From Hollywood stars to mothers in the suburbs, the diabetes-turned drug that is Ozempic loss loss, has exploded in popularity throughout the country.
But as more and more people reach for the Jabs, the worries of an ever -growing list of severe – even potentially deadly – side effects.
Nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea and fatigue are among the most reported. Then there are the horror stories about thyroid cancer, pancreatitis, gastric paralysis and blindness.
Now experts and patients fear that they have discovered a new risk: deafness.
Slimmers on the drug report serious problems, including painful ringing sounds, disorienting muted sounds and, in the most extreme cases, fully blown -up hearing loss.
Some doctors believe that they may have worked out what is behind these alarming symptoms.
Speaking with the Daily Mail, says Dr. Robert Disogra, the New Jersey -based audiology adviser, the problems that are reported can be the result of a loss of fat in the ear.
Sudden and fast weight loss can cause fat tissue around the Eustachian tubes that connect your ears to your throat, shrink.
Ozempian patients complain about hearing problems after taking medication
This can ensure that the tubes remain open when they have to be closed and ultimately lead to the hearing problems reported by those on Ozempic.
Dr. Tony Floyd, who is located in New South Wales, Australia, says that he had one patient whose Eustachian tubes remained open all the time after they had lost a considerable amount of weight with Ozempic. He says that their symptoms include the 'feeling of pressure and damped hearing in one ear'.
Experts in the Brigham and the Vrouwenziekenhuis in Boston explain that when hearing tubes remain open due to a loss of fat, “it ensures that sounds are transferred directly to the middle ear.” This situation is known as a patent or patent Eustachian tube disk function.
Together with ringing sounds and muted hearing, they warn that patients can also experience autophony – and that is when you hear generated sounds, such as your breathing, voice or heartbeat.
They advise: 'Treatment includes avoiding triggers such as caffeine consumption (or a decrease in the quantity), rehydration during powerful exercise or changing hormonal therapy. If medical treatment fails or return symptoms, surgery can be necessary to correct or change the opening of the Eustachian tube. '
Ozempic was originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels. Diabetes can be genetic – known as type 1 diabetes, but about three -quarters of the 38.4 million cases in the US are type 2 and caused by a poor diet and lifestyle.
After studies have shown the medicine-that in the Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist (GLP-1S) injections category, a very effective appetite-oppressive agent, the weekly injections, were reused to treat weight loss.
In 2018, 92 percent of the new Ozempian users were diagnosed with diabetes. By 2021 this had fallen to 77 percent and continues to refuse.
Research suggests that patients using Ozempic – which contains an active ingredient called Semaglutide – can lose to 15 percent of their body weight within a year.
Those who use another GLP-1 drug, called Mounjaro, lose no less than one fifth of their body weight during the same period.
The New Jersey -based audiology adviser Dr. Robert Disogra said that the problems that are reported can be the result of a loss of fat in the ear
However, there are risks.
About one fifth of people who use weight loss injections suffer from nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. These problems fade after a few weeks for most.
There are reports of pancreatitis of greater care. This causes inflammation of the pancreas, an organ in the abdomen that produces digestive hormones. In some cases, pancreatitis can be life threatening and the failure of organ trigger.
In the meantime, a study by Harvard University researchers concluded last year that taking Ozempic doubles the risk of a rare condition that is called non-arterite front ischemic optical neuropathy or naion.
This medical emergency occurs when the blood flow to the nerves of the eye is blocked, which causes loss of vision. But despite the increased risk, it is still thought that the condition only occurs with every 4,000 patients.
There are no official warnings about hearing problems in connection with Ozempic. But patients in online support groups are increasingly increasing the alarm.
Some experts said there is no solid evidence to support tinnitus or hearing loss induced by Ozempic and claim that the incidents are very rare
A Facebook user, Anna Helms, revealed that after making an Ozempian shot, her tinnitus 'flares up badly for a few days', while dozens of others say they have developed the condition for the first time after taking the weight loss drug.
Ken Myers, from Pennsylvania, said he experienced a 'loud ringing' in his ears, along with many other side effects.
In the meantime, Dahlia Presley wrote in a Facebook group: 'First time today and immediately after I had my Ozempian shot, I started to feel a terrible migraine for the past four hours and it gets worse.
'My head is correct and I hear a loud ringing in my ears !! Please help someone … is this a bad side effect? My head feels like it will explode. '
There are similar complaints on Reddit.
Redditor Lindainthemountains wrote: 'I've been taking Ozempic for a month and I lost 7 pounds. I love finally control over my food after more than 30 years of trying every diet ever invented! I had the usual gastrointestinal problems in the first two weeks, but they passed.
“But after an injection I still have in my ears and a strange taste in my mouth.”
In an attempt to put the ringing in her ears, the Redditor said she cut her ozempian doses in two and that seemed to help.
A redditor said that together with 'pretty bad' tinnitus they were also hit by 'very mild hearing loss' after using Ozempic.
Angie Dugdale, a singer based in Utah, says that she has experienced the feeling of pressure and muted hearing in one ear after taking Ozempic for diabetes. She says that the problem is so serious now, she can no longer sing.
Despite the complaints, some experts claim that there is no solid evidence to support tinnitus or hearing loss induced by Ozempic and emphasizes that incidents are very rare.
They also emphasized that diabetes can cause nerve damage in the ears, which can lead to hearing loss and can therefore lie behind the reported problems.
Dr. Leonard A. Jason, a professor at Depaul University, Chicago, says that he “has seen no evidence in renowned points of sale that would support this as a side effect of the medication.”
Dietician Carolyn Williams adds: 'I have seen this claim in recent months and noted that it seemed recently to pop up. An increased risk of hearing loss is associated with numerous medicines, but to date I have not seen any evidence that hearing loss is a side effect of the use of semaglutide drugs such as Ozempic.
“For most people, the health benefits that outweigh Semaglutide drugs considerably heavier than the risks based on current research.”
Healthy Hearing, the largest hearing consumer website, Ozempic and other Anti-Obesity GLP-1 agonists such as Mounjaro and Zepbound 'said no hearing problems, although there have been sporadic case reports about problems discussed on internet forums such as Reddit'.
The Daily Mail has contacted Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic, for comments.
