A woman who took Ozempic to lose weight before her daughter’s wedding has died from gastrointestinal illness. Trish Webster, 56, from Aust...
A woman who took Ozempic to lose weight before her daughter’s wedding has died from gastrointestinal illness.
Trish Webster, 56, from Australia, was prescribed Ozempic to help her squeeze into her dream dress for her daughter’s nuptials.
Ozempic is a medication approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for people with Type 2 diabetes. However, it has become widely used as a weight-loss drug around the world.
The drug works by mimicking a natural hormone, GLP-1, which slows down the passage of food through the stomach and intestines, making people feel full longer.
However, sometimes the drug can slow down the stomach too much or block the intestines.
As of late September, the FDA received 18 reports of intestinal blockage, called ileus, in people taking Ozempic.
For her part, Webster took Ozempic along with the prescription injection Saxenda, losing about 35 pounds in five months, according to local media reports.
While the medications helped Webster slim down quickly, they reportedly made her ill.
On Jan. 16, 2023, just a few months before her daughter’s wedding, Webster’s husband allegedly found her unconscious with a brown liquid seeping out of her mouth.
to acknowledge complaints of blocked intestines in some people who have taken the medication.
The update came after the federal agency received thousands of reports of gastrointestinal troubles from Ozempic users.
Gastroparesis is just one of many side effects that have been reported from consuming Ozempic.
Some experts have warned that Ozempic and similar medications have not been available long enough to study the long-term effects and are likely being misused by some as a quick way to shed weight.
