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.
Abdomen Blockage Warning
This isn’t the primary report of GI points linked to those medicines, however it’s one of many largest. Most reviews have been about a number of individuals with abdomen and different points.
The FDA introduced on Sept. 28 that it could 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 would possibly 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 a number of GI situations which can be extra probably amongst individuals utilizing brokers like Ozempic for weight reduction, together with a extra uncommon aspect impact – gastroparesis, also called abdomen paralysis,” stated Batash, a gastroenterologist with NYU Medical Heart, Lenox Hill Hospital, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Semaglutide, the lively ingredient in these medicines, slows down digestion within the abdomen and, in uncommon instances, could cause gastroparesis, he defined.
The brand new examine’s findings are based mostly 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 principal 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 taking a look at 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.
