By Savannah Young, Daily Mail Australia
June 28, 2024 00:04, updated June 28, 2024 00:11
Weight-loss miracle drugs Ozempic and Wegobee are garnering rave reviews among influencers and celebrities, but some users aren't so lucky.
A growing number of top patients are reportedly suffering from embarrassing and debilitating stomach and toilet symptoms, including a loss of bowel control.
According to an unpublished article published by popular gossip newsletter Popbitch, a recent “scandal” in the Hamptons has been the talk of the town as celebrities flock to the popular holiday destination ahead of next week's Independence Day.
A poor guest who was rumoured to have been staying at Gwyneth Paltrow's house suffered from severe diarrhea.
According to an anonymous source, the customer fled back to New York City to avoid an awkward confrontation.
“Ozempic diarrhea is a hot topic among hosts there because so many of their guests use it,” the entry read.
“So we can expect laundromats to be full starting on the Fourth of July.”
Celebrities who have admitted to using weight-loss drugs like Ozempic include Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Sharon Osbourne, Chelsea Handler and Robbie Williams.
In June 2023, comedian Amy Schumer admitted that she had taken the drug the previous year but had stopped due to side effects.
“I was one of those people who felt really bad,” she said.
The weight loss drug works by mimicking GLP-1, a hormone produced naturally in the body, slowing the passage of food through the stomach and reducing hunger.
It also alters the brain's appetite regulation, allowing users to feel full after eating smaller portions and also eliminates the craving for snacks.
In clinical trials, 30 percent of patients taking Wegovy experienced diarrhea, compared with 16 percent who took a placebo, according to the drug's prescribing information.
According to the drug's package insert, common side effects of Ozempic include constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
However, long-term side effects are also emerging, with one concern being muscle loss: Clinical trials of GLP-1 drugs have shown that roughly 40% of weight loss is muscle mass, not fat.
This can have serious health implications: Not only do we need muscle to burn calories, but in middle-aged and older people, for example, muscle loss (known as sarcopenia) is strongly associated with frailty and premature death.
Less common complications of GLP-1 drugs include gallstones, fast heart rate, kidney damage and pancreatitis (a condition in which the pancreas becomes rapidly and painfully inflamed).
Another serious concern is gastroparesis, a serious condition in which the stomach muscles are essentially paralyzed, causing the stomach to not empty and causing the patient to vomit up days-old food. For some patients, the only treatment for gastroparesis is gastric bypass surgery.
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