Losers were warned today that weight loss jabs could trigger a strange and unexpected side effect: reckless behaviour.
Innovative injections like Ozempic and Wegovy, hailed by the likes of Elon Musk and Jeremy Clarkson, have been shown to help people lose up to five pounds.
But according to experts, the treatment could cause some users to act “out of character,” engaging in risky sex, compulsive gambling or even making major hasty life decisions, such as filing for divorce.
They believe changes in levels of the brain chemical dopamine, possibly related to the injections, may be behind the problem, contributing to the growing list of disadvantages.
The London researchers say patients should be warned about the potential for these strange reactions, known collectively as impulse control disorder, before they start taking the medications.
Innovative injections like Ozempic and Wegovy, hailed by the likes of Elon Musk and Jeremy Clarkson, have been shown to help people lose up to second place. But according to experts, the injections are causing some users to make “out of character” major life decisions, such as engaging in risky sex, compulsive gambling or even filing for divorce.
Professor Raymond Playford (pictured), an expert in molecular medicine at the University of West London and co-author of the study, told MailOnline: “The possible associations we have come across relate mainly to changes in personal relationships, such as divorce or separation from what appeared to be stable relationships and changing your family situation, such as moving house at short notice’
Professor Raymond Playford, an expert in molecular medicine at the University of West London and co-author of the study, told MailOnline: “We have had patients who have suddenly filed for divorce or broken up what appeared to be stable relationships and changed their family situation, such as moving from home at short notice.
“To date we have not observed excessive play or sexual activity in patients, but we would not be surprised if this happened.”
In an article in the Quarterly Journal of Medicine, researchers said no know exactly why medications can cause this effect.
But Professor Playford added: “Risky behaviors due to impulsivity are also associated with the side effects of Parkinson’s medicines.”
Weight loss injections “share the common mechanism of influencing dopamine levels in the brain,” he added.
“It is well established that hypersexuality and excessive gambling are associated with evodopa use.”
Dopamine is called the “happiness hormone” for its role in feelings of happiness, pleasure, and reward.
Research has shown that at higher levels, people become hyperstimulated by everyday activities such as shopping, gambling, eating, or sex, and then become essentially “addicted”: they have to repeat the behaviors over and over again, trying to replicate that initial emotion.
Impulse control disorder is currently listed as a potential side effect in patient information leaflets for Parkinson’s disease medications such as levodopa.
However, no such warnings are included in the inserts for slimming injections.
Weight loss medications like Ozempic and Wegovy mimic the production of the hormone GLP-1, which helps keep the body full.
Professor Playford told MailOnline: ‘We advise that doctors also warn patients to be on the lookout for impulses that are “out of character” or unusual with personal costs or repercussions (e.g. divorce) and to “take a step back.” “and they will think if this is a sensible decision.
‘It may also be helpful if you share the fact that you are starting (medications such as Ozempic) with a loved one or close friend, so that they can raise a warning note if they see anything unusual.
‘This warning should allow patients and doctors to reflect and consider whether the decisions some patients have been making are misplaced and riskier than they might expect.
“If they are not aware that this possibility exists, they do not make the association.”
Semaglutide (marketed as Ozempic and Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) have been hailed as a monumental advance in the war against obesity.
The pens, taken once a day, mimic a hormone called GLP-1 and trick the brain and body into thinking they are full, curbing appetite.
Trials show that semaglutide, made by the Danish company Novo Nordisk, helps users lose up to 33 pounds (15.3 kg) on average in about a year.
Side effects from the injections, such as bloating, nausea and acid reflux, have long been noted by the government’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Despite being hailed as one of the most powerful pharmaceutical tools to date, experts have warned that it is neither a “magic pill” nor a miracle solution for everything. Trials have shown that users can quickly gain weight again once they stop taking the medication and this can trigger a variety of unpleasant side effects. Users often complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhea.
An increasing number of Ozempic users on social media have also complained of gaunt facial features, sagging “melted candle” skin, “empty” breasts and hair loss, which are not believed to be a direct side effect. of the medication but a consequence. spectacular weight loss.
Analysis suggests the cost of tackling the knock-on effects of the jabs on the NHS could rise to more than £100m a year.
Others, meanwhile, have warned about bad breath and even sexual dysfunction.
The latest NHS data shows that 26 per cent of adults in England are obese and a further 38 per cent are overweight but not obese.
Experts have pointed to a lack of exercise and poor diets high in ultra-processed foods as key factors in the UK’s obesity epidemic.
Wegovy was approved by the NHS last year, specifically for weight loss.
But the eligibility criteria for people who want to get the drug on the NHS (for the standard prescription price of £9.90 in England) are strict.
Mounjaro was received the green light from NICE to National Health Service Use in September for patients with type 2 diabetes who do not have the condition under control.
Health services do not yet use it for obesity.
But in February it became available privately in Britain, with clinics charging around £40 for a week’s supply.