A mother from Australia used weight loss injections and tragically passed away. Her goal was to shed a few kilograms before her daughter's wedding.
Trish Webster, 56, was prescribed Ozempic and then Saxenda as she hoped to fit into her dream dress for her daughter's big day, and she lost 16kg (35 lbs) over five months. However, when she began experiencing nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, the narrative took a disastrous turn.
Her husband, Roy, said Trish collapsed at home on January 16, with a "brown substance" foaming from her mouth. He started doing CPR when he realized his wife was not breathing, then turned her to the side, but she tragically died that night, just months before the wedding.
The woman's death certificate states the cause was an acute gastrointestinal illness, according to 60 Minutes Australia. While this does not draw a direct link to the weight loss medication, Roy believes the drugs contributed to his wife's death. He said, "I never thought you could die from it."
Endocrinologist Dr. Kathryn Williams said there was growing evidence that the active ingredient in drugs like Ozempic can cause digestive complications. She explained: "When we prescribe them, we warn people. So if I say to someone, 'Yes, it might be that you do vomit once or twice, but if you are having recurrent vomiting, you need to let me know and you need to stop the medication'."
Roy now wants an inquest to examine his wife's death, and he hopes his warning will save other people before it is too late. He said, "She shouldn't be gone, you know. It's just not worth it; it's not worth it at all."
Dr. Michael Camilleri, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, US, told the Daily Mail that while deaths on Ozempic are "extremely rare", Mrs. Webster's case was a "cautionary tale" for patients on weight loss medications.
He said, "But if patients on these classes of medications develop chronic gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, postprandial fullness [or feeling excessively full] or vomiting, they may be experiencing delayed gastric emptying, and they could be at risk of pulmonary aspiration [when food or substances from the stomach are inhaled into the lungs].
Trish Webster, 56, was prescribed Ozempic and then Saxenda as she hoped to fit into her dream dress for her daughter's big day
"If so, someone on Ozempic or similar medications should stop taking the drug and consult a gastroenterologist. They should also undergo gastric emptying to see if their stomach is emptying more slowly."
Dr. Caroline Apovian, a weight management expert at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, added: "While we can't speculate on this particular case, complications are possible for anyone taking these medications. [Patients] should be carefully overseen by an endocrinologist or other qualified medical professional who can address complications when they arise."
Following several severe side effects, including comas, people across the nation were cautioned last month by the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) not to purchase phony weight loss pens being sold by unlicensed vendors. It issued the warning, seizing hundreds of devices claiming to contain Ozempic (semaglutide) or Saxenda (liraglutide).
Saxenda is authorized in the UK for weight loss with exercise and diet, while Ozempic has been authorized for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes, and while it is not authorized for weight loss, it is commonly used off-label for that purpose.
Credit: The mirror