Man says he experienced 'Ozempic Personality' side effect after taking weight-loss drug
Lucy Devine
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Photo
A man has claimed he experienced personality changes while taking a GLP-1 weight loss medication.
Although Ozempic is not officially approved as a weight-loss drug and is primarily prescribed to treat diabetes, its appetite-suppressing effects mean that, when combined with diet and exercise, it can help people lose weight.
Ozempic was approved in 2017 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help diabetics, and works through its active ingredient semaglutide, which mimics the body's natural GLP-1 hormone responsible for regulating appetite.
The medication is administered once a week, with dosages starting from 0.25mg before increasing each time to the limit of 2mg.
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According to Today, as well as physical changes, a number of people taking GLP-1 medication have started experiencing an unusual side effect, with one patient - who uses the jabs for weight loss and diabetes management - explaining he noticed changes in his personality.
He said: "It was about three years in when I really started to discover that I was really not having the same amount of pleasure or seeking the same amount of pleasure in the activities I once enjoyed.
"Oddly enough, baseball was the first clue, I've always been an avid baseball fan... it was a couple of years into my GLP-1 journey that I realised I haven't been following baseball at all."
The patient explained that the enthusiasm he once had has disappeared with his weight.
Obesity specialist Dr Christopher McGowan shed some light on the issue, claiming he has noticed it in a growing number of patients.
He said: "It's a little unclear how frequent it's occurring because this was not studied in the original clinical trials, but what patients are telling us is a general decrease in interest, or pleasure in activities they previously enjoyed."
The reports are anecdotal but Dr McGowan thinks it makes sense, when you consider how GLP-1s work within the body.
Dr McGowan added: "They target the hunger centers and the reward centers, and that's why food tastes less delicious, you have less food noise... if that extends to other aspects of life, that can be problematic.
"The first thing I tell patients is report these symptoms to your medical team."
The patient explained that he stopped using the GLP-1 medication for six weeks before returning to a lower dose.
UNILAD has reached out to Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly - the manufacturers of Ozempic, Mounjaro and Zepbound - for comment.
Novo Nordisk said: "At Novo Nordisk we care deeply about patient safety. Like all medicines, treatments used for chronic conditions can have side effects, and these can vary from person to person. That is why medicines are prescribed by healthcare professionals, who consider the potential benefits and risks for each individual.
"In the UK we work closely with the Government medicines regulator, the MHRA, to share details of the safety reports we receive and to ensure that side effects are accurately reflected in the approved information for our medicines. When considering the totality of evidence from our clinical trials, post marketing reports and observational studies, we believe the benefit–risk profile of semaglutide remains favourable when used as indicated.
"Anyone with concerns about side effects, or about whether a medicine is right for them, should speak to their doctor, nurse or pharmacist, who can provide personalised medical advice and support. We would also encourage anyone who believes they are experiencing side effects to report them to their healthcare professional."