People on Ozempic say they’re defecating their bed due to symptom that affects up to 30% of takers

The blockbuster weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy are getting rave reviews among influencers, celebrities, and dieters — but some users aren’t so lucky.

A growing number of patients are describing embarrassing and debilitating stomach and toilet symptoms – from severe constipation to loss of bowel control.

The issues have become so common that a Reddit group with more than 30,000 members has been created where users share their most embarrassing stories.

A user wrote in a thread, “I quite literally s**t myself while sleeping. That’s a first. I had diarrhea for a few days after my first semaglutide injection.’ Meanwhile, a 43-year-old anonymous man who took Wegovy said, “I’m just so embarrassed to be a grown adult who messed his pants!”

The drugs slow down the digestive process, making people feel full for longer periods of time. This can lead to constipation, but it can also send a signal to the brain that the stomach contents need to be emptied sooner. This results in diarrhea.

Another user on that same thread was on his way to a birthday dinner and said, “I probably ended up in my pants after driving 15 minutes.”

“Wegovy gave me constant gas that sometimes fooled me and eventually turned into explosive diarrhea. What a nightmare.’

Ozempic and Wegovy both use semaglutide, which suppresses appetite and causes weight loss.

The first was approved for type 2 diabetes in 2017. A reformulated version was approved in 2021 under the name Wegovy.

The drug is a GLP-1 receptor, which triggers hormones in the brain that keep the stomach full and tell the body to stop eating and avoid cravings.

Dr. Daniel Rosen, a weight loss doctor, described on TikTok the connection to diarrhea and other symptoms.

Dr. Daniel Rosen, a weight loss doctor, explained on TikTok that drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy trick the brain into thinking that food has already reached the end of the gut, suppressing hunger and causing the body to empty the contents faster

Wegovy works by prompting the body to produce a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 that is released naturally from the gut after meals

“When you eat a big meal, there’s something called the gastrocolic reflex, where the stretch in the top of the stomach signals the end of the colon and rectum to empty,” Dr Rosen said in a video.

This can make you feel like it’s time to go to the bathroom.

GLP-1 drugs trigger a reflex called the ileal rupture, in which the end of the intestines, the ileum, tells the stomach to stop accepting food. This suppresses hunger.

“The GLP-1 drugs trick your brain into thinking food has arrived at the end of the gut,” Dr Rosen said.

This allows the colon to empty food faster, causing diarrhea.

TikTokers have also complained of gastrointestinal issues.

An user posted two videos about a series of digestive complaints she’s had since starting Wegovy, including cramping, constipation, and diarrhea.

Another user, who uses Ozempic, said in a video that she suffered from cramps, vomiting and ‘sulphur burps’, which reeked of rotten eggs.

The long-term results of these drugs are largely unknown, although digestive upset is among the most common side effects.

Clinical studies show that 30 percent of patients experience diarrhea on Wegovy, compared to 16 percent on the placebo, according to the drug prescribing information.

Common side effects of Ozempic include constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, according to the the label of the medicine.

2022, more than five million recipes for Ozempic, Mounjaro, Rybelsus (for another Novo drug that uses semaglutide), or Wegovy are written for weight management.

This compares to just over 230,000 in 2019 – an increase of more than 2,000 percent in three years.

Doctors in the US write more than 100,000 prescriptions per week Wegovy, the manufacturer of the drug Novo estimated.