- Ozempic user Joanie Knight experienced the debilitating effects of gastroparesis and spoke out about how the drug negatively impacted her life.
- Medical professionals have noticed an increase in cases of gastroparesis, a condition characterized by stomach paralysis, among Ozempic users.
- In severe cases, gastroparesis can lead to violent vomiting, nausea, stomach pain, and bloating.
A woman named Joanie Knight shared her harrowing experience with Ozempic, a drug that caused significant financial burden, stress, and disruption to both her life and her family’s.
“I regret ever using it. I wish I had never come across it,” said Joanie Knight, a 37-year-old from Louisiana, in an interview with CNN.
Joanie Knight recounted an incident on her birthday in 2021 when she consumed just three skinny French fries and two or three pieces of chicken, triggering a violent vomiting episode. She had been taking Ozempic, a brand of the drug semaglutide used for treating type 2 diabetes, for two years at that point.
Semaglutide, also known as Wegovy, received FDA approval for weight loss in 2021. It belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists, which mimic a hormone called GLP-1 to slow down the stomach’s food emptying process, resulting in increased feelings of fullness.
After consulting with a gastroenterologist, Joanie Knight was diagnosed with severe gastroparesis, a condition characterized by stomach paralysis. Her doctors suspect that the drug, semaglutide, may have been a contributing factor or exacerbated her gastroparesis symptoms. Joanie Knight is one of the few patients who have experienced severe symptoms of stomach paralysis after taking semaglutide, as reported by CNN.
Delayed stomach emptying associated with stomach paralysis
Gastroparesis, also known as delayed stomach emptying, occurs when food moves through the stomach at a slower pace than it should. Symptoms typically manifest after eating and include faster feelings of fullness, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and bloating. Gastroparesis can be a complication of diabetes.
Joanie Knight mentioned that ceasing the use of Ozempic provided some relief, but her issues persisted. Eventually, she had to undergo stomach bypass surgery due to malnourishment resulting from her inability to eat. Currently, she can occasionally consume a few bites of her favorite foods.
While nausea and vomiting are common side effects of Ozempic, persistent vomiting is not typical, according to Dr. Linda Nguyen, a specialist in the treatment of stomach paralysis at Stanford University.
Dr. Nguyen and other specialists in the field have reportedly observed an increase in cases similar to Joanie Knight’s as the popularity of weight-loss drugs continues to grow.
In an extreme case, a patient had to take time off from work due to frequent vomiting and was even hospitalized for dehydration resulting from the vomiting.
According to doctors interviewed by CNN, these cases are believed to be uncommon and may occur when the drug uncovers or exacerbates an existing condition known as “slow stomach.”
In response to inquiries from CNN, the FDA stated that it has received reports of gastroparesis associated with semaglutide and another GLP-1 agonist called liraglutide through its adverse events tracking system. However, the reports often lack sufficient information for proper evaluation of the relationship between the drugs and gastroparesis.
The FDA has been unable to determine definitively whether these medications are the direct cause of gastroparesis or if there are alternative underlying factors.
Insider has reached out to Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic and Wegovy, for comment. Novo Nordisk informed CNN that gastrointestinal events are well-known side effects of GLP-1 drugs. They stated that the majority of gastrointestinal side effects associated with semaglutide are mild to moderate in severity and short-lived.
“Delayed gastric emptying, nausea, and vomiting are listed as side effects of our GLP-1 RA medications,” they added.
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