The Surge in Ozempic and Wegovy Overdoses: Consequences of Excessive Intake

Excessive consumption of Ozempic can lead to hazardous outcomes.

Incidents of semaglutide overdoses, including products such as Wegovy and Ozempic, saw a more than twofold increase from 2022 to 2023, rising from 1,447 to 3,316. This data comes from America’s Poison Centers, representing 55 poison control centers nationwide.

These reports are part of a growing trend, with semaglutide overdose cases rising exponentially since 2019. The poison control centers recorded 196 cases in 2019, which rose to 364 in 2020 and 607 in 2021.

“ER visits can occur as a result,” stated Andrew Kraftson, MD, who leads the Weight Navigation Program at Michigan Medicine, in an interview with Health.

Here’s an explanation of the body’s response to an overdose of semaglutide.

Several factors may contribute to a semaglutide overdose.

The drugs function as appetite suppressants, slowing down the digestion process and producing a prolonged sense of fullness.

However, an excessive impact can be harmful.

"Taking too much semaglutide can exaggerate these effects, leading to severe nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or diarrhea,” explained Kaitlyn Brown, PharmD, clinical managing director at America’s Poison Centers.

Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of semaglutide, provides guidelines for safe consumption of the drug. It recommends a gradual increase in dosage.

This approach can minimize side effects, especially gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain, which are more likely with a rapid increase in dosage.

A combination of factors pushes people to skip this gradual approach, likely contributing to the rise in overdose cases, according to Kraftson.

Not all insurance companies offer coverage for semaglutide for weight loss. When it is covered, patients generally have to show they’ve lost a specific percentage of their weight in a three to six-month period, depending on the insurance company.

Failure to meet this condition can lead to the withdrawal of coverage.

Kraftson believes that this pressure could push patients to quickly switch to higher doses of semaglutide.

“If you need to lose 5% of your weight within three months, and the first .25 milligram dose is simply for safety rather than weight loss, then people might be tempted to try the .5 milligram dose straight away,” stated Kraftson. He also noted that personal deadlines, like trying to lose weight for a wedding, can contribute to this tendency.

Widespread shortages of semaglutide might also be causing some of these incidents.

Kraftson shared that patients regularly inquire about the availability of Wegovy or Ozempic at various pharmacies. Often, only a higher dosage is available, which is more than the recommended starting dose for a weight loss regimen.

Variations of semaglutide are likely to cause many of these overdoses, according to Kraftson.

Juliana Simonetti, MD, co-director of the Comprehensive Weight Management Program at the University of Utah, cautioned against acquiring semaglutide online or from medspas without consulting a clinician specialized in its usage.

Simonetti also mentioned that compounded drugs typically contain semaglutide salts, a different active ingredient from those in FDA-approved drugs.

A recent analysis revealed three cases of overdoses from compounded semaglutide. Toxicologists at the Utah Poison Control Center discovered that two of the three individuals had consumed 10 times the recommended dose.

A semaglutide overdose can have severe side effects.

Short-term effects of an overdose can include severe dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea.

As per Simonetti, this could lead to temporary kidney failure, which is usually reversible with appropriate care and hydration. However, prolonged dehydration could result in permanent kidney damage.

In such cases, Kraftson stressed the need for immediate medical attention. If food or liquids can't be kept down, IV hydration might be necessary.

In rare cases, a person who has overdosed may have extremely low blood sugar, which can be life-threatening, Brown explained.

Since semaglutide has a long half-life—the amount of time it takes for the drug to leave a person’s system—it usually takes more than a week for symptoms to go away, Simonetti said.

Another concern Simonetti has is muscle loss. When a person loses weight, it isn’t just fat they’re losing, they also lose muscle mass. This can be particularly dangerous for older patients who may already struggle to maintain muscle mass.

It also becomes easier to fracture bones, she said.

“There are all those issues that come along with getting medication without going to a provider that knows how to prescribe the medication,” she said.