Oct. 5, 2023 – Individuals taking widespread medicines like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus for weight reduction are at greater threat for probably severe abdomen and intestinal points, in comparison with individuals taking a weight reduction drug accredited in 2014, a big examine reveals.
These taking considered one of these medication, generally known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, had been 9 instances extra prone to have pancreatitis, an typically painful irritation of the pancreas, in comparison with others taking a mix of naltrexone and bupropion for weight reduction (model identify Contrave).
Different findings present that individuals taking these medication:
- Had been over 4 instances extra prone to get a bowel obstruction, which prevents meals from going by way of the massive or small intestines, with signs like nausea, vomiting, cramping and/or bloating
- Had been greater than three-and-a-half instances extra prone to get abdomen paresis, a blockage of meals within the abdomen that may trigger nausea, vomiting, and abdomen ache
The examine was revealed in the present day within the Journal of the American Medical Affiliation.
Researchers say their findings usually are not about scaring individuals off the burden loss medication, however as a substitute about growing consciousness that these potential hostile outcomes can occur. That method, individuals can think about the dangers and advantages earlier than beginning these medicines.
Uncommon However There
Individuals taking these medication for weight reduction have a couple of 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 skilled in drug security and pharmacoepidemiology on the College of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Given the recognition and large use of those medication, these hostile occasions, though uncommon, “have to be thought-about by sufferers excited about 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 pupil, stated in a information launch in regards to the examine.
Individuals taking a GLP-1 to deal with diabetes could be extra keen to simply accept the dangers, Etminan stated, given their potential benefits, particularly for reducing the chance of coronary heart issues. “However those that are in any other case wholesome and simply taking them for weight reduction would possibly wish to be extra cautious in weighing the chance/profit equation,” he stated.
