I tried losing weight with Ozempic - Drs told me I will have diarrhoea forever

A woman began using the popular medication to try and lose weight. Now, doctors have told her she will be in agonising pain for the rest of her life. 

An Ozempic user is suing the company after she allegedly suffered life-changing and devastating injuries from the medication. 

The 49-year-old woman began using Ozempic - an injection intended for people with Type 2 Diabetes and a widely popular weight loss drug - but soon she started feeling violently ill. 

Three months later, she was constantly vomiting, having intense stomach pain and uncontrollable diarrhoea - which is something she will now have to live with forever. 

RELATED: ‘People will judge me, but Ozempic has been pivotal for my weight loss’

A woman alleges she will have diarrhoea for life after using Ozempic. Source: iStock

Woman has diarrhoea forever after using weight loss drug

When she went to the doctor about her agonising stomach pain, she was diagnosed with a “life-threatening bowel injury” and needed to undergo emergency surgery, per Daily Mail. 

Eight hours later, doctors worked to repair her colon but informed her she would be in agony “for the rest of her life” and would “never have a solid bowel movement again.” 

Ozempic and Wegovy were originally intended for those with Type 2 diabetes and are injected once a week into the thigh, stomach, or arm and help regulate the release of insulin. 

It also reduces the feeling of hunger, prompting it to become a popular weight loss alternative. 

The weight loss drug is especially popular among celebrities and public figures, with some opening up about using the drug to assist in shifting a few kilos, including Oprah Winfrey and Sharon Osbourne. 

In the suit, the unnamed woman argued she was never warned about the dangerous and life-threatening side effects of the drug, and the labelling was inadequate. 

“Her life is forever changed because of her usage of Ozempic,” the lawsuit read. 

She is one of a dozen people suing Novo Nordisk, the parent company of Ozempic and its sister company Wegovy, alleging the medication caused gastroparesis. 

This rare condition causes the stomach muscles to stop functioning properly, causing food to sit in the stomach for too long. 

Those with gastroparesis usually suffer excruciating abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhoea, and blood sugar fluctuations. 

RELATED: Worrying trend with Aussies using diabetes drug Ozempic

Oklahoma mum-of-two, Brea, said she may have died after using the weight loss drug. Source: Daily Mail

“Doctors said if I had waited one more day, I wouldn’t have made it”

Speaking to Daily Mail, mum-of-two Brea Hand is another woman who has suffered at the hands of Ozempic and is also filing a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk. 

The Oklahoma woman said she was prescribed the medication to treat her pre-diabetes and to aid in weight loss. 

It didn’t take long for her to start vomiting and experiencing constipation, quickly becoming so painful she was admitted to the hospital - and not a moment too soon. 

“[Doctors] said my body was so acidotic that if I would have waited one more day that I wouldn’t have made it through,” she said. 

“It was scary. It was painful. I have not ever experienced that kind of pain in my entire life, and I do not ever want to go through that again.” 

Just like the several others suing the company, Brea is urging the drug to feature clearer warnings about its health risks. 

“I think they should definitely advertise more of the risks it does have,” she said. “I wouldn't recommend it to anybody, personally. Just taking that risk would be too much for me from what I went through.” 

In response to the lawsuit, Novo Nordisk said they believe the allegations are “without merit.” 

“The known risks and benefits of semaglutide and liraglutide medicines are described in their FDA-approved product labeling,” the statement read. 

“Novo Nordisk stands behind the safety and efficacy of all of our GLP-1 medicines when they are used as indicated and when they are taken under the care of a licensed healthcare professional.”

Ozempic has been included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (the ARTG) for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. This means that the medicine has been evaluated by the TGA for its safety, quality and efficacy for that indication only.

Originally published as I tried losing weight with Ozempic - Drs told me I will have diarrhoea forever