The Ugly Side of Weight-Loss Drugs: Rotten Breath, Damaged Teeth, and Dry Mouth

[justaprogressive]

Ozempic and Wegovy have been hailed as wonder drugs when it comes to weight loss. But as the drug has become more widely used, a number of unintended side-effects have become apparent—with the weight loss drug affecting the appearance of everything from your butt to your feet.

“Ozempic face” is another commonly reported consequences of using these popular weight loss drugs. This is a sunken or hollowed out appearance the face can take on in people taking weight loss drugs. It can also increase signs of ageing—including lines, wrinkles and sagging skin.

This happens because semaglutide (the active ingredient in both Ozempic and Wegovy) isn’t localised to act just on the fat we want to lose. Instead, it targets all of our body’s fat—including in the face.

But it isn’t just the appearance of your face that semaglutide affects. These drugs may also affect the mouth and teeth, too. And these side-effects could potentially lead to lasting damage.

Dry mouth
Semaglutide effects the salivary glands in the mouth. It does this by reducing saliva production (hyposalivation), which can in turn lead to dry mouth (xerostomia). This means there isn’t enough saliva to keep the mouth wet.

https://gizmodo.com/the-ugly-side-of-weight-loss-drugs-rotten-breath-damaged-teeth-and-dry-mouth-2000612385

[The Blue Flower]

1. It was prescribed for my diabetes

I lost my appetite to such a degree that I felt weak and tired all the time. I couldn't eat more than a couple of bites of anything at a time. My doctor became concerned that I wasn't getting the nutrients I needed, so she took me off of it. I'm on insulin now and feel much better.

[Freddie]

4. I'm taking Mounjaro for diabetes

A wonder drug, so far. 26 lbs down, lots more to go but I feel great. Sometimes I have to force myself to eat. Doc said balanced diet with lots of protein and water. My daughter was on Wegovy and couldn’t deal with the nausea and vomiting.

[hlthe2b]

2. Perhaps they need to talk about the worst consequences of induced gastroparesis (stomach paralysis)

It doesn't just reduce hunger, but in worst-case scenarios, can result in life-threatening intestinal blockages, diabetes (new or existing) that is refractory to insulin and other drugs (extremely difficult to control), malnutrition from poor absorption of nutrients, life-threatening dehydration, biliary disease, pancreatitis, and on and on.

Yes, the weight loss can be incredibly beneficial from a cardiovascular point of view--as it can with some long-standing diabetics (albeit that is a mixed issue as discussed above) but...

"Miracle" for some. "Deadly" for others. But the worst is the non-FDA-approved compounded analogs, for which we have zero control over their exact components...

Taking it purely to lose a few pounds to look like a Hollywood "influencer" sans medical oversight may well end with you in the ER.

[tanyev]

3. Yeah, that creeps me out.

I’d rather experiment with intermittent fasting. I don’t see me being able to do that as long as I’m working, but since I’m planning to quit in a few months, that’s going to be at the top of my post-work to do list.

[newdeal2]

5. This seems like a stretch

Yes these are possible. But they seem like they are stretching to find negatives to drive clicks.

[elocs]

6. It's the American Way--always wanting a drug as an easy solution for all our problems.

I remember an old Twilight Zone episode that I just can't find on a search because the wrong episode ("To Serve Man&quot keeps coming up. But it's one where people would take a drug (?) which allowed them to eat as much as they liked without gaining weight and it worked great. The TZ fly in the ointment was that it didn't allow them to absorb any needed nutrients from the food they were eating so in reality they were starving to death while gorging themselves.

Our weight problem is the result of SAD, the Standard American Diet and we are reaping the consequences of how the big food companies say we should eat, like eating sugary cereal for breakfast each day.