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Photo: Depositphotos.com<\/p>\n October 31, 2025 Photo: Depositphotos.com<\/p>\n
The number of people who are poisoning themselves as a result of the unsupervised use of slimming medication is ballooning, toxicological centre NVIC has said<\/a>.<\/p>\n The centre has received some 105 reports of poisoning so far this year compared to 75 in 2024 as a whole and just 41 in 2023, the AD reported on Friday.<\/p>\n Most cases involved semaglutide, which is the active ingredient in registered brands Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, and which had been bought by users online without doctors\u2019 advice.<\/p>\n Symptoms include nausea and vomiting as well as stomach and bowel problems. \u201cAnd these are just the cases reported by family doctors or specialists. There are many more that we don\u2019t hear about,\u201d NVIC head Dylan de Lange told the AD<\/a>.<\/p>\n De Lange said that in several cases, people ended up severely dehydrated and in need of emergency care. \u201cPeople who really overdo it risk getting gastroparesis, which affects the stomach muscles so food is not processed properly,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n According to De Lange, the unsupervised use of the appetite suppressants is mounting. \u201cPeople are buying them online or getting them in other ways. With this type of medication, you have to start very slowly, increasing the dosage until you get to the level that fits you,\u201d De Lange said.<\/p>\n The increased use of the medication has prompted more studies into rare but serious side effects such as acute kidney failure, liver infections, muscle wasting, and eye blood vessel infections which can lead to blindness, he said.<\/p>\n Some 120,000 people in the Netherlands were prescribed slimming drugs in 2024.<\/p>\n Weight-loss drugs in the Netherlands are currently only covered by insurance for individuals with a body mass index of at least 35 and type II diabetes. However, in a government backed survey earlier this year, 90% of respondents said weight loss drugs should be included in the basic insurance package.<\/p>\n Health<\/a> Society<\/a> Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.<\/p>\n We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.<\/p>\n