Unlicensed Ozempic Alternatives Are Leading to Overdoses

There are many reasons why someone might want to seek out Ozempic or Wegovy, drugs in which the main ingredient is semaglutide. Controlling diabetes and losing weight are two of the biggest factors, but recent studies have pointed to a host of other benefits that can stem from taking these drugs. That’s the good news. The bad news? There’s also a growing phenomenon of people obtaining gray market alternatives to Ozempic — and then overdosing on them.

That unsettling experience is at the center of a harrowing New York Times article from Dani Blum. As Blum explains, poison control centers in the U.S. have fielded almost five times as many calls related to compounded drugs like semaglutide this year as they did in all of 2023.

Compounded versions of these drugs have become an area of concern for many medical professionals. Earlier this year, an article in Science explained why this is troubling: essentially, some compounding pharmacies are offering a legitimate alternative to Ozempic and Wegovy, while others are selling the circa-now version of snake oil. The Times‘ reporting points to another issue that’s come up here: patients buying compounded weight-loss drugs and not following the instructions — and overdosing as a result.

Last month, the FDA issued a warning about the potential ill effects of compounded semaglutide. The agency noted that overdosing led to “gastrointestinal effects (e.g., nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain), fainting, headache, migraine, dehydration, acute pancreatitis and gallstones.” It also urged medical providers prescribing compounded semaglutide to be aware of the appropriate concentrations and dosages, and to confer with compounding pharmacies when necessary.

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Overdosing on compounded semaglutide is one facet of a much larger grey market in this class of drugs. A paper published earlier this month at JAMA Network Open found that over 42% of online pharmacies offering to sell semaglutide to buyers without a prescription were operating illegally. One of the study’s authors, Tim Mackey, warned NBC News about the presence of “ineffective and dangerous products” being sold online. As with any kind of medication, it’s important to know what you’re getting into with semaglutide — and what the right way to use it is.