Semaglutide overdoses increased drastically in the United States between 2022 and 2023. Compounded versions of medications like Wegovy and Ozempic likely caused most cases.\n<\/p>\n
There are several reasons why semaglutide overdoses might happen.\n<\/p>\n
These drugs act as appetite suppressants. They slow the rate at which food moves through your digestive tract, making you feel full longer. Too much of this effect can negatively impact your body.\n<\/p>\n
“When someone takes too much semaglutide, these effects can be more pronounced, leading to more significant nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or diarrhea,\u201d Kaitlyn Brown, PharmD<\/a>, clinical managing director at America’s Poison Centers, told Health.\n<\/p>\n High Doses <\/p>\n Novo Nordisk, the company that makes semaglutide, has recommendations for taking the drug safely. They suggest a step-up approach, in which you start with a smaller dose and gradually increase it.\n<\/p>\n This can decrease side effects, namely digestive effects<\/a> like nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, which are more likely if you start with a high dose.\n<\/p>\n However, several factors push people to skip this step-up approach, likely contributing to the rise in reported overdoses, according to Andrew Kraftson, MD<\/a>, director of the Weight Navigation Program at Michigan Medicine.\n<\/p>\n Not all insurance companies cover semaglutide for weight loss. When covered, you typically need to prove you’ve lost a certain portion of your weight within 3-6 months, depending on the insurer.\n<\/p>\n If the person fails to meet this benchmark, it\u2019s considered a \u201ctreatment failure,\u201d and insurance may pull coverage.\n<\/p>\n According to Dr. Kraftson, this pressure can prompt people using semaglutide to jump to higher doses more quickly than recommended.\n<\/p>\n \u201cIf you only have three months to meet 5% of the weight loss goal, and that first 0.25 milligram dose is really a safety dose rather than a weight loss dose, people are going to want to go up to the 0.5 milligram dose right away,\u201d Dr. Kraftson told Health.\n<\/p>\n Self-made deadlines, such as losing weight for a wedding, can also have the same effect.\n<\/p>\n Widespread Shortages <\/p>\n