The man, for his part, felt a bit sick at first. Then sicker and sicker. Throwing up four and five times a day became his daily routine.
Another woman awoke blind in her left eye the morning after her first injection. She discontinued the drug for two months, then began it again. This time, she went blind in her right eye as well.
With more than 50 million obese Americans asking their doctors for help, how many of those doctors will prescribe a drug that grants their wish?
These aren’t outliers. They’re warning shots. And a new study is raising hard questions about the weight-loss wonders Ozempic and its sister “GLP-1” drugs, including the popular Wegovy.
When people lose weight in a natural, healthy fashion, most of the poundage loss is from shedding fat; a much smaller percentage of the weight loss comes from muscle and organ reduction. But the study, published August 5 by Cell Metabolism, found the opposite to be true in the case of GLP-1 drugs: The weight lost by the mice being tested was primarily lean body weight—specifically, weight from organs like the liver.
And in some mice, the muscles got weaker even when they didn’t shrink.
For older adults who already have a hard time keeping their muscles strong, this could spell disaster.
The study notes that Wegovy’s initial clinical trial—performed on humans—matched what was found in the recent study with mice. The study’s authors warn: “The loss of physical function is a strong predictor of not just quality of life but longevity” and urge additional clinical studies in humans, raising these hard questions:
- Do Ozempic and Wegovy weaken muscles and organs beyond repair?
- Is “weight loss” really a health gain if it sacrifices strength and longevity?
Unfortunately, it gets worse, because loss of muscle function isn’t the only warning bell for those seeking to shortcut New Year’s Resolution Number One. Ozempic, Wegovy and other GLP-1 drugs have a shockingly long list of further harmful side effects—including nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain and vomiting, low blood sugar, gallbladder issues, kidney problems, pancreatic inflammation, allergic reactions, increased heart rate, stomach paralysis, cancerous thyroid tumors, depression and even suicide.
And now, surfacing from a University of Utah study earlier this year, yet another reason to opt for a trip to the gym rather than a shot to the gut: Semaglutide, the main ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, and tirzepatide, the active ingredient in the drug Mounjaro, may have caused serious, permanent eye damage in at least nine people. The condition, called NAION, which was found in seven of these patients, is essentially a stroke in the optic nerve—and it can mean irreversible blindness.
This is not what 15.5 million Americans bargained for when they chose to bypass diet and exercise and went for the uncharted, highly ballyhooed pharmaceutical shortcut instead. And with more than 50 million obese Americans asking their doctors for help, how many of those doctors will prescribe a drug that grants their wish?
Apparently plenty.
Novo Nordisk, the company behind Ozempic, made $13.9 billion from sales of the drug in 2023.
And what is their position on its very serious side effects—side effects that can catastrophically alter the lives of millions?
Cue the seventies teeny-bopper earworm!
“Oh-oh-oh Ozempic!” It’s everywhere. On TV, radio and social media. Between innings of the ballgame. During commercial breaks on Roku and Hulu—that infectious beat! That merry melody! Take that boring warning labels and clinical trials! We’re having a party—and if you’re overweight, you’re invited!
At up to $15,000 per patient per year, it’s quite the party.
But not everyone is dancing.
“I fear for everyone in the next few years,” said Hollywood actress Jameela Jamil. “HOPE this doesn’t end the same way we were told opioids were safe. There is little to no discussion of the side effects in any advertising online. I’m deeply concerned, but I can’t change any of your minds because fat phobia has our generation in a chokehold.”
Apparently this shortcut isn’t magic. It’s a gamble with blindness, paralysis and human lives.
And who’s to say the house won’t always win?
