Warning: Why miracle weight loss drugs Ozempic, Wegovy are not for diabetics

Popular new weight-loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy are accompanied by warnings from medical professionals and patients especilly for people with diabetes.

Nausea, vomiting, and fainting are the most frequent adverse effects of these medications. However, there has also been an increase in ER visits, with one recorded at Mesa's Banner Desert Medical Centre in November.

Dave Wilhelmi has been fighting Type 2 diabetes for ten years, and his physician believes Ozempic, a recently approved medication, could be of assistance.

"My blood sugars, my A1C were a little bit high and so this would be a better way to control my Type 2 diabetes," said Wilhelmi.

However, problems began to arise after a few months on Ozempic, two other diabetes medications, and progressively greater dosages; it was then necessary to visit the emergency room.

"They confirmed what I kind of suspected. I was severely dehydrated, and that can happen when you take some of these drugs."

Dave is not alone himself. Calls related to these medications are increasing at poison control centres around the nation.

"Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen a doubling in the numbers of calls reported to our centre," said Dr Bryan Kuhn, a pharmacist and toxicologist at Banner Health.

According to Dr Kuhn, misuse or high dosages are the main causes of problems.

"When we see patients taking the higher dose or if they accidentally or inadvertently take a double dose or some sort of the dose in medication, these otherwise tolerable and self-limiting symptoms can be quite uncomfortable and potentially harmful."