Are you more likely to suffer from gastroparesis if you use obesity or diabetes medications such as Wegovy or Ozempic, which are known as slimming needles? The answer is here, along with the latest research data on these needles.
Gastric paralysis
Research data and studies indicate that people who use GLP-1 agonists such as Ozempic and Wijovi may be at greater risk of developing gastroparesis.
Gastric paralysis refers to a delay or slowdown in emptying stomach contents after eating. Experts say that despite its name, gastroparesis does not actually cause paralysis, which is reversible and expected when taking GLP-1.
The gastrointestinal side effects of these drugs are well known, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. However, there are also less common events associated with it. These events include gastroparesis, intestinal obstruction, and acute pancreatitis.
In a study published last year and conducted by researchers at the University of Kansas, which included nearly 300,000 patients, researchers found that people taking GLP-1 drugs were 66% more likely to develop gastroparesis than those who did not take them.
Among patients taking the medications, 0.53% were diagnosed with gastroparesis, about 750 out of nearly 150,000 patients.
“Patients should be informed about these side effects before starting treatment,” Pratik Sharma, MD, professor of medicine in the Department of Medical Oncology at the University of Kansas School of Medicine and the study’s lead researcher, told Healthline. “There is a lot of excitement and demand for these medications, but the side effects are critical points.” “For discussion.”
Symptoms of stomach paralysis
Common symptoms include:
- indigestion.
- Flatulence.
- Feeling full very quickly or for a long time.
- Pain in the upper abdomen.
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Regurgitating (spitting out) whole pieces of undigested food.
- Anorexia.
- Stomach acidity.
- Constipation.
Is the risk of stomach paralysis real?
The answer is generally no, and the truth is that there is a lot of misunderstanding about gastric paralysis and its risks to patients.
“Even though there was an increased risk, the percentages were still fairly low,” says Dr. Beverly Chang, an endocrinologist, spokeswoman for the Obesity Society and an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. “Taking any medication, the risk was still very low. I think that’s something people should remember.”
Dr. Dan Azagury, chief of the division of minimally invasive and bariatric surgery and medical director of the Multidisciplinary Obesity and Metabolism Clinic at Stanford School of Medicine, told Healthline that while the data confirms gastrointestinal side effects, he is concerned about the narrative about gastroparesis.
“I think people don’t know what this disease is, so it’s scary,” he added. “For us, gastroparesis is not a concern. It’s a slowdown in stomach emptying. This is a condition that can be treated. When you take medication, your stomach slows down. When you stop taking the medication, things go back.” “to normal.”
GLP-1 drugs may reduce complications of surgery in people with diabetes
We turn to a recent study conducted by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and NewYork-Presbyterian, which found that people with diabetes who were taking GLP-1 medications like tirzepatide (Monjaro) and semaglutide (Ozempic) had significantly lower rates of recurrence. Admission to hospital and reopening of wounds and hematomas after surgery.
The study was published in the journal Annals of Surgery, and was written about on the EurekAlert website.
“These results from such a large number of patients and procedures suggest that taking these medications should not It may lead to aggravation of post-surgical complications in general, and may even reduce the likelihood of some of them occurring.”
GLP-1 medications are safe and highly effective for treating obesity in non-diabetic adults
We turn to another recent study conducted by researchers at McGill University, who reviewed 26 studies including 15,491 participants, and found that GLP-1-based medications are effective for weight loss in adults with obesity but without diabetes.
The study was published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, and the EurekAlert website wrote about it.