Taking Ozempic for weight loss? You might find other benefits, too - and a few risks

You may take Ozempic or another drug to control your diabetes or lose weight, but these so-called GLP-1s also have a host of other effects ‒ some good and some not so good.

A new study, the first to catalogue these risks and benefits, confirmed that these drugs are associated with a lower risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular problems.

People who took the medicines also had fewer seizures and addictions to alcohol, cannabis and opioids, according to the study, published Monday in the journal Nature.

The research, which compared about 2 million veterans with diabetes, some of whom took the drugs and some didn't, found the medications were also associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

More: Medicare targets popular weight loss drugs Ozempic, Wegovy for price negotiations

These diabetes and weight loss drugs work by slowing digestion and curbing appetite, said the study's senior author, Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University School of Medicine and chief of research at the VA Saint Louis Health Care System.

It’s possible that by reducing food cravings, they may also reduce cravings for other substances like alcohol, he said.

Most people saw a modest 10% to 20% reduction in the risk of these health problems ‒ perhaps because of the drugs themselves, or because of the general health benefits that come with losing excess body weight, Al-Aly said. Or maybe both.

“The two mechanisms are not mutually exclusive,” he said.

On the flip side, the study found that these drugs, known as GLP-1s, are also associated with an increased risk of several negative health outcomes and side effects. The most common were the well-known gastrointestinal problems, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and gastroparesis, or stomach paralysis.

Monica Church, 56, knows about these side effects firsthand. The Goodrich, Michigan resident was hospitalized after taking the medication in December 2023 because she couldn’t keep down any food or fluids.

She still has stomach pain when she eats certain foods or is under any stress.

“It’s still wreaking havoc on my body,” she said.

Researchers also found the medications were associated with an increased risk of hypotension, or low blood sugar, arthritic disorders, and pancreas and kidney problems.

The study is the first to map out all the potential benefits and risks associated with this class of medications. Now that health experts have this “atlas” of information, Al-Aly hopes more research is done to better understand how these drugs can impact multiple parts of the body.

“This really should serve as a wake-up call for regulators to demand companies to take a more comprehensive look,” he said.

Drug companies Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, who manufacture GLP-1s, including Ozempic and Mounjaro for diabetes and Wegovy and Zepbound for weight loss, did not to respond to USA TODAY's request for comment about the research.

Adrianna Rodriguez can be reached at adrodriguez@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ozempic side effects: Benefits, risks revealed in new study