Doctors are being urged to warn patients prescribed popular semaglutide drugs about a potential side effect that can cause wild and reckless behaviours.

A new medical report published this week warns of a troubling potential consequence for those using semaglutide drugs, like Ozempic and Wegovy, otherwise known as GLP-1 agonists. Researchers claim the weight loss drugs could cause impulse-control disorder (ICD), which can interfere with normal decision-making and result in pathological gambling and sex addiction.

Semaglutide medicines are typically prescribed to people with diabetes, severe obesity and other serious obesity-related health conditions. However, they are increasingly being used globally for rapid weight loss, having been endorsed by Hollywood celebrities, such as Sharon Osbourne and Rebel Wilson.

A report published in the Quarterly Journal of Medicine, on May 22, observed that these drugs may be causing patients to display signs of ICD, which is a class of psychiatric disorders characterised by impulsive behaviours.

Two senior clinicians, Professor Raymond Playford, from the University of West London, and Professor Martin Deahl, from the Institute of Psychiatry, who authored the piece, recommend that research should urgently be conducted to explore the risk of ICD. They believe patients should be cautioned by doctors about making rapid life-changing decisions.

Speaking to The Mirror about the gravity of the issue, Prof Playford explained: “Reckless decision-making due to impulsivity can have serious life-changing repercussions for the patient and their families, which in the worst cases, could result in bankruptcy, changed sexual relationships, and divorce.”

The professor noted that ICD is well described in patient information leaflets for drugs Levodopa and Capergoline, which are both used for Parkinson’s disease and, like GLP-1 agonists, affect dopamine levels, known as the ‘happy hormone’ in the brain.

These leaflets state that usage can cause a person’s inability to resist the “temptation to perform an action that could be harmful to you or others”. Examples include strong impulses to gambling, increased sexual drive and uncontrollable excessive shopping.

“No such warnings are currently present on patient information leaflets for GLP-1 agonists. We are recommending that while research is conducted to examine how much of an issue this might be, it would make sense to give a warning to prescribers, patients and relatives to be on the lookout for it,” the prof said.

He added: “Importantly, we don’t know how frequently this is occurring in patients on GLP-1 medicines, as individuals may not realise that starting GLP-1 has caused them to act uncharacteristically, unless they have been told it is a possibility.” There are over 10 different GLP-1 medicines and the most well-known include Wegovy and Ozempic.

Prof Playford highlighted that very few studies have been published focusing on cognition, particularly decision-making abilities, and longer-term outcomes of semaglutide drugs. Other less common side effects that have been reported include inflammation of the pancreas, bowel obstruction, low blood sugar, risk of retinal problems, and allergic reactions.

Novo Nordisk declined to comment when approached by The Mirror.

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