As weight loss medications, including Ozempic and WeGovy, have gained popularity across the U.S., they are not without side effects, some serious.
According to a May 2024 CNN report, as many as 1 in 8 adults have used a GLP-1 at some point in their lives.
Side effects of the medication can extend across several major medical specialties, from ophthalmology to anesthesia and gastroenterology.
Here are seven things to know about GLP-1s and GI side effects:
1. Some patients are obtaining GLP-1s from markets that are not regulated by the FDA, so the medications are not prescribed by physicians and do not appear on patient records. If patients do not disclose their medication use, it could pose risks to their health.
2. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have both faced lawsuits following off-label, GI-related side effects in patients. In 2023, a Louisiana woman, Jaclyn Bjorklund, filed suit against the drug makers accusing them of failing to warn patients about the risk of a paralyzed stomach, or gastroparesis. The lawsuit alleges that the drugs resulted in “severe vomiting, stomach pain, gastrointestinal burning, [Ms. Bjorklund] being hospitalized for stomach issues on several occasions including visits to the emergency room, teeth falling out due to excessive vomiting, requiring additional medications to alleviate her excessive vomiting and throwing up whole food hours after eating.” Ms. Bjorklund said the companies published the risk of gastrointestinal events but did not include the severity scope of gastroparesis.
3. Another patient, Juanita Gantt, was prescribed both Wegovy and Ozempic, which she alleged led to emergency GI surgery. Physicians determined that parts of her large intestine had died and needed to be removed, and Ms. Gantt is now missing her colon and has an ileostomy bag attached to her abdomen.
4. 2023 research published in JAMA found that researchers established a link between GLP-1s and certain gastrointestinal conditions, including pancreatitis, bowel obstruction and gastroparesis.
5. Guidelines from the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology suggest providers do additional screenings, such as a point-of-care ultrasound of a patient’s stomach contents before surgery, as GLP-1s can retain food in patients’ stomachs longer. This can pose a risk for patients undergoing anesthesia.
6. Research based on health insurance claims from 2006 to 2020 from more than 5,000 patients in the U.S. shows that patients on GLP-1s had a higher risk of developing four serious gastrointestinal problems: biliary disease, gastroparesis, pancreatitis and bowel obstructions.
7. Delayed gastric emptying, also known as gastroparesis, is a more common side effect of GLP-1s than other diabetes and weight loss treatments. Gastroparesis can range from mild symptoms to severe side effects, including refractory symptoms, the inability to orally consume nutrition and frequent hospital admissions. The most severe cases are known as stomach paralysis, and gastrointestinal clinicians have noticed a connection between the condition and GLP-1s.
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