Smarter people were warned today that weight-loss injections can cause an unexpected and bizarre side effect: reckless behavior.
Pioneering injections such as Ozempic and Wegovy, praised by the likes of Elon Musk and Jeremy Clarkson, have been proven to help people lose up to two stone.
But experts say the treatment could cause some users to act “out of character,” engaging in risky sex, compulsive gambling or even making rash major life decisions such as filing for divorce.
They believe changes in the brain chemical dopamine, possibly linked to the shots, may be behind this problem, adding to the ever-growing list of drawbacks.
The London researchers say patients should be warned about the potential of these bizarre reactions, collectively known as impulse control disorder, before starting the drugs.
Game-changing injections like Ozempic and Wegovy, praised by the likes of Elon Musk and Jeremy Clarkson, have been proven to help people lose weight as far as second place. But experts say the injections are causing some users to make major life decisions “out of character,” including risky sex, compulsive gambling or even filing for divorce.
Professor Raymond Playford (pictured), an expert in molecular medicine at the University of West London and co-author of the study, told MailOnline: ‘The possible associations we have come across mainly relate to changing personal relationships, such as divorce or the breakup of a relationship. what seemed like stable relationships and changes in their home situation, such as a move at short notice’
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Professor Raymond Playford, an expert in molecular medicine at the University of West London and co-author of the study, told MailOnline: ‘We have come across patients who suddenly file for divorce or break away from what seemed like stable relationships and who their home situation changed, such as moving at short notice.
‘We have not seen excessive gambling or sexual activity in patients to date, but we would not be surprised if this were to happen.’
The researchers write in the Quarterly Journal of Medicine that this is not the case know exactly why the medicines can cause this effect.
But Professor Playford added: ‘Risky behavior due to impulsivity is also associated with side effects of Parkinson’s disease medications.’
Weight-loss shots “share the common mechanism of affecting dopamine levels in the brain,” he added.
‘It is well known that hypersexuality and excessive gambling are associated with the use of evodopa.’
Dopamine is called the ‘happiness hormone’ because of its role in feelings of happiness, pleasure and reward.
At higher levels, research has shown that people become hyperstimulated by everyday activities such as shopping, gambling, eating or sex, and then essentially become ‘addicted’: having to repeat the behavior over and over again, in an attempt to replicate that initial sensation.
Currently, impulse control disorder is listed as a possible side effect in patient information leaflets for Parkinson’s disease drugs such as levodopa.
However, such warnings do not appear on leaflets for slimming injections.
Weight loss medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy mimic the production of the hormone GLP-1, which keeps the body full
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Professor Playford told MailOnline: ‘We recommend that doctors also warn patients to look out for urges that are ‘out of character’ or unusual with costs or personal consequences – for example divorce – and to ‘take a step back’ and after to think if this is a problem. wise decision.
‘It can also be helpful if they share the fact that they are starting (drugs such as Ozempic) with a loved one or close friend so that they can give a heads up if they see anything unusual.
‘This warning should allow patients and doctors to think and reflect on whether the decisions some patients have made are out of character and riskier than you might expect.
“If they aren’t aware that this is possible, they won’t make the association.”
Semaglutide (sold as Ozempic and Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) are being hailed as a monumental breakthrough in the war on obesity.
The pens, taken once a day, mimic a hormone called GLP-1 and trick the brain and body into thinking they are full, curbing appetite.
Research shows that semaglutide, manufactured by the Danish company Novo Nordisk, helps users lose an average of up to 15.3 kg in about a year.
Side effects of the jabs, including bloating, nausea and acid reflux, have long been noted by the government’s drugs watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Despite being hailed as one of the most powerful pharmaceutical tools to date, experts have warned that it is not a ‘magic pill’ or a miracle cure. Trials have shown that users can quickly regain pounds if they stop taking the drug, and that this can cause a variety of unpleasant side effects. Users often complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhea
More and more Ozempic users on social media have also complained of being left with gaunt facial features, sagging ‘melted candle’ skin, ’empty’ breasts and hair loss – which are not believed to be a direct side effect of the medication, but a as a result of dramatic weight loss.
Analysis shows the cost of tackling the knock-on effects of the jabs on the NHS could be more than £100 million a year.
Others, meanwhile, have warned of bad breath and even sexual dysfunction.
The latest NHS data shows that 26 percent of adults in England are obese and a further 38 percent are overweight but not obese.
Experts have pointed to a lack of exercise and poor diets high in ultra-processed foods as major drivers of Britain’s obesity epidemic.
Wegovy was approved by the NHS last year specifically for weight loss.
But the eligibility criteria for people wanting to get the drug on the NHS – at the standard prescription rate of £9.90 in England – is strict.
Mounjaro was got the green light from NICE for NHS use in September for patients with type 2 diabetes who cannot control the condition.
It is not yet used by the healthcare system for obesity.
But in February it was made available privately in Britain, with clinics charging around £40 for a week’s supply.