There have been over 1,500 reports of suspected adverse reactions from weight loss medication, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has confirmed to RT\u00c9 News.<\/p>\n
The side effects include gastrointestinal issues, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, according to the HPRA.<\/p>\n
The HPRA has also received nine reports describing individuals who were known to be taking anti-obesity injections semaglutide, liraglutide or tirzepatide and died alongside the 1,532 side effects.<\/p>\n
However, the HPRA said that this did not mean that the medicines caused the side effects or fatalities.<\/p>\n
The drugs are marketed under different brand names and are authorised prescription-only medicines in the EU for the treatment of weight management or Type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, an expert in obesity management has said that a lot of people were accessing the treatments online without an appropriate prescription.<\/p>\n
Speaking on RT\u00c9’s News at One programme, Professor Donal O’Shea said people were not sure about what they were getting and were not appropriately counselled about the side effects.<\/p>\n
“When we prescribe these, we say to individuals that it’s really important to drink plenty, that you keep the fibre in your diet up so you don’t get constipated,” he said.<\/p>\n
“If you do start vomiting, you stop them immediately.<\/p>\n
“I think the 1,500 are likely to be the people who are engaged with their healthcare practitioners because it’s healthcare practitioners that do the reporting to the HPRA.<\/p>\n
“I think there’s another group that we know exists because I see them in the emergency department. For instance, people who come in with dizziness, people who come in with vomiting and kidney failure.<\/p>\n
“I’ve seen people admitted to intensive care in our own hospital because of the side effects of these drugs, so it’s very real,” he added.<\/p>\n