Oct. 5, 2023 – Individuals taking standard drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus for weight reduction are at greater danger for probably critical abdomen and intestinal points, in comparison with folks taking a weight reduction drug authorised in 2014, a big research reveals.
These taking one in every of these medicine, often called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, had been 9 occasions extra more likely 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 folks taking these medicine:
- Had been over 4 occasions extra more likely to get a bowel obstruction, which prevents meals from going by means of the massive or small intestines, with signs like nausea, vomiting, cramping and/or bloating
- Had been greater than three-and-a-half occasions extra more likely to get abdomen paresis, a blockage of meals within the abdomen that may trigger nausea, vomiting, and abdomen ache
The research was printed at this time within the Journal of the American Medical Affiliation.
Researchers say their findings will not be about scaring folks off the load loss medicine, however as a substitute about growing consciousness that these potential hostile outcomes can occur. That method, folks can take into account the dangers and advantages earlier than beginning these drugs.
Uncommon However There
Individuals taking these medicine for weight reduction have a few 1% to 2% probability of getting these occasions, together with a 1% danger for abdomen paresis, mentioned Mahyar Etminan, PharmD, the research’s senior creator and an knowledgeable in drug security and pharmacoepidemiology on the College of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Given the reputation and huge use of those medicine, these hostile occasions, though uncommon, “have to be thought of by sufferers interested by utilizing them for weight reduction,” co-author Mohit Sodhi, a graduate of the College of British Columbia’s Experimental Medication Program and fourth 12 months medical pupil, mentioned in a information launch concerning the research.
Individuals taking a GLP-1 to deal with diabetes is perhaps extra keen to simply accept the dangers, Etminan mentioned, given their potential benefits, particularly for reducing the danger of coronary heart issues. “However those that are in any other case wholesome and simply taking them for weight reduction would possibly need to be extra cautious in weighing the danger/profit equation,” he mentioned.
Abdomen Blockage Warning
This isn’t the primary report of GI points linked to those drugs, nevertheless it’s one of many largest. Most reviews have been about a couple of folks with abdomen and different points.
The FDA introduced on Sept. 28 that it will require drugmakers to incorporate a warning about intestinal blockages on the Ozempic label.
Relating to ileus, the medical time period for intestinal blockage, “that is yet one more situation Ozempic customers would possibly expertise,” mentioned Steven Batash, MD, a number one physician on the Batash Endoscopic Weight Loss Middle in New York Metropolis. He was not concerned within the research.
“There are a couple of GI situations which can be extra probably amongst folks utilizing brokers like Ozempic for weight reduction, together with a extra uncommon facet impact – gastroparesis, also referred to as abdomen paralysis,” mentioned Batash, a gastroenterologist with NYU Medical Middle, Lenox Hill Hospital, and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Semaglutide, the energetic ingredient in these drugs, slows down digestion within the abdomen and, in uncommon instances, may cause gastroparesis, he defined.
The brand new research’s findings are primarily based on medical insurance declare information for about 16 million U.S. sufferers. Sodhi and colleagues checked out folks prescribed both semaglutide or liraglutide (Saxenda), two important 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 folks whose information confirmed a current historical past of weight problems.
One limitation of taking a look at medical information is the researchers weren’t in a position to affirm folks had been solely taking semaglutide or liraglutide for weight reduction. Some folks might have been taking them for diabetes or each.
