They’ve been dubbed Hollywood’s ‘worst kept slimming secret’. But for at least one celeb using jabs like Ozempic to stay slim, it has come at a mortifying social cost.
An unnamed A-lister taking the medication apparently lost control of their bowls in bed, while staying overnight at the home of actress, and owner of wellness and lifestyle brand Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow.
The incident occurred ‘recently’ at the star’s property in the Hamptons, where affluent New York City residents typically descend for the summer, according to celeb gossip website Popbitch.
It added that ‘Ozempic-induced diarrhoea is becoming a very hot topic’ in Hollywood as so many are on the drug.
However this unfortunate side effect is not confined to celebrity circles, with more than one in ten patients said to be affected.
An unnamed A-lister taking a weight-loss jab reportedly lost control of their bowls while staying overnight at the home of actress, and owner of wellness and lifestyle brand Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow
Rumour has it a recent ‘scandal’ in the Hamptons, above, has been the talk of the town as celebrities flock to the popular holiday destination ahead of US Independence Day
Ozempic contains the active ingredient semaglutide, and while classed as a diabetes medication, has been used by some people to lose weight.
The drug works by mimicking a hormone the body uses to tell us the stomach is full, and we should stop eating, helping suppress appetite and slowing overall digestion.
However, this can also trigger what is known medically as the gastrocolic reflex.
This essentially means the stomach sends a signal to the brain that because a large amount of food has been consumed room needs to be made further down the line.
In consequence the colon and the rectum are instructed to empty their contents.
But if the digestive process hasn’t been completed fully, which is more likely when the signal is artificial in the case of drugs like semaglutide, this can lead to explosive diarrhoea.
As Wegovy, the dedicated weight loss version of semaglutide, contains exactly the same ingredient people on this drug also carry the same risk.
Previous clinical trials showed that 30 per cent of patients experience diarrhoea on Wegovy, compared to 16 percent on the placebo.
Drug information leaflets distributed with Ozempic and Wegovy describe diarrhoea as a ‘very common’ side effect reported in more than one in 10 patients.
But they add this most commonly strikes when people first start on the drug and usually fades away over time as their body adjusts to the drug.
Ozempic and Wegovy, made by the Danish pharma firm Novo Nordisk, belong to a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists, named after the hormone they mimic.
Rival drugs that work in a similar way such as Mounjaro, which contains the drug tirzepatide, are just as likely to cause the same side effect.
Online, jab users have also recounted their own digestive troubles while on the medications.
Ozempic contains the active ingredient semaglutide, and while classed as a diabetes medication, has been used by some people to lose weight
Wegovy works by triggering the body to produce a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 that is released naturally from the intestines after meals
One, who shared their experience on the website Reddit wrote: ‘I quite literally s**t myself while sleeping. That’s a first.’
They added: ‘Been tough few days of diarrhoea after my first semaglutide injection.’
Another user, a 43-year-old anonymous man, on Wegovy said: ‘I just feel SO embarrassed being a grown adult who messed his pants!’
A different patient described being on their way to a birthday dinner but added how they ‘ended up s******g my pants probably 15 minutes into the drive.’
Digestive issues are an unsurprising consequence of many dedicated weight-loss medications even among non GLP-1 agonists.
Orlistat, sold under the brand Xenical, has prescribed to people needing to lose weight on the NHS for years.
This drug works by physically preventing fat from being absorbed in the gut and instead keeping it locked in faeces which are then passed out through the body.
The disruption to the normal digestive process can likewise result in patients experiencing diarrhoea, oily or fatty faeces or oily discharge from the back passage, dubbed anus ‘anal seepage’
Patients experiencing diarrhoea while on weight-loss drugs can do very little to stop the effect, though some take drugs like loperamide, sold under the brand name Imodium, in attempt to combat the symptoms.
People experiencing diarrhoea in general are advised to avoid eating food and drinks that can exacerbate digestive issues or act as natural laxatives by the NHS.
These include high-fibre foods, fruit juice, nuts and dried fruits, uncooked vegetables and fruit, beans, lentils and pulses, cauliflower, cabbage and onions, spicy or fatty foods, as well as alcohol, strong tea and coffee.
Celebrities who have admitted to using weight loss drugs like Ozempic include Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Sharon Osbourne, Chelsea Handler and Robbie Williams.
In June 2023, comedian Amy Schumer admitted taking it the year prior but stopped due to the side-effects.
‘I was one of those people who felt so sick,’ she said.
There has been increasing concern in the UK about the number of normal weight and underweight patients needing A&E care after taking the jabs in a bid to become ‘beach body ready’.