Some 15 cases of Wernicke encephalopathy<\/a> were identified between 2023-2024 in an Israeli study\u2019s<\/a> review of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration\u2019s adverse event reports and related literature.<\/p>\n Wernicke encephalopathy is a potentially life-threatening neurological disorder caused by a severe deficiency of vitamin B1<\/a> that can lead to permanent memory loss and an inability to form new memories.<\/p>\n Experts stressed that this condition is not common.<\/p>\n “Researchers went through adverse event reports and the medical literature and found a small number of cases, 15, of Wernicke encephalopathy in people taking GLP-1 drugs,\u201d Karthik Achari, a Chicago-based clinician who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital<\/a>. “That’s out of millions of people on these medications. So this is rare.”<\/p>\n “But it’s real, it’s serious, and the mechanism makes sense,” he added.<\/p>\n Most of the 15 cases in the study were reported in people suffering gastrointestinal side effects from the drugs, such as vomiting and diarrhea, and loss of appetite. <\/p>\n Vitamin B1, which supports the nervous system and brain health, only comes from food and supplements. <\/p>\n \u201cMost patients [13 of 15] reported gastrointestinal manifestations of either weight loss, vomiting, loss of appetite or malnutrition,\u201d the researchers wrote.<\/p>\n Some 11 percent of U.S. adults – or around 30 million – now take GLP-1 drugs for weight loss, according to a Gallup poll<\/a> conducted this summer.<\/p>\n The majority of the cases in the study occurred with GLP-1 drugs made with the active ingredient semaglutide, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, or tirzepatide GLP-1s, like in Zepbound.<\/p>\n The Independent has contacted drug makers, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, for comment. <\/p>\n The findings suggest that patients on the drugs who experience more intense gastrointestinal side effects may be at an increased risk for Wernicke encephalopathy. <\/p>\n However, the researchers noted that FDA reports cannot prove the GLP-1 medications caused the condition. More research is needed to do that and the scientists were clear that patients should not stop taking prescribed GLP-1 drugs based on the study alone.<\/p>\n Past research has also discovered possible links between a small number of GLP-1 drug users and the brain condition.<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cWe noticed that patients weren’t just losing weight; they were also experiencing severe gastroparesis and persistent vomiting,\u201d Dr. Manar Kadhem, from Egypt\u2019s Mansoura University, wrote in the research published in April.<\/p>\n Immediate treatment is necessary to prevent the worst outcomes from Wernicke encephalopathy.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/2026-08-25T100018Z_4511878_RC2IOMAE60QF_RTRMADP_3_USA-HEALTH-INSURANCE.JPG\")
A small number of people who took GLP-1 drugs developed a rare brain condition – but experts say they can\u2019t prove one caused the other yet (Reuters)<\/p>\n