Adverse Events From Semaglutide Seen in the ED Usually GI-Related

Follow Drugslib on

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 15, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, April 15, 2025 -- The rate of emergency department visits for adverse events among patients dispensed semaglutide is low, with most visits involving gastrointestinal effects, according to a research letter published online April 8 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Maribeth C. Lovegrove, M.P.H., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues characterized and quantified U.S. emergency department visits that clinicians attributed to semaglutide adverse events using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System-Cooperative Adverse Drug Event Surveillance project.

The researchers found that based on 551 cases, there were an estimated 24,499 emergency department visits attributed to semaglutide adverse events in 2022 through 2023 (mean patient age, 50.9 years; 73.2 percent female); 82.6 percent were in 2023. In 81.7 percent of visits, semaglutide was the only medication implicated and was almost always in injectable form (94.0 percent); medication errors were involved in 9.0 percent of visits. Emergency department visits most often involved gastrointestinal effects, hypoglycemia, and allergic reactions (69.3, 16.5, and 5.5 percent, respectively); the gastrointestinal symptoms most commonly reported were nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea (57.6, 25.1, and 12.2 percent, respectively). Hospitalization was required in 37.6 and 15.0 percent of emergency department visits for hypoglycemia and for gastrointestinal effects, respectively.

"Clinicians could counsel patients when initiating semaglutide about the potential for severe gastrointestinal adverse effects and adjust coprescribed antidiabetic medications to decrease hypoglycemia risk," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2025-04-16 06:00

Read more

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Drugslib.com is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Drugslib.com information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Drugslib.com does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Drugslib.com's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Drugslib.com's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners.

The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Drugslib.com does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Drugslib.com provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Popular Keywords