United States: A recent poll which have already found that around 15.5 million Americans have used injectable diabetes medicines, like Ozempic and Wegovy, to really lose weight. These drugs are very popular because they can help people lose about almost 16 percent of their body fat, but they also come with risks you should be aware of.
Dr. Michael Snyder, a bariatric surgeon at Denver Center for Bariatric Surgery, said he’s a ‘huge fan of the appropriate use of them.’
An ideal candidate is someone who makes some lifestyle changes, too, Dr. Snyder says. While these medicines can be helpful, the bad side effects are also there.
“Some people have nausea. Greenstein agreed with Snyder that reflux sufferers have a tendency to do worse,” if you have reflux.”
As reported by the wafb.com, Other possible serious side effects include inflammation of the pancreas, low blood sugar, allergic reactions, kidney problems, gallbladder problems, stomach paralysis, thyroid tumours, or cancer. Another thing to worry about is ‘Ozempic Face’ that can lead to sagging skin and also increase signs of aging.
“It could be the medications, or it could be an exacerbating factor on a baseline problem,” Dr. Synder said.
But a new study found that these medicines may also make you more likely to develop a rare blinding eye condition known as Naion. Using semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy) were those who were seven times more likely to be diagnosed with Naion if people were overweight or obese. Researchers say Naion is still rare though, and the link needs to be further explored.
“This is not something people get off of these drugs,” Dr. Synder said.
Ozempic and Wegovy so work by affecting areas of the brain that control how hungry you are, and also by slowing how fast your stomach empties. But researchers say we’ll know more about the long-term risks of these meds—many of which you’ll be on for life.
Compounding pharmacies can make alternative medications called ‘essentially a copy’ of a brand name drug with the same active ingredient that suppresses appetite, but the FDA doesn’t check to make sure these drugs are really very safe, effective and of high quality, the FDA says.
The FDA warned earlier this year that dosing errors could cause ‘adverse events.