A healthcare professional has urged people to think twice before taking weight loss jabs. Deborah Grayson, a pharmacist with 30 years of experience, has revealed that these treatments can have “alarming side effects”.
Mounjaro (active ingredient: tirzepatide) is a Type 2 diabetes treatment that comes in the form of an injection, which you inject yourself. Such treatments are now being used for weight loss as they make you feel full for longer, reducing cravings.
Deborah told the Daily Mail that said that they do this by “slowing the stomach”, but says that this effect, which helps with weight loss, “can become a curse”. She said that she is seeing more cases of gastroparesis, where ineffective neuromuscular contractions of the stomach result in food and liquid remaining in the stomach for a prolonged period. The pharmacist added that other related symptoms are “relentless”: feeling full after eating very little, nausea or vomiting, bloating, stomach pain and heartburn.
Deborah said that what is more concerning is these side effects potentially being long-lasting: “We once believed these problems would be resolved when the injections were stopped.
“We are now discovering this isn’t always the case – leaving some patients with permanent symptoms. This is not just uncomfortable; it’s debilitating.”
This comes after Nadine Dorries revealed the side effects she experienced while on Mounjaro. The former MP and Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said she was prescribed the drug due to being prediabetic.
After starting her Mounjaro injections last June, Dorries developed severe heartburn and relied on Gaviscon to control the pain. But when she stopped the jabs in January, the heartburn only worsened.
Dorries said she was put on PPIs to reduce acid production and had to have an endoscopy, leading to a diagnosis of Barrett’s oesophagus, which increases the risk of oesophageal adenocarcinoma, a form of cancer. Deborah said this side effect is caused by gastroparesis, “delayed gastric emptying”.
The pharmacist said patients taking these diabetes treatments could be left with “devastating gastrointestinal complications” and “locked into additional medication use”. She urged doctors and patients to “take this seriously”.
Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro, told the Express: “Patient safety is Lilly’s top priority, and we take any reports regarding patient safety seriously. Regulatory agencies conduct extensive independent assessments of the benefits and risks of every new medicine and Lilly is committed to continually monitoring, evaluating, and reporting safety data to ensure the latest information is available for regulators and prescribers.
“The Mounjaro (tirzepatide) Patient Information Leaflet warns patients to talk to their healthcare provider before using Mounjaro if they have severe problems with food digestion or food remaining in their stomach for longer than normal, including severe gastroparesis. It also warns that ‘delay in the emptying of the stomach’ is an uncommon side effect, occurring in 1 in 100 patients.
“We encourage patients to consult their doctor or other healthcare professional regarding any possible side effects they may be experiencing and to ensure that they are getting genuine Lilly medicine.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
