Ozempic and Wegovy Side Effects Linked to Stomach Paralysis Cases: CNN Reports

A recent investigative report highlights how a number of individuals are experiencing painful stomach paralysis side effects from Ozempic and Wegovy, which emerges after using the popular diabetes and weight loss drugs.

The problems were outlined in a CNN report published on July 25, detailing several incidents of stomach paralysis, also known as gastroparesis, as well as previous research that has linked these types of diabetes drugs to similar risks in the past.

Ozempic (semaglutide) was originally approved for the treatment of people with Type 2 diabetes. However, in recent months Ozempic, along with a similar drug, Wegovy, has been increasingly prescribed for weight loss. While Wegovy is approved for weight loss use, Ozempic is not, and is prescribed “off-label” as a diet medication by a growing number of doctors.

Both drugs are part of a class of diabetic medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, which also includes Trulicity, Byetta and others.

Gastroparesis occurs when the stomach is slow to empty, which can be an effect of the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, which benefits diabetes and weight loss patients by making them feel full longer after eating. However, it can also result in excessive vomiting and other health issues, according to the CNN report.

In 2017, researchers with the Mayo Clinic conducted a study involving a similar diabetes drug known as Victoza, which found that the drug caused significantly slower digestion in users, taking about 70 minutes for half the food they ate to leave their stomachs, compared to four minutes for people who did not take the drug. However, the study found that people’s bodies tended to adjust over time.

According to that report, there may be rare occasions where users’ bodies do not adjust, resulting in chronic vomiting and other health problems.

Earlier this month, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) issued a warning about using Ozempic and Wegovy before surgery, indicating that the lack of gastric emptying linked to the drugs could put patients at risk of vomiting and aspiration while under the effects of anesthesia.

The ASA task force recommends that if patients take a drug like Ozempic or Wegovy on a daily basis, they should not take it the day of the procedure. If they take the drug on a weekly basis, they should pause taking the medications a week before their surgery. In addition, they should consider consulting with an endocrinologist while off the drugs to help control their diabetes.

The guidance also calls for doctors to consider delaying the procedure if the patient is experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms, such as severe nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating or abdominal pain the day of the procedure. If there are no symptoms, but the drugs were not paused before surgery, doctors should proceed with the assumption that the patient has a full stomach, or conduct an ultrasound to determine the stomach’s contents.

Concerns About Ozempic Side Effects

The new report comes amid increasing reports that Ozempic side effects have been linked to hair loss when using the diabetes drug as a weight loss treatment.

Some doctors have claimed hair loss after Ozempic use is a natural result of rapid weight loss. This effect is known as telogen effluvium. However, Ozempic may also cause hormonal shifts which can also trigger early onset pattern hair loss in men and women, known as androgenic alopecia, which is progressive and continues to worsen over time. This can lead to permanent hair loss, some health experts warn.

In May, the founder of The American Hair Loss Association (AHLA) and The International Alliance of Hair Restoration Surgeons, warned against misuse of Ozempic for weight loss in an editorial in Dermatology Times, indicating that the hair loss experts do not recommend the off-label use of the diabetes drug.

In addition, last month regulators in the European Union warned that Ozempic and Wegovy may be linked to an increased risk of thyroid cancer. They called for drug manufacturers to turn in additional data and suggested they may take future actions to address the potential risks.

August 2023 Ozempic Lawsuit Update

The first of what could be thousands of Ozempic lawsuits to come was filed by a Louisiana woman on August 2, 2023, claiming she experienced severe gastroparesis and stomach problems after using Ozempic for more than a year before switching to the similar diabetes drug Mounjaro.

The lawsuit claims both Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic, and Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Mounjaro, both knew, or should have known, that the drugs increase the risk of gastroparesis and gastroenteritis that can lead to severe side effects such as nausea, vomiting undigested food, abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, severe dehydration, feeling full after only a few bites, undigested food hardening in the stomach, acid reflux, fluctuating blood sugar levels, lack of appetite, weight loss, malnutrition and decreased quality of life.

The lawsuit notes that despite a number of case studies and clinical reports warning that the drugs could cause, or exacerbate, gastroparesis in particular, neither manufacturer has updated the label warnings.

Similar problems stated in the lawsuit were outlined in a CNN report published on July 25, detailing several incidents of stomach paralysis, also known as gastroparesis, as well as previous research that has linked these types of diabetes drugs to similar risks in the past.

As a result of the growing number of Ozempic side effects reported, it is expected that thousands of individuals who have suffered similar injuries will begin filing Ozempic lawsuits raising similar allegations that the manufacturers failed to adequately research and warn the medical community about potential side effects.