Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are sending dozens of Americans to the hospital every day with potentially life-threatening side effects.

Researchers at the CDC found there were 25,000 visits between 2022 and 2023 – about 68 per day – for symptoms related to semaglutide, the main ingredient in the drugs.

The most common complaints were nausea, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal complications such as vomiting and abdominal pain.

Other side effects sending people to the hospital were hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), allergic reactions and medication errors – such as people taking more of the drug than prescribed. 

The researchers did not detail the extent of people’s side effects nor if there were any deaths related to semaglutide, but DailyMail.com has spoken to victims who began suffering from hearing loss, uncontrollable bowel movements, hair loss, vision loss, pancreatitis and depression after starting the medications. 

The CDC report found majority of the ED visits – 80 percent – occurred in 2023 as the use of semaglutide medications soared. It is estimated about 13 percent of Americans – 33million people – have ever tried at least one weight-loss drug. 

The come amid growing concern about adverse side effects, and the researchers are urging doctors to do a better job at educating patients regarding use and side effects of semaglutide, as well as help manage their use of any other medications they are on before starting Ozempic or Wegovy.

Dawn Heidlebaugh (pictured), a mother-of-four from Ohio, said taking Ozempic left her feeling suicidal 

The CDC researchers analyzed data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance Project (NEISS-CADES).

The database keeps track of drug-related adverse events reported to a nationally representative sample of emergency departments in the US.

Based on 551 documented cases, the study estimated 24,499 ED visits were due to semaglutide use between 2022 and 2023.

Of those, 70 percent were for GI symptoms, including 58 percent for nausea and vomiting, 25 percent with abdominal pain and 12 percent with diarrhea.

Seventeen percent of ED visits were because of low blood sugar and six percent of people were experiencing an allergic reaction to the drug. 

Nine percent of the visits involved medication error.  

Among the visits to the ED, about one-third of people with low blood sugar and 15 percent of people with GI symptoms were admitted to the hospital for closer observation. 

The study did not reveal if any deaths related to the medications occurred. 

Nausea, diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting and constipation are listed as common side effects of Ozempic.

More severe side effects listed include thyroid tumors, changes in vision, pancreatitis, low blood sugar, dehydration and kidney complications, allergic reactions, food or liquid getting into the lungs and gallbladder complications. 

After being resigned to being obese, Brad Roberts couldn’t believe it when he lost 24lbs in a month on weight loss drugs. However, in a shocking turn of events, the 44-year-old father-of-four and his wife Stacey are suing the doctor who prescribed him the weight loss drugs

In addition to these, Wegovy also lists depression or suicidal thoughts, kidney failure, and increased heart rate as side effects. 

In one lawsuit, Ozempic user Brad Roberts claims the drug caused debilitating joint and muscle pain, as well as severe stomachaches that confined him to his bed for 18 hours a day. 

Other claims in the lawsuit include that he has trouble walking and suffers from memory loss, vision problems and issues communicating. 

In one of the court documents obtained by DailyMail.com, Dr Yadira Lockard, a psychologist who has served as Roberts’ therapist since January 2015, describes his deterioration after he was allegedly ‘dangerously’ overmedicated with weight loss drugs. 

She said she noticed a concerning change in his behavior about a year into his weight loss and eventually his condition deteriorated until he no longer had ‘the mental capacity to make life decisions of any particular consequence to himself or on behalf of his family.’ 

Additionally, the FDA has received hundreds of reports of suicidal thoughts and depression from patients on weight loss medications since 2010, as well as 36 deaths ‘by suicide or suspected suicide.’ 

As of 2023, 265 reports of suicidal thoughts and depression among people on weight-loss drugs had been received by the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), Reuters reported, though instances of suicidal thoughts on the drugs are unverified.

A DailyMail.com investigation last year revealed dozens of patients were suing Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, claiming they experienced extreme side effects they were not warned about. 

Most of the patients claim they suffered from gastroparesis – stomach paralysis. The condition, which can be life-threatening, causes a build-up of food in the gut and symptoms include nausea, vomiting and severe pain. 

Brea Hand, 23, told DailyMail.com she required five hospital visits before doctors diagnosed her with gastroparesis, which was allegedly caused by Ozempic

DailyMail.com reviewed more than a dozen lawsuits filed between November 2023 and January 2024 by patients who were diagnosed with gastroparesis after using Ozempic and Wegovy, including some who suffered ‘life-threatening’ bowel injuries and now face lifelong consequences.  

In one case, a woman who used Ozempic and Mounjaro claims she was diagnosed with gastroparesis, which caused her to vomit so much some of her teeth feel out.

In another, a woman was diagnosed with a ‘life-threatening bowel injury’ after using Ozempic and underwent surgery that lasted nearly nine hours. Doctors said she would be in pain ‘for the rest of her life’ and ‘will never have a solid bowel movement again.’

While the number of semaglutide-related hospital visits is concerning, it is on par with visits for side effects from other drugs. 

A 2021 study found roughly six in 1,000 Americans visit the ED every year due to medication-related complications and a 2022 study found over-the-counter cough or cold medications cause about 27,000 ED visits in the US every year.