Explosive Ozempic side effect ‘conquering Hollywood’ that could affect more than one in 10 patients, experts say
They’ve been called Hollywood’s “worst kept weight-loss secret.” But for at least one celebrity who uses jabs like Ozempic to stay slim, it has come at a humiliating social price.
An anonymous A-lister who was taking the medication apparently lost control of her bowels in bed while staying overnight with actress and owner of the wellness and lifestyle brand Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow.
The incident occurred “recently” at the star’s home in the Hamptons, where affluent New York City residents typically go for the summer, according to a celebrity gossip website. Popbitch.
It added that ‘Ozempic-induced diarrhea is becoming a hot topic’ in Hollywood because so many people are using the drug.
However, this annoying side effect is not limited to celebrities; more than one in ten patients reportedly suffer from it.
An anonymous A-star who received a weight-loss injection reportedly lost control of her bowels while staying overnight at the home of actress and owner of wellness and lifestyle brand Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow
Rumor has it that a recent ‘scandal’ in the Hamptons, above, has been the talk of the town as celebrities flock to the popular holiday destination in preparation for America’s Independence Day.
Ozempic contains the active ingredient semaglutide and, although classified as a diabetes drug, is used by some people to help them lose weight.
The drug works by mimicking a hormone that the body uses to tell us that the stomach is full and that we should stop eating, thus suppressing appetite and slowing overall digestion.
However, this can also lead to what is medically known as the gastrocolic reflex.
This essentially means that the stomach sends a signal to the brain to make room for it later, as a large amount of food has already been consumed.
As a result, the colon and rectum are instructed to empty their contents.
But if the digestive process is not fully completed, which is more common with an artificial signal such as with drugs like semaglutide, this can lead to explosive diarrhea.
Because Wegovy, the special slimming version of semaglutide, contains exactly the same ingredient, people who use this medicine also run the same risk.
Previous clinical trials have shown that 30 percent of patients experience diarrhea when taking Wegovy, compared to 16 percent when taking a placebo.
Package leaflets for medicines distributed with Ozempic and Wegovy describe diarrhoea as a ‘very common’ side effect, occurring in more than one in ten patients.
However, they say this usually happens when people first start taking the drug and goes away over time as the body adapts to the drug.
Ozempic and Wegovy, made by the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, belong to a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists, named after the hormone they mimic.
Rival drugs that work in a similar way, such as Mounjaro, which contains the drug tirzepatide, are just as likely to cause the same side effect.
Injection users also talk online about their own digestive problems while taking the medicines.
Ozempic contains the active ingredient semaglutide and although it is classed as an anti-diabetic drug, it is used by some people for weight loss
Wegovy works by causing the body to produce a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1, which is released naturally from the intestines after meals.
One, who shared his experience on the website Reddit, wrote: ‘I literally stuck myself in bed while sleeping. That’s a first.’
They added: ‘For the past few days I have been experiencing a lot of diarrhea after my first injection of semaglutide.’
Another user, a 43-year-old anonymous man, said on Wegovy: ‘I am SO ashamed that I pooped my pants as an adult!’
Another patient said he was on his way to a birthday party, but added that he “probably shit my pants after 15 minutes of driving.”
Digestive problems are an unsurprising consequence of many specialty weight-loss medications, even among non-GLP-1 agonists.
Orlistat, sold under the brand name Xenical, has been prescribed for many years via the NHS to people wanting to lose weight.
This medicine works by physically preventing fat from being absorbed in the intestines. Instead, the fat is retained in the stool and then excreted from the body.
The disruption of the normal digestive process can also cause patients to experience diarrhea, oily or greasy stools or oily discharge from the anus, also known as ‘anal leakage’.
Patients who suffer from diarrhea while taking weight-loss medications can do little about it. However, some use medications such as loperamide, sold under the brand name Imodium, to combat symptoms.
People who suffer from diarrhea in general are advised by the NHS to avoid foods and drinks that can aggravate digestive problems or act as natural laxatives.
These include high-fiber foods, fruit juices, nuts and dried fruits, raw vegetables and fruits, beans, lentils and legumes, cauliflower, cabbage and onions, spicy or fatty foods, as well as alcohol, strong tea and coffee.
Celebrities who have admitted to using weight loss drugs like Ozempic include Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Sharon Osbourne, Chelsea Handler and Robbie Williams.
In June 2023, comedian Amy Schumer admitted that she had taken it the year before but stopped taking it due to the side effects.
“I was one of those people who felt so sick,” she said.
In the UK, there is growing concern about the number of normal and underweight patients requiring emergency care after vaccination to get ‘beach body ready’.