from the public and doctors, with many coming from emergency departments where patients presented with “nausea, vomiting, dehydration, and electrolyte imbalances.” According to Banner, patients experienced these side effects even when taking the medication as directed.
“Most of the calls we are receiving are a result of adverse side effects, with an increasing number of people requiring hospital care,” Bryan Kuhn, PharmD, DABAT, clinical educator at Banner, said in the release.
The most common side effects of semaglutide are gastrointestinal (GI) issues like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and constipation, per Banner. Patients have been reporting these conditions for several months now.
As Best Life previously reported, Ozempic patients have been diagnosed with gastroparesis, or stomach paralysis, which is a painful condition that slows down the muscles in the stomach too much and prevents the stomach from emptying properly, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Following reports of these GI issues, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) actually updated Ozempic’s label to acknowledge ileus, which is commonly related to gastroparesis, as a potential side effect.
(The labels for Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro already note this.) Stomach paralysis has also been the subject of several lawsuits filed against Novo Nordisk.
In addition to these GI side effects, semaglutide has been tied to gallbladder issues, which landed patients in the hospital as well, the New York Post reported in June.
“Rapid weight loss causes the liver to pump out more bile and more cholesterol, both of which can lead to the formation of gallstones within the gallbladder,” pharmacist Dr. Dan explained in a viral TikTok video, per the NY Post.
“We see the same situations with people who do crash diets or do bariatric surgery … In some situations it can be severe enough that an individual needs to have their gallbladder removed.”
