Weight-loss medicine may be life-changing for individuals who have struggled to drop some pounds, nonetheless, some individuals who take them expertise disagreeable unwanted effects.
In 2024, roughly 5 per cent of Britons had used an injectable glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists, a category of medicines identified beneath model names reminiscent of Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro, which works by mimicking the hormone GLP-1 to decelerate digestion and decrease urge for food.
Nevertheless, 1 in 10 sufferers utilizing GLP-1 receptor agonists experiences gastrointestinal unwanted effects, that are often not critical however can result in extra critical issues.
How do GLP-1 receptor agonists work and what are probably the most regarding unwanted effects?
How do GLP-1 receptor agonists assist weight reduction?
GLP-1 receptor agonists mimic the GLP-1 hormone by binding to GLP-1 receptors.
This triggers various results reminiscent of slowing digestion, because the physique releases much less glucose from flood into the bloodstream. It additionally will increase the sensation of fullness by affecting areas of the mind that course of starvation.
What are the unwanted effects?
The commonest unwanted effects of GLP-1 agonists medicine are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and constipation. Different unwanted effects embody dizziness, complications, elevated coronary heart fee and infections.
Harvard Medical College advises that small steps may be taken to handle a few of these signs. For instance, consuming crackers, mint or ginger-based meals and drinks about half-hour after taking GLP-1 agonists can assist fight nausea.
Staying well-hydrated, avoiding dairy merchandise and consuming high-fiber meals may also assist alleviate signs like nausea, diarrhea and constipation.
There are additionally various uncommon however critical unwanted effects together with pancreatitis, medullary thyroid most cancers and acute kidney harm.
Dr Naveed Asif, GP at The London Basic Observe, advises that sufferers taking GLP-1 medicine ought to with a decrease dose and progressively titrate as much as assist minimise the danger of those critical unwanted effects.
“Cautious, gradual discount of insulin doses and shut monitoring of blood glucose ranges are additionally important,” Dr Asif stated, “Moreover, I need to stress the significance of acquiring Ozempic from respected sources. There have been situations of falsified merchandise within the UK that may pose critical well being dangers.”
Which unwanted effects are most regarding?
In keeping with Kiran Jones, a scientific pharmacist at Oxford On-line Pharmacy, a number of the most regarding unwanted effects of GLP-1 medicine embody gastrointestinal issues reminiscent of abdomen paralysis, which may “considerably sluggish the motion of meals by the abdomen, inflicting long-term digestive points that may trigger extreme medical issues”.
Jones added: “If utilized in mixture with different diabetic medicines, it may improve the danger of hypoglycaemia, and analysis signifies there’s a hyperlink between the drug and pancreatitis. That is when the pancreas turns into infected and may shortly change into critical sufficient to require hospitalisation.”
One other danger is cardiovascular issues, significantly for individuals with pre-existing coronary heart circumstances.
There have additionally been situations of dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia), particularly when Ozempic is utilized in mixture with different diabetic medicines or when it’s misused,” Jones stated.
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