A leading doctor has warned that Ozempic is not a fix-all and described its side effects as ‘scary’ and ‘quite disturbing’.
Nutrition expert Dr Mark Hyman said that he expects even more unintended effects to come to light over time, now that millions of Americans are being prescribed the weight-loss drug every month.
The New York doctor – who has written books touting the benefits of a mostly plant-based diet – told a podcast this week that two things frightened him about Ozempic and its sister drugs.
The first was bowel blockages – which is when food becomes stuck in the intestines, where if left untreated it can cut off blood supply and kill.
The second was inflammation of the pancreas, which can also be deadly.
It comes after a DailyMail.com analysis showed that fat loss shots like Ozempic and Zepbound have been linked to more than 100 deaths in the US.
Dr Mark Hyman warned against Ozempic’s large number of side effects on the Diary of a CEO podcast
The cases have been recorded in an FDA monitoring system used to track the safety of medicines used in the US, called FAERS. They are shown above in a graphic
Fatalities spiked in 2023 and at least one involved a woman who died from an ‘intestinal mass.’
Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Dr Hyman said: ‘The side effect profile is scary because [Ozempic causes] bowel obstruction, which is not a trivial thing, essentially where your bowels stop moving is increased by 450 percent.
‘Pancreatitis, where your pancreas becomes inflamed, is increased by 900 percent.’
Dr Hyman appeared to be referring to a University of British Columbia study that found people using semaglutide were 9.1 times more likely to suffer inflammation of the pancreas, which can require surgery.
This was compared to people using another weight loss drug, bupropion-naltrexone, which is sold under brand names such as Contrave and contains different ingredients.
Dr Hyman added: ‘These are not trivial things – so I think the longer this is out there, we’re going to see more and more consequences of this drug.
‘And I think it misses the real issue which is how do we fix the problem?’
One in five cases of severe pancreatitis can lead to life-threatening complications, including organ failure.
Health officials updated Ozempic’s warning label in September 2023 to add that it can cause a condition called ileus — or a bowel obstruction, when parts or all of the intestines become blocked.
This can cause blood flow to be cut off to the organs, which leads to tissue death.
Doctors said, although rare, in serious cases ileus can lead to perforation — or a tear — in the bowel, risking gastric juices to leak into the body. Health experts suggest the condition has a fatality rate of up to one in ten.
Physicians said the drug may cause the condition because it works by slowing the movement of food through the bowels, helping someone feel full for longer.
Mr Hyman said that Ozempic, which is given via an injection, is ‘effective’ but admitted that it can be ‘very strong.’
He admitted taking Ozempic was effective in cutting weight but that it came at a cost – both medically and financially – and that once you started taking it you were effectively tied to it forever otherwise the weight would simply come back.
Dr Hyman explained: ‘Here’s the rub: you have to take it forever, it’s expensive, and most people are not aware that not only do you lose fat but you lose muscle.
‘Nobody is talking about the bad side and, by the way, they’re thinking of giving it to five year old kids which is just terrifying to me.’
Explaining how it was able to achieve such drastic weight loss results, Dr Hyman compared the product to Viagra and said: ‘Ozempic is effective (because) it works with a natural part of your biology… but the effect of the drug is very strong.
‘It’s a drug that was first used for diabetes and it regulates insulin function, regulates weight, and appetite. So it really works to help with blood sugar but the side effect was weight loss: it was like we studied Viagra for blood pressure but the side effect was it helped men with erections – so it’s kind of like that.
‘Obesity affects so many people – there’s now two billion people on the planet who are overweight – so you take this injection and basically your appetite drops out so you don’t feel as hungry.’
Ozempic is manufactured by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk and has been popularized by swathes of celebrities including Sharon Osbourne.
In the UK and the US it is available as a prescription-only drug but the cost in America is astronomical and can be up to $1,700 a month, according to Dr Hyman.
The physician has given expert testimony to US Senate committees, been a columnist for The Huffington Post, and appeared as a regular contributor on the Katie Couric Show.
He continued: ‘When you stop it, the weight gain comes back unless you really rigorously change your lifestyle. So it’s not a lifestyle change program – it doesn’t help you change your behaviors or habits – it’s a pharmacological appetite straight jacket [but] that can be effective.
‘If some people really need it, they need it. If some people are massively overweight and they don’t want to get a gastric bypass, I think it may be okay.’
Source: Mail Online
