Many ignored the "freezing of your digestive process" potential serious side effect of Ozempic and similar weight loss drugs. Now, some are going BLIND.
10 February 2025
Experts have sounded the alarm about blockbuster weight loss drugs like Ozempic leaving users blind.
Several studies have linked the shots to conditions that cause inflammation and block blood flow to the eye, causing severe and sometimes permanent vision loss.
Now, researchers have detailed nine new reports of US patients who went blind after taking semaglutide or tirzepatide, the active ingredients in Ozempic and Mounjaro, respectively.
One woman injected one dose of semaglutide for her diabetes and woke up the next morning blind in her left eye.
This prompted her to stop the medication for two months before her diabetes forced her to go back on it. Two weeks after restarting, she lost vision in her right eye as well.
Another woman who had been taking semaglutide for a year woke up one morning with a 'painless shadow' over her left eye. Testing revealed blood vessels in her retina had become damaged, leading to blindness.
And one suffered bleeding in his left eye after taking tirzepatide for a year. However, doctors told him to keep taking the drug due to a lack of evidence linking his condition to weight loss shots.
The experts said while the exact cause is unclear, drugs like Ozempic rapidly lowering blood sugar levels could damage blood vessels in the eyes, leading to vision loss.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14380795/ozempic-patients-blind-doctors-effect.html
Health regulators in Europe will investigate whether Ozempic and other weight loss drugs cause blindness.
Several studies have now linked the shots to a condition that blocks blood flow to the nerves of the eye, causing vision loss.
Harvard doctors began investigating NovoNordisk's blockbuster drug, which is officially approved for diabetes treatment, in 2023, after three patients taking the drug were diagnosed with the condition in one week.
Their findings, published in July, warned that Ozempic may be linked to a two fold increase in cases of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION).
Then, earlier this month two studies out of Denmark, where Ozempic's maker is based, found a similar connection.
… NAION occurs when blood flow gets cut off to the nerve that connects the eye to the brain, interrupting the connection and making someone blind.
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Since their approval and mass circulation, patients have reported a number of unexpected side effects linked to the various weight loss drugs.
Black box warnings for the Ozempic include that it may increase the risk of developing thyroid tumors. The label also warns about the risk of developing stomach paralysis which can lead to nausea, vomiting and malnutrition.
Other individuals have reported developing problems with suicidal thoughts, sexual dysfunction and hair loss as a result of the drug.
Roughly 6 percent of Americans who are currently using some form of the drug - representing more than 15 million people.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14205789/officials-ozempic-cause-blinding-eye-disease-Denmark-EU.html