The popular “slimming injections” have sparked a wave of lawsuits in the United States, with concerns mounting over serious side effects. Family physician Dr. Wang Ziyun highlighted on February 4 that as the number of users rises, so too do legal actions against pharmaceutical manufacturers. According to USA Today, since 2023, roughly 4,400 patients aged 18 to 87 have filed claims, many consolidated across multiple states. The complaints predominantly involve severe gastrointestinal complications.
Dr. Wang explained on her Facebook page, Dr. Wang Ziyun: My Ageless Secrets, that approximately 75% of plaintiffs reported developing gastroparesis—a condition also known as delayed stomach emptying or “stomach paralysis.” Some cases were classified as severe or permanent. Other reported complications include intestinal blockage, colon rupture requiring surgery, and around 8% of patients experienced severe vomiting necessitating hospitalisation. Additional adverse effects ranged from nausea, diarrhoea, and constipation to eye and neurological issues, including sudden vision loss, new-onset colour blindness, interrupted ocular blood flow (NAION), and optic nerve damage.
Other serious reactions cited in lawsuits include deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism (with some fatalities), necrotising pancreatitis, gallbladder injury leading to removal, malnutrition complications, surgical aspiration, and even pancreatic cancer. The UK has similarly reported over a thousand pancreatitis cases, including 17 deaths.
Manufacturers such as Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have emphasised that the products underwent FDA review and that labels clearly outline known risks, including gastrointestinal discomfort. Clinical and observational studies have generally considered the drugs safe. However, some plaintiffs argue that the instructions fail to sufficiently warn about potentially fatal outcomes and that prescribers did not adequately communicate these risks.
Dr. Wang cautioned that, until verdicts are delivered, it is difficult to determine whether these effects stem from weight loss itself or from the drugs. “Weight loss without medication generally does not force delayed gastric emptying, nor does it risk dehydration from inability to drink,” she explained. She noted that pancreatitis, gallstones, gastrointestinal complications, and aspiration pneumonia are strongly linked to “forced inability to eat or drink” caused by these medications.
“From my perspective, weight loss requires adequate intake of food and water. Losing a large amount of weight naturally carries risks of muscle loss and dehydration, so a drug that makes it impossible to eat or drink is genuinely concerning,” Dr. Wang added.
She urged caution as GLP-1 weight loss injections gain popularity in Taiwan. Physicians should thoroughly explain potential side effects, limit treatment duration, and prescribe carefully. The public should understand that FDA approval does not mean zero risk. With the growing use of GLP-1 injections locally, awareness of possible adverse effects is essential to prevent compromising health for the sake of slimming down.
