Unprecedented Surge in Poison Control Calls Due to Ozempic Dosing Errors
A groundbreaking study recently published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology has unveiled a significant and largely preventable public health issue stemming from the weight-loss drug boom. The study found that poison control calls involving semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy) saw a more than five-fold increase following the FDA’s approval of the drug for obesity management in 2021. This led to a rise from roughly 1,500 calls per year to over 8,000 by 2023.
Researchers from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and the South Texas Poison Center examined over 10,000 reported drug exposure cases from the National Poison Data System between 2012 and 2023. Their findings revealed that semaglutide alone accounted for 64% of all GLP-1-related calls post the FDA’s obesity approval. The researchers described this dominance as “staggering.”
The primary cause was not intentional misuse or a dangerous drug interaction. Instead, it was two entirely avoidable errors: patients injecting the drug daily instead of weekly, and patients beginning at the maximum dose rather than gradually increasing the dose as per the prescribing instructions. Most cases resulted in mild gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. However, the proportion of patients referred to a healthcare facility rose from 23% to 33.5% over the study period.
“We need to better educate the public because how this drug behaves in our body and its long-term safety are not yet fully understood,” stated David Han, the study’s supervising professor. The researchers are advocating for improved patient counseling at the point of prescribing. This is particularly important for telehealth platforms, where most new semaglutide prescriptions are now initiated.