I just intuitively sensed there must be a catch – to the seeming miracle that GLP-1 meds have wrought as a weight-loss aids. New science claims to have uncovered evidence that GLP-1 drugs can cause ‘a potentially life-threatening brain disorder’…
Originally developed to combat diabetes and other auto-immune conditions, GLP-1 meds have become the weight loss method of choice for millions of folks around the world. Largely because you just lose the weight – and keep it off as long as you keep taking the meds – and don’t have to make any effort whatsoever to see the benefits.
But there’s that catch…
An Australian research team looking into the side effects of GLP-1 meds data-mined the the US Food and Drug Administration’s adverse event reports and related literature. And they found an alarming trend among folks who use GLP-1 meds solely for weight loss, The Independent reports.
They uncovered, in 2023 and 2024 alone, 15 cases of an extremely rare, but potentially fatal brain condition involving an extreme lack of vitamin B1. Wernicke Encephalopathy (WE) can cause perman-ent memory loss and an inability to form new memories. In extreme cases, it can be deadly.
Sufferers often complain of other side effects including vomiting and diarrhea, and loss of appetite.
Still rare, but…
The condition is still rare. “That’s [15 cases] out of millions of people on these medications,” Karthik Achari, a Chicago-based physician who was not involved in the study, told Fox News. “That’s out of millions of people on these medications.”
But the researchers only analyzed data from 2023 and 2024. And he longer people take GLP-1 meds, the more common WE may become.
The takeaway
“WE is a potentially rare but severe adverse event of GLP-1 RA treatment, mainly with semaglutide or tirzepatide,” the study’s Conclusion says. “As early detection may prevent neurological [side effects], increased clinical awareness is warranted, especially in individuals experiencing severe gastroin-testinal symptoms.”
My take
According to a recent Gallup poll, 11 percent of the US population, or about 30 million adults, are currently taking GLP-1 meds for weight loss. That’s a lot of folks – and a big pool of ‘patients at pot-ential risk’ of serious brain issues.
‘Increased clinical awareness’, expressed as increased efforts at early detection and treatment, seems to me to be both a no-brainer, and a hugely important commitment physicians across the western world need to make – now.
~ Maggie J.