Listen Live
injecting self with obesity medication

Source: choi dongsu / Getty

The FDA is warning Americans about the risk of overdosing on weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.

The agency says doses of the drugs are often miscalculated by users or health care providers, by drawing too much from a multi-dose vial.

Symptoms of overdose can including nausea, vomiting, headache, abdominal pain, and lead to acute pancreatitis or gallstones.

According to CBS News: A majority of the reports had patients mistakenly drawing up more than the prescribed dose from a multiple-dose vial, self-administering five to 20 times more than the intended dose of semaglutide.

Many reports involved patients unfamiliar with how to measure the intended dose using a syringe.

Confusion between different units of measurement including milliliters and milligrams may have contributed to the dosing mistakes, the FDA said.

With the shortages of availability, fake versions of the weight loss drug are causing concern as well. As those who can’t find refills are seeking out dangerous alternatives.