Ozempic, Wegovy could pose hidden hazard for individuals with mind problems, medical doctors warn

Neurologists are warning that fashionable weight-loss medicines might have extreme unfavourable results on neurodegenerative circumstances like ALS.

Jinsy Andrews, MD, a neurologist and director of NYU Langone’s ALS Center, says the very mechanism that makes these medicine fashionable — speedy weight reduction — can go in opposition to the organic wants of sufferers with neuromuscular problems.

GLP-1 agonists have proven to be extremely efficient at managing diabetes and weight problems, that are main well being issues throughout the inhabitants.

However, the physician emphasised that the scientific guidelines shift when coping with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

In addition to mitigating a few of the irritation associated to weight problems and diabetes, GLP-1 medicines have been linked to different protecting results.

The therapies have been useful in decreasing heart problems, stroke threat, liver illness and dependancy, in keeping with Andrews.

However, with regards to an incurable neurodegenerative illness, reducing weight and physique fats can speed up a affected person’s bodily decline.

For an ALS affected person, reducing weight may cause the situation to progress quicker, Andrews mentioned, as a result of the illness’s distinctive traits make it harmful to be in a caloric deficit.

In truth, customary scientific care tips for ALS typically suggest that sufferers actively keep and even acquire weight to assist protect their remaining nerve and muscle perform.

“In certain conditions where hypermetabolism is something that negatively affects the disease […] losing weight actually makes the disease worse and move faster,” Andrews instructed Fox News Digital.

“So, in the setting of a person with ALS — whether they have diabetes or not — using GLP-1s may actually worsen the disease and make for a rapid progression.”

In a 2025 case report printed within the medical journal Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, a 52-year-old ALS affected person was prescribed semaglutide to deal with her sort 2 diabetes.

Prior to beginning the remedy, her bodily features have been declining at a predictable price on the usual ALS score scale.

According to the case report, the affected person misplaced 25 kilos in three months. At the identical time, she skilled a sudden, dramatic shift in her illness trajectory, with signs worsening considerably.

Once the semaglutide was discontinued on the recommendation of medical professionals, the affected person’s speedy bodily decline stabilized.

Andrews identified that this printed documentation, alongside retrospective cohort knowledge of ALS sufferers with diabetes, supplies rising proof that clinicians should be cautious and considerate about who they deal with with GLP-1 receptor agonists.

While weight-loss medicines provide important advantages for a lot of sufferers, consultants say sustaining physique weight and muscle mass stays an essential consideration for individuals with neurodegenerative ailments.

“Patient safety is of utmost importance to Novo Nordisk, and we take all reports about adverse events from the use of our medicines very seriously,” Ambre James-Brown, world head and AVP of world media at Novo Nordisk, maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, instructed Fox News Digital.

“It’s important to note that ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases are not listed adverse reactions or warnings and precautions in the prescribing information for our semaglutide products, including Ozempic or Wegovy,” he added.