The shocking side effects of Ozempic causing a wave of ER visits in America
Weight gainers on Ozempic and other versions of the drug are causing a surge in emergency room visits, experts warn.
Some doctors have taken to social media about an increase in patients on Ozempic and Wegovy coming to hospitals with severe diarrhea, bloating and nausea — three of the more serious side effects of the fat-loss injection.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also sounded the alarm about a rise in high-risk counterfeit versions of the drug, sold by rogue pharmacies cashing in on the huge demand for the treatment.
Warning of rising admissions linked to the drug, an ER doctor – using the Twitter handle @thatERguy – wrote on Twitter: ‘The number of people who come to the emergency room for the side effects of Ozempic.’
Some doctors say they are seeing more patients taking the drug – taken as a weekly injection – in hospitals than ever before (stock image)
They added, describing the reasons for admission: ‘Diarrhea. Nausea. Bloated feeling.’
Social media is also inundated with users claiming to have become so sick after taking the drugs that they ended up in the hospital.
They include Joy McClellan, from Arizona, who said she was “almost killed” by a counterfeit version of Ozempic.
“Two ER visits and six days in the hospital. I’m lucky I didn’t die, but someone will,” she wrote online.
In another US case, Twitter user Joshua Schiff said a close relative was hospitalized with severe pancreatitis – a painful inflammation of the pancreas – within two weeks of taking semaglutide.
“The hospitalization lasted six days and left them with a $30,000 hospital bill and (possibly) long-term damage to their pancreas.”
They added, “Be careful with this stuff.”
And in a third case revealed online, another US-based individual said just two injections of semaglutide resulted in their husband being hospitalized with a ‘gallstone attack’.
‘[It was his] worst ever and almost necessary surgery – very high risk for him,” they added.
In late May, the FDA also warned of increasing reports of side effects in people taking the drug — likely reported by medical centers.
They linked the uptick to “compound” or cocktail versions of the medication.
These become available when pharmacies start making their own versions because they don’t have enough stock to meet regulations.
In their release, the agency said, “FDA has received adverse event reports after patients took compound semaglutide.”
Asked about the uptick today, an FDA spokeswoman said, “The agency continues to review submitted reports to validate and assess any safety trends with the compound formulations of semaglutide.”
Dr. Laurie Keefer, a health psychologist at Mount Sinai in New York, told earlier CBS news that she had seen an increase in the number of patients taking Ozempic entering the hospital.
She said they were later diagnosed with gallstones or kidney failure.
More than eight in 10 people taking semaglutide — the drug behind Ozempic and Wegovy — experience side effects while taking the drug, according to clinical trial of 2,000 obese adults with results published in 2021.
These were usually “mild to moderate” in severity, the paper noted — and included problems such as diarrhea, vomiting, constipation and nausea.
But nearly one in 10 patients also experienced serious side effects that in some cases led them to stop taking the medication.
This included the emergence of a gallbladder-related condition – such as gallstones – or pancreatitis.
No figures were given on the number of patients who ended up visiting the emergency room or being hospitalized overnight because of side effects.
Since the study, other side effects have emerged, including muscle loss, aversion to your favorite foods, and even bizarre dreams.
Prescriptions for the drugs have increased by more than 2,000 percent in just three years, from 230,000 a year in 2019 to more than five million last year alone — and are expected to continue to rise.
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.
Doctors had to start rationing Ozempic in May after its popularity as a weight-loss tool led to widespread shortages across the country.
Their popularity has led to delays in getting the medication from pharmacies across the country, leading many to mix their own versions.
Novo Nordisk, which is behind Ozempic and Wegovy, has been contacted for comment.