Woman Dies After Taking Ozempic to Slim Down for Daughter's Wedding
Trish Webster, 56, an Australian woman who took Ozempic to fit into her dream dress for her daughter's wedding, has tragically died from gastrointestinal illness. Her husband is now cautioning others that the medication is "not worth it at all."
Prescribed Ozempic to lose weight, Webster successfully shed 35 pounds in five months but began experiencing severe illness. On January 16, months before the wedding, her husband Roy Webster found her unconscious, with a brown liquid seeping from her mouth. Despite his attempts at CPR, she died that night, with the cause of death listed as acute gastrointestinal illness.
Ozempic, approved by the US FDA for Type 2 diabetes, is widely used for weight loss. It mimics the GLP-1 hormone to slow food passage through the stomach, making people feel full longer. However, issues arise if it slows the stomach too much or causes intestinal blockage, known as "ileus." As of late September, the FDA had received 18 reports of ileus in Ozempic users.
Trish Webster also took Saxenda, another weight-loss drug, along with Ozempic. While her death hasn't been officially linked to these medications, her husband believes they played a role. "If I knew that could happen, she wouldn't have been taking it," he said.
Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic, acknowledged reports of ileus emerged after the drug's release. The company, along with Eli Lilly and Company, faces lawsuits in the US over claims that their weight-loss drugs cause severe gastrointestinal issues, including gastroparesis, which can be fatal.
The FDA updated the Ozempic label in September to recognize complaints of blocked intestines. Reports of gastrointestinal troubles have surged, with experts warning that long-term effects of Ozempic and similar medications are not yet fully understood and may be misused for rapid weight loss.
