While many people have turned to Ozempic for weight loss, the prevalence of side effects continues to dissuade some from starting the treatment.
Nausea is the most common side effect, according to WebMD, but complications vary from case to case.
TikTok is awash with first-person accounts of user experience with many describing a broad range of symptoms.
Most recently, Chanelica Robinson claimed on TikTok the drug made her look 10 years younger, although there is no research into anti-ageing effects, but other complications left her feeling debilitated.
The side effects of Ozempic dissuade some people from starting treatment
TIKTOK
“The one side effect I was warned about with Ozempic was that if I ate too much, I would projectile vomit,” she told viewers. “But here’s what happened.”
The five main complications Chanelica experienced were nausea, fatigue, diarrhoea, migraines and constipation - with the latter two compromising daily activities the most.
“The worst side effects were definitely the migraines and constipation," said Chanelica.
“I had a migraine so bad once that I was on the couch in tears. I’d never experienced anything like it before.
“The other worst side effect was constipation. I was so constipated that I thought I was going to have to go to the emergency room.”
Chanelica said she learnt "two very valuable lessons" from those major side effects.
“First, staying on top of water and fibre intake is so important because these medications can cause severe constipation,” the TikToker explained.
“Second, staying hydrated and replenishing electrolytes can help prevent migraines.”
According to the Superdrug online doctor, the three weight-loss drugs currently available on the NHS are:
- Orlistat
- Liraglutide
- Semaglutide
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Three weight-loss drugs currently available on the NHS are
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“Even though the NHS approves their use, getting a prescription may not be as easy as it seems,” notes the health body.
Chanelica's remarks come as new findings add to mounting evidence about the potential side effects of these widely prescribed drugs, including eye complications.
A recent study published in JAMA Ophthalmology suggests that the active ingredients in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and other injectable diabetes medications could increase the risk of developing nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.
The research tracked nearly 175,000 patients with diabetes who received semaglutide and compared them with an equal number of patients taking non-GLP-1 diabetes medications.
After two years of treatment, researchers found that the risk of the sight-threatening condition more than doubled compared to patients taking other classes of diabetes medication.