Ex-Ozempic user reveals ‘overwhelming’ side effects after increasing their dose despite ‘unbelievable’ first few months on it
Ozempic has been taking the world by storm, but one user had to stop just months after they were first prescribed the controversial drug because of some ‘horrific’ side effects.
There has been a lot in the news regarding just what can happen to a person after using the type 2 diabetes jab, which is not yet FDA-approved to be used for weight loss purposes.
From weird food aversions to The 'Ozempic Personality Shift', there’s always something someone is claiming is caused by the drug.
However, one man was left in a pickle after seeing amazing results, but had to stop taking it altogether because the side effects became debilitating.
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Taking to Reddit, the user shared his story in a lengthy post which detailed the awful things he experienced.
He began: “Sharing my real experience with Ozempic.
“I caught the post yesterday about 'people lying about Ozempic' and was too late to the party to share my experience.”
He explained that he had worked closely with his doctor to combat his weight and eating problems.
The man shared how he had a habit since childhood of eating everything in his sight, having been brought up being told to finish everything on his plate.
Sadly, this mentality led him to only have two hunger modes: ‘I'm hungry’ and then ‘holy s*** I'm so f****** stuffed I could pop'.
That’s when his doctor started him on a 0.25mg dose of Ozempic each week, which lasted three months and was amazing for him.
He explained: “For the first two months, the change was absolutely un-freaking-believable. I would sit down to a meal, eat some and actually FEEL FULL.
"I was able to easily stop eating with portions of food on my plate and feel completely satisfied. In those first two months I dropped 15lbs.”
However, in the third month he wasn’t losing as much weight, and so the doctor prescribed him 0.5mg per week.
This is when it all went ‘downhill’.
The Redditor shared that the ‘side effects came on hard, fast and strong’ if he ate ‘more than say half a sandwich at a meal’.
The side effects of eating more than the small amount would lead him to become so bloated that he would burp twice every three minutes for hours, and they would smell like sulphur.
“Additionally, there were three times in a two week period that I became so bloated that it made me vomit - a lot; and I'm not exaggerating that it was complete projectile vomiting, out of my mouth and nose. It was an absolutely ungodly horrible experience,” he claimed.
Uncontrollable diarrhoea left him toilet-bound, and he even fell asleep on the porcelain throne after being too tired to run back and forth to the bathroom.
Because of this, he stopped taking Ozempic, and after a month, he was put back on 0.25mg each week to see if the side effects would continue.
Unfortunately for him, they did, leading him to have to stop completely.
While he stated that he now realised that he could stop eating before he felt too full, he wanted to warn others of just how terrible his experience was.
A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, who manufacture Ozempic, told Tyla: "Patient safety is of the utmost importance to Novo Nordisk. We recommend patients take these prescription-only medications for their approved indications and under the supervision of a healthcare professional.
"Use of GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Ozempic® (semaglutide injection) and Wegovy®▼ (semaglutide injection) may be associated with gastrointestinal (GI) side effects including flatulence and abdominal pain. In the phase 3a clinical trials with Wegovy® for weight management, GI side effects (such as nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhoea) were among the most frequently reported side effects. Nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting were most frequently reported during dose escalation, most were mild to moderate in severity and of short duration.
"We continuously collect safety data on our marketed GLP-1 RA medicines and work closely with the authorities to ensure patient safety. As part of this work we continue to monitor reports of adverse drug reactions through routine pharmacovigilance. We recommend that any patients experiencing side effects while taking GLP receptor agonists including Wegovy® or Ozempic® report them to their healthcare provider and via the MHRA Yellow Card scheme: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/."
Britt Jones