By Dr. Linda J. Dobberstein, DC, Board Certified in Clinical Nutrition
Hollywood, sports, and political celebrities often endorse pharmaceuticals. You've seen the ads. Recently, several Hollywood celebrities like Oprah, Sharon Osbourne and others have spoken about using Ozempic to lose weight.
Whether it is for 5 or 50 pounds, the drug Ozempic has become a blockbuster drug for seemingly effortless weight loss. However, this drug has serious side effects and is causing irreversible damage. Lawsuits are mounting against the manufacturer because of the dangerous side effects and lack of warning.
What Is Ozempic?
Ozempic is a once-a-week injection approved by the FDA in 2017 to treat type 2 diabetes. Ozempic is not currently FDA approved for weight loss, although it is being used off-label for obesity treatment.
Ozempic’s main ingredient semaglutide activates the GLP-1 receptor. The idea for GLP-1 agonist drugs stems from a Canadian researcher in 1984 and the use of lizard venom, i.e. the Gila Monster. The venomous reptile can slow down its metabolism and sustain blood sugar levels due to a hormone called exendin-4. This spurred the research for developing drugs like Ozempic to mimic the process.
Prescriptions for Ozempic and similar drugs have skyrocketed to over 9 million in 2023. GLP-1 agonists include exenatide (Byetta), lixisenatide (Adlyxin), liraglutide (Victoza), dulaglutide (Trulicity), and semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy).
GLP-1 Hormone Functions
In humans, GLP-1 is a natural hormone produced and secreted by endocrine cells in your small intestine and parts of your brain upon eating food. The GLP-1 hormone has several functions in your body. It causes your pancreas to release insulin. It blocks glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar levels when levels run low. GLP-1 slows gastric emptying causing slower digestion. It signals areas in your brain that process hunger and satiety.
GLP-1 naturally produced in your body has a half-life of 1-2 minutes, staying in your system for about 5 minutes. Each injection of synthetic GLP-1 semaglutide/Ozempic stays in your system for about 5 weeks.
Wegovy
In 2021, a more potent version of Ozempic called Wegovy was introduced. This drug provides a higher dose of semaglutide and is used for weight loss. Wegovy is approved for individuals with a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30. It is also approved for use in individuals with a BMI of at least 27 and a medical condition related to weight like cholesterol, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
The FDA just approved Wegovy as the first weight loss medication to help prevent heart, stroke, and cardiovascular events in adults with cardiovascular disease and either obesity or overweight.
This is quite alarming, as these medications produce side effects and potentially very serious concerns.
Pancreatitis, Diabetic Retinopathy, Kidney Disease
FDA warnings and precautions include pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), diabetic retinopathy complications (vision changes and blindness), severe hypoglycemia, acute kidney injury and worsening of chronic kidney disease which may require dialysis in some cases, and acute gallbladder disease.
Hypoglycemia symptoms or low blood sugar include dizziness or light-headedness, sweating, confusion or drowsiness, headache, blurred vision, slurred speech, shakiness, fast heartbeat, anxiety, irritability, or mood changes, hunger, weakness, or feeling jittery.
Gallbladder symptoms may include pain in your upper abdomen, fever, yellowing or skin or eyes (jaundice), and clay-colored stools.
Thyroid Cancer Warning
Ozempic/Semaglutide also carries a boxed warning that it may cause thyroid cancer.
Animal studies showed that the Ozempic/semaglutide caused increased incidence of medullary thyroid cancer but has not been proven in humans. Ozempic is contraindicated in patients with a personal or family history of Medullary Thyroid Cancer or in patients with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2).
Stomach Paralysis and Intestinal Blockages
In September 2023, the FDA added a warning for intestinal blockage, intestinal obstruction, and ileus, where the intestines stop working properly. Ozempic can also affect how other medications work in your body because of the slowed gastric emptying and changes in intestinal function.
In October 2023, the American Medical Association (AMA) published a research letter on further adverse effects warning about Ozempic’s serious side effects. In patients with diabetes, research studies have found a higher risks of gallbladder/liver/bile duct disease (cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, and choledocholithiasis), inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), bowel obstruction, and gastroparesis (shutdown of gastric movement).
Gastroparesis, or stomach paralysis, is a serious condition that affects the normal movement of food out of the stomach into the small intestine. The normal muscular contractions of the stomach are weakened and slowed down. It causes symptoms like heartburn, nausea, vomiting of undigested food, feeling full, bloating, and malnutrition.
At its worst, food can sit in your stomach undigested for hours putrefying and bowels shut down with extreme constipation. The symptoms require medical attention and often hospitalization. Gastroparesis is a chronic condition. It is managed medically and surgically. This has prompted numerous lawsuits.
More Adverse Reactions
Adverse reactions reported include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, abdominal pain, and constipation. These reactions have occurred in more than 5% of patients treated with Ozempic. Fatigue, dizziness, and distorted or loss of taste have occurred.
Development of anti-drug antibodies cross-reacting with natural GLP-1 have been reported in a very small percentage of clinical trial participants. Allergic reactions including anaphylaxis have occurred. Cosmetic changes with a thin, gaunt face have also been noted in public commentary.
Other complications include acute kidney injury. Yet, beware that Ozempic is in process of gaining approval for treatment of chronic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes.
Pregnancy Warnings
There are serious concerns about the effect of semaglutide on the health of the unborn. The FDA recommends that women stop the medication at least two months prior to a planned pregnancy because the drug stays in your system for about 5 weeks after the last dose.
Animal reproduction studies show potential risks to the unborn from exposure to semaglutide during pregnancy. Issues seen included death to the unborn, as well as major structural and developmental abnormalities because of stunted growth and reduced nourishment.
FDA Adverse Events Report
Ozempic has been on the market for only a few years. It has over 45 different types of gastrointestinal symptoms reported to the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System. Other GLP-1 agonist drugs have been found to have similar or worse adverse effects.
At What Cost to Your Health?
Drugs that mimic GLP-1 and affect your system for several weeks when compared to your body’s own natural GLP-1 hormone that works for minutes at a time is alarming. While these meds cause weight loss and improve blood sugar numbers, at what cost is it to your gastrointestinal tract? The drugs cause your pancreas, liver, and gallbladder to overwork and become pathologically inflamed and shut down motility of your stomach and gastrointestinal tract.
We don’t know the long-term effects of 94% GLP-1 analogs. What does it do to the normal physiology after a couple years of use or longer? Research tells us that GLP-1 agonists can cause numerous symptoms and serious changes like gastroparesis. It also can cause pancreatitis, which is a risk factor for developing pancreatic cancer.
Are we going to see more pancreatic or other gastrointestinal cancers in a few years after millions of people around the globe have used this drug? How many people already struggle with bowel motility and gallbladder health only to have things worsen with use of the drug.
Science and mankind have powerful ideas and can be helpful for many things. Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes and serious obesity problems pose great challenges for too many people globally. Medical interventions are sometimes needed for those who face grave challenges. For others, the enticement of a drug to magically erase concerns tempts them into arenas that may on the outside look amazing, but on the inside, it wreaks havoc.
Blood sugar management and maintaining a healthy weight are directly tied into your diet, nutritional status, lifestyle and physical activity, toxic load, sleep, stress levels, and daily choices. I encourage you to stick with the tried and true.
