Weight-loss drugs that treat other conditions come with health risks too
Medical News
Weight-loss drugs that treat other conditions come with health risks too
People taking the medications should be carefully evaluated for the potential negatives
The obesity medications now making headlines for being able to also treat diabetes, heart disease, cognitive issues, and alcohol addiction problems, while also reducing mortality, may not be the medical wonders we all hoped for as they come with big risks. Despite their benefits, the class of drugs called glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists( GLP-1), which include household names like Wegovy and Ozempic, can also increase the risk of 19 health conditions, including gastrointestinal issues, kidney stones, and acute pancreatitis.
In order to map the pros and cons of GLP-1 drugs, US researchers scoured medical records from more than two million people taking diabetes medications, among whom over 215,000 were taking GLP-1, while the rest were on other diabetes drugs, such as Jardiance.
“ We saw skyrocketing utilization of GLP-1s, and we saw a few reports investigating one outcome or another” but no study that comprehensively investigated their effectiveness and risk across the board, study senior author Dr Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research at the VA St. Louis Health Care System, told Medical News Today.“ So we decided to do this comprehensive study looking at all 175 possible health outcomes, leaving no stone unturned.”
The findings show that nausea, constipation, and gastroesophageal reflux disease are some of the most common adverse effects linked to taking GLP-1 drugs, while other risks include low blood pressure, sleep problems, headaches, gall bladder disease, and kidney inflammation.
At the same time, Dr Al-Aly and his team also found that GLP-1 drugs can lower the risk of Alzheimer’ s and dementia, a piece of evidence that matches findings from other research. They also observed that GLP-1 drugs had the potential to reduce risk for substance use disorders that involve alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and opioids.“ The effectiveness of GLP-1 drugs in curbing addictive behavior may explain their spectacular success in treating obesity, a chronic disease state that many have suggested is indeed a food addiction disorder,” he wrote in The Conversation.
The GLP-1 drug Wegovy, in particular, has also showed to offer great benefits against heart disease, so much so that the US Food and Drug Administration( FDA) last year greenlighted its use to reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, heart attack, and stroke in adults with obesity or overweight.
The new study, however, offers a much-needed reminder for the millions of people who are good candidates for GLP-1 therapy that most drugs have both positives and negatives to ponder.
“ A significant challenge with using GLP-1 drugs is the high rates at which patients stop using them, often driven by their exorbitant cost or the emergence of adverse effects. Discontinuation can lead to rapid weight gain,” Dr Al-Aly wrote in The Conversation.
“ That’ s a problem, because obesity is a chronic disease. GLP-1 drugs provide effective treatment but do not address the underlying causes of obesity and metabolic dysfunction. As a result, GLP-1 drugs need to be taken long term to sustain their effectiveness and prevent rebound weight gain.”
He also highlighted the many still-unanswered questions around their long-term effectiveness and risks and whether there were differences among the several types of GLP-1 medications.
The new study, however, offers a much-needed reminder for the millions of people who are good candidates for GLP-1 therapy that most drugs have both positives and negatives to ponder.
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