Oct. 5, 2023 – Folks taking fashionable drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus for weight reduction are at greater threat for doubtlessly severe abdomen and intestinal points, in comparison with individuals taking a weight reduction drug accepted in 2014, a big examine reveals. 

These taking one in all these medication, referred to as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, had been 9 occasions extra prone to have pancreatitis, an typically painful irritation of the pancreas, in comparison with others taking a mixture of naltrexone and bupropion for weight reduction (model identify Contrave). 

Different findings present that folks taking these medication: 

  • Had been over 4 occasions extra prone to get a bowel obstruction, which prevents meals from going by the big or small intestines, with signs like nausea, vomiting, cramping and/or bloating 
  • Had been greater than three-and-a-half occasions extra prone to get abdomen paresis, a blockage of meals within the abdomen that may trigger nausea, vomiting, and abdomen ache 

The examine was printed immediately within the Journal of the American Medical Affiliation. 

Researchers say their findings will not be about scaring individuals off the load loss medication, however as an alternative about growing consciousness that these potential hostile outcomes can occur. That approach, individuals can think about the dangers and advantages earlier than beginning these drugs.

Uncommon However There

Folks taking these medication for weight reduction have a few 1% to 2% probability of getting these occasions, together with a 1% threat for abdomen paresis, stated Mahyar Etminan, PharmD, the examine’s senior creator and an professional in drug security and pharmacoepidemiology on the College of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.

Given the recognition and huge use of those medication, these hostile occasions, though uncommon, “should be thought-about by sufferers occupied with utilizing them for weight reduction,” co-author Mohit Sodhi, a graduate of the College of British Columbia’s Experimental Medication Program and fourth yr medical scholar, stated in a information launch in regards to the examine.

Folks taking a GLP-1 to deal with diabetes could be extra keen to just accept the dangers, Etminan stated, given their potential benefits, particularly for reducing the danger of coronary heart issues. “However those that are in any other case wholesome and simply taking them for weight reduction may wish to be extra cautious in weighing the danger/profit equation,” he stated.

Abdomen Blockage Warning

This isn’t the primary report of GI points linked to those drugs, nevertheless it’s one of many largest. Most studies have been about just a few individuals with abdomen and different points. 

The FDA introduced on Sept. 28 that it will require drugmakers to incorporate a warning about intestinal blockages on the Ozempic label.

Concerning ileus, the medical time period for intestinal blockage, “that is one more situation Ozempic customers may expertise,” stated Steven Batash, MD, a number one physician on the Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Heart in New York Metropolis. He was not concerned within the examine. 

“There are just a few GI situations which are extra possible amongst individuals utilizing brokers like Ozempic for weight reduction, together with a extra uncommon aspect impact – gastroparesis, often known as abdomen paralysis,” stated Batash, a gastroenterologist with NYU Medical Heart, Lenox Hill Hospital, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Semaglutide, the energetic ingredient in these drugs, slows down digestion within the abdomen and, in uncommon circumstances, may cause gastroparesis, he defined.

The brand new examine’s findings are primarily based on medical health insurance declare information for about 16 million U.S. sufferers. Sodhi and colleagues checked out individuals prescribed both semaglutide or liraglutide (Saxenda), two essential GLP-1 agonists, between 2006 and 2020. FDA approval of GLP-1s for weight reduction didn’t come till 2021, so the researchers additionally included individuals whose information confirmed a current historical past of weight problems. 

One limitation of medical information is the researchers weren’t capable of verify individuals had been solely taking semaglutide or liraglutide for weight reduction. Some individuals might have been taking them for diabetes or each.



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