Staying Fit
It’s hard to turn on the TV, read the news or make it through a conversation without hearing about Ozempic and other drugs like it that belong to a class of medications known as glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonists.
These drugs — some federally approved for diabetes, some approved for weight management — have shot to superstar status for their weight loss effects. In some cases, they are helping people shed about 20 percent of their body weight.
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It’s no wonder, then, that demand for them is through the roof. A recent poll from the University of Michigan found that more than 60 percent of overweight adults ages 50 to 80 are interested in taking one.
“These are game-changing medications,” says Shauna Levy, M.D., an obesity medicine physician at the Tulane University Medical Center and medical director of Tulane’s Bariatric and Weight Loss Center.
But like any drug, they are not without side effects. Read on to learn more about the common — and rare — side effects of these newer weight loss medications, and what the latest research shows.
Common side effects of drugs used for weight loss
Four of the more popular GLP-1 medications — Ozempic and Mounjaro (approved for diabetes) and Wegovy and Zepbound (approved for weight loss) — have similar side effects.
The most common side effects include:
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Stomach pain
However, other, more serious, issues have also been linked to these drugs, including gallbladder problems, low blood sugar, kidney injury and diabetic retinopathy (damage to the eye’s retina).