Taking Ozempic increases your chance of suffering from life-shattering erectile dysfunction three and a half times, a new study suggests.
Researchers at the University of Texas studied more than 1,500 obese, non-diabetic men taking the blockbuster drug and found that a staggering number experienced sexual problems just one month after starting the prescription.
While other research and anecdotal accounts have pointed to erectile dysfunction as one of the drug’s many unpleasant side effects, this is the first study to assess the degree of risk.
More than two million people in the U.S. take weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, including reality star Scott Disick, who was recently outed when eagle-eyed Kardashian viewers spotted packages of a similar shot, Mounjaro, in his refrigerator.
Researchers found that semaglutide users not only had a three-and-a-half times greater risk of sexual problems, but they were also almost twice as likely to develop testosterone deficiency.
Researchers at the University of Texas found that obese, nondiabetic men were 3.5 times more likely to receive a new diagnosis of erectile dysfunction at least one month after starting semaglutide.
Scott Disick is a male celebrity who has been taking a GLP-1 agonist medication to lose weight. Viewers noticed boxes of Mounjaro stored inside Scott Disick’s refrigerator on a May episode of The Kardashians.
Researchers used a large patient database to identify men without a diagnosis of diabetes, ages 18 to 50, who had a BMI greater than 30 and who were prescribed semaglutide, the generic drug in Ozempic and Wegovy, after June 2021.
Men with a previous diagnosis of erectile dysfunction were excluded, as were those taking Viagra and a history of testosterone deficiency.
They also excluded men who had a previous diagnosis of diabetes, since the condition is a risk factor for erectile dysfunction.
Some 3,094 men who met the criteria were matched with an equal number of obese, nondiabetic men who never received a prescription for semaglutide.
The researchers found that semaglutide users not only had a three-and-a-half times increased risk of sexual problems, but also almost twice as likely to develop testosterone deficiency.
Semaglutide medications work for weight loss by mimicking the hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which is produced naturally in the body and makes us feel full.
Erectile dysfunction most often occurs when blood flow to the penis is limited or the nerves are damaged.
The researchers speculated that, similar to how the GLP-1 receptor agonist delays stomach emptying, it may also delay blood flow to the penis.
Dr. Shauna Levy, an obesity specialist at Tulane University, also said the libido component is “a big part of it.”
“We know that GLP-1 affects the reward center of our brain and, for many people, sex offers reward,” he told DailyMail.com.
“And if somehow people don’t receive the same reward from sex, then this can affect our libido in some way.”
‘I certainly think it’s a possible mechanism. Maybe not for everyone, but for some.”
Studies show that semaglutide affects brain chemicals related to reward pathways and libido.
A lower libido can lead to erectile dysfunction, he added.
He said the study results were “surprising” and noted that “there is a lot more we need to find out about this topic.”
In patients who undergo bariatric weight loss surgery, erectile dysfunction improves and, generally, so do low testosterone levels.
“In my opinion, I expect this drug to act in a similar way,” Dr. Levy said.
“We know that weight loss surgery works on multiple different hormonal pathways, and not just one or two, so maybe that has something to do with it, as opposed to semaglutide only targeting LPG.”
Bariatric surgery also naturally raises hormone levels, he noted.
On the other hand, “while GLP-1 receptor agonist medications mimic our natural hormone, they are not (the exact hormones).”
‘Maybe it has something to do with where they aim at the body. It’s all speculative, until more research is done.
Dr. Levy said patients taking compounded semaglutide and “possibly” tirzepatide, the active ingredient in the drug Mounjaro, may experience the same increased risk of erectile dysfunction, but she stressed that more research is needed.
He added that while the study found an increased likelihood of erectile dysfunction, “it’s still not an extremely high risk.”
“While this might give some men pause in taking a medication, if they are at high risk for heart disease or other complications with obesity, then obviously they need to weigh the risks and benefits, but they may still choose to continue taking it. medication,” she said.
He added: “The scariest thing about side effects is: what if they don’t go away when you stop taking the medication?”
Another thing Dr. Levy said will need to be looked into is whether or not erectile dysfunction after using Wegovy or Ozempic is permanent.
Because if not, maybe it’s worth the risk. But if it’s permanent, I think surely more people will think twice about taking medication.’
Dr. Sue Decotiis, a weight loss specialist based in New York, said she had not seen GLP-1 agonist drugs cause erectile dysfunction in the 10 years she had been prescribing them.
But he said: “If people get ED on these drugs, it’s more likely to happen early in treatment, when there’s a higher dose.”
‘In the beginning, the body goes through a huge metabolic change and there is a lot of fatigue. This temporarily affects libido and erectile dysfunction, but it helps in the long run.’