Do Ozempic and Wegovy have hidden side effects? Lawsuit alleges bowel obstruction, stomach paralysis

(NEXSTAR) – A woman who used the semaglutide drugs Wegovy and Ozempic to lose weight and treat diabetes says the drugmaker didn't adequately warn her, or other patients, of the serious side effects she ended up experiencing.

Juanita Gantt told CBS News she was found unconscious on the floor last October. When taken to the hospital, doctors realized "parts of her large intestine had died and needed to be removed," CBS reports.

She now has an ileostomy bag in place because her colon was removed.

The medical emergency prompted her to file a lawsuit against Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that makes Wegovy and Ozempic. (The drugs work the same way, but Wegovy is approved for weight loss and Ozempic is for diabetes.) Gantt claims Novo Nordisk doesn't warn prominently warn patients of the life-threatening side effects like the ones she experienced, such as stomach paralysis or bowel obstruction.

"We are aware of the health challenges this patient has experienced and are sympathetic to her health journey. Patient safety is our top priority at Novo Nordisk, and we work closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to continuously monitor the safety profile of our medicines," a Novo Nordisk spokesperson told Nexstar in a statement.

These types of medications, which imitate the GLP-1 hormone to slow down digestion and reduce feelings of hunger, have been on the market a long time to treat diabetes, the spokesperson continued. There are known risks, as well as benefits, the company said. Those risks are outlined in Ozempic and Wegovy's full prescribing information documents.

The spokesperson said Novo Nordisk believes the lawsuit allegations are "without merit" and the company plans to "vigorously defend against these claims."

What are the known side effects of Wegovy and Ozempic?

While Ozempic and Wegovy have been hailed in recent months as weight loss and diabetes miracle drugs, they have known side effects – from the aesthetic ("Ozempic face") to the puzzling ("Ozempic babies").

But there are more common side effects. Many of them are gastrointestinal: nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting, constipation, bloating, belching, heartburn. Other common side effects are headache, fatigue, dizziness, low blood sugar for people with type 2 diabetes, stomach flu, runny nose and sore throat.

The drugs also have more serious side effects, such as:

• Thyroid tumors, including cancer
• Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancras)
• Gallbladder problems and gallstones, which may require surgery
• Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar
• Kidney problems and kidney failure
• Increased heart rate while you are at rest
• Change in vision for people with type 2 diabetes
• Depression or thoughts of suicide
• Serious allergic reactions

While other gastrointestinal issues are mentioned in the 15-page prescribing guidelines for each of the drugs, stomach paralysis and bowel obstruction (the issues alleged in the lawsuit) aren't referenced.

A study published last year in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at 16 million people who were prescribed GLP-1 drugs between 2006 and 2020. When compared with those using another weight loss drug called bupropion-naltrexone, those who used the GLP-1-type drugs had a four times higher risk of bowel obstruction or stomach paralysis.

The study's lead researchers said that these serious effects are rare, affecting only about 1% of patients, but people should still be aware of them and talk to their doctors if they have concerns.