Ozempic and Wegovy are popular among Hollywood celebrities trying to lose weight. However, they may have deadly side effects missed during the trials.
Medical Experts Warn Against Wegovy, Ozempic
Chinese researchers said that Wegovy and other similar fat-loss drugs, like Ozempic, could have serious side effects overlooked during the trial. Ozempic is generally prescribed for those with type II diabetes. They work by copying the effects of GLP-1, a hormone that slows down the movement of food through the intestines to make the person feel full for a prolonged period of time, Daily Mail reported.
However, the researchers from China were concerned that the process could result in the enlargement of small intestines, putting them at high risk of deadly obstruction of their digestive system.
They tested the drugs on mice and noticed that intestine enlargement occurred after 20 months of taking the drug. The scientists pointed out that the clinical trials for Wegovy only lasted up to 16 months, so it missed the long-term side effect as it was four weeks short.
The researchers warned that people taking GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy could experience an enlarged intestine, which is less flexible and is at high risk for blockages. According to the researchers, the continuous increase in the intestinal length and villus height could make the small intestine less elastic and cause long-term upper intestinal obstruction.
Intestinal obstruction occurs when there's a blockage preventing the food and liquid from passing through the intestines due to a damaged digestive system, cancer, or inflamed or stretched intestines.
For those taking any of the said drugs, you should observe yourself. The earliest sign of internal obstruction is loss of appetite and constipation.
This can be life-threatening as complications, including tissue death. It can cut off the blood supply to part of the intestines, and the lack of blood could cause the intestinal wall to die. Additionally, one is at high risk of peritonitis. According to Hopkins Medicine, the condition refers to the redness and inflammation of the tissue that lines the abdomen or belly. It can be a serious and deadly disease.
There are 30,000 deaths reported due to intestinal obstruction in the United States annually.
Physicians Should Consider a Patient's Medical History Before Prescribing Wegovy, Ozempic
Intestinal obstruction is a known symptom of diabetes, so Dr. Shauna Levy, an obesity medicine specialist at Tulane University, who is not involved in the study, argued that it's difficult to tell if the intestinal obstructions were direct results of taking the drugs. However, she suggested that it's important for physicians to consider a patient's history of bowel obstruction before prescribing the medicine.
She noted that GLP-1 RA is a medicine and should be prescribed by healthcare providers, who can screen the patient beforehand to see the history of contraindications.
Several celebrities have taken this type of drug. SpaceX and Tesla CEO reportedly credited his epic weight loss in 2020 to Wegovy. Chelsea Handler admitted to using the drug but said she wasn't aware of it, and her physician just handed it to her for weight loss.
Handler sat down with Alex Cooper and shared how her anti-aging doctor recommended the unfamiliar drug to her. She said she was no longer using Ozempic, adding that she's an irresponsible drug user and the medicine was not for her and not suitable for her because it's for heavy people. She also believed that using such drugs would eventually backfire, People reported.
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