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(NewsNation<\/a>) \u2014 As the popularity of weight loss drugs<\/a> has increased, so have calls to poison control as people, including children, overdose<\/a> on the medications.<\/p>\n GLP-1 drugs<\/a> like Ozempic and Zepbound are designed to be injected, typically once a week. That means the medications are set to remain in the body for that long, which can have devastating consequences if a child gets their hands on the medicine.<\/p>\n The case of Jessa Milender, reported by local Indiana news outlet WTHR<\/a>, is one example. The then-7-year-old girl took her mother\u2019s GLP-1 injection<\/a>, which she thought was a drug for stomach aches.<\/p>\n In Jessa\u2019s case, she ended up being hospitalized twice as she suffered constant vomiting and pain, with doctors fearing her kidneys could be damaged.<\/p>\n Weight loss drugs come with side effects<\/a>, including gastrointestinal distress. As with most medications, those side effects are worse if people take more of the drug than prescribed. In most cases, that\u2019s due to people taking their next dose too early, incorrectly measuring a dose or thinking that extra medication will help them lose weight more quickly.<\/p>\n Jessa ended up in the hospital for supportive treatment because there\u2019s nothing doctors can do to reverse the effects of GLP-1 medication<\/a> or force the body to eliminate the drug more quickly. Jessa fully recovered.<\/p>\n Indiana\u2019s poison control center said calls related to the drugs have seen a significant increase, though it\u2019s hard to get a true sense of how often GLP-1 overdoses<\/a> are occurring because many people don\u2019t call poison control and simply deal with the symptoms on their own.<\/p>\n As GLP-1 therapies become more accessible and inexpensive, overdoses will likely continue to rise.<\/p>\n