Ozempic and Bloating: What Users Say

• Con...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 1, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "I started Ozempic in late December at 0.25 injection. I also take 500mg metformin per day. Soon after I started Ozempic, I had decreased appetite and my sugars improved, but I had reflux, gas, bloating, nausea, and diarrhea. After 4 weeks, I started 0.50. 2 weeks in, I have bouts of painful constipation then diarrhea, nausea, bloating, gas, reflux, and cramping. I've almost vomited a few times. When I eat, it feels like the food just sits and sits, barely moving through my gut. My doctor wants me to stick with it, saying that these side effects usually improve, but it's been pretty miserable. I'm thinking I'm going to stop taking it. While Ozempic has been effective in regulating my sugars and losing weight, I don't think it's worth the suffering that I've been enduring on this medication. I understand that studies showed it causing thyroid cancer in mice, but no one knows if it causes thyroid cancer in humans. I don't want to be the guinea pig the drug makers use to find out it does."

• Jan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 15, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "My doctor gave me Ozempic 0.5 to start with. I always had upset stomach, diarrhea with most foods, and an overall sick feeling all the time. I was able to 'live' with it until now. She decided to up my dose to the 1.0 and my body went into total chaos. I am always nauseous, constipated, got reflux, feels like my food is stuck in my stomach and doesn't go anywhere. I'm constantly burping and feeling bloated. The sick feeling feels intensified and I cannot function at work. I took my last one this past Friday night and was miserable all weekend long. Today I am at work unable to function at my best because the nausea is bad. I would say it is effective in lowering your blood sugar numbers and helping you lose weight but not worth feeling horribly sick over. I will not be using this medication any longer."

• No...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 30, 2022

For Cardiovascular Risk Reduction "I’m 5 feet tall, 50, female, perimenopausal, non-diabetic, not prediabetic, 176 pounds. HbA1c is 37, but BMI is in the obese range. Started on 0.25 mg for 4 weeks. Lost 6 pounds. Definitely curbs appetite for the first 3 days, but cravings are back by day 4. Will need a higher dose. No nausea or other symptoms except bloating when I eat more than one portion. My diet is generally good as I rarely eat junk food and never drink soda or add sugar to anything. My diet is healthier than my skinny friends, but my problem is portion control. I’m optimistic this medication will work to curb overeating and head off obesity and diabetes post-menopause. Can’t “wait” to see what the 0.5 mg dose does for me."

• Cat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 10, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "First injected dose Sunday night. Wee hours Monday, the nausea started. No vomiting (emetophobic here!) Monday all day nausea that I could handle (took a Zofran). Tuesday afternoon hit with sudden stomach cramping and diarrhea. Those nasty sulfuric burps all Tuesday evening and overnight, diarrhea all night, and now it’s Wednesday morning and still watery diarrhea. My stomach has been rumbling and terribly bloated since Tuesday afternoon. I need to lose 70 lbs, but this is NOT worth it!! Who wants days and weeks of feeling HORRIBLE!?! I’ll lose weight another way! I have sleep apnea and am 56, so I want to be healthy, but this drug is not recommended unless you need to lose weight to stay alive. I teach too, so there’s no way I can continue this."

• Bec...
• December 28, 2020

For Type 2 Diabetes "I started taking the Ozempic injection a week before Christmas and took my second 0.25 dose on Xmas Eve. I've felt slight nausea since taking it and very little desire to eat. My BS levels have been 95% in range ever since and have managed to reduce my long-acting insulin by 20 units. I have lost 6 lbs so far. I was astounded it came off in the first week. The only time I have had bad stomach pains is when I've eaten something bad, and I get terrible runs 20 mins after eating, but once I've been to the loo, pain stops. I had vomiting once because I think I overate a few days after taking it. I was super bloated, and a few hours later I threw up, then I felt fine again. So I just eat little and often, mostly grazing and picking at fruit. I was worried about taking this because of the comments I've read, and with having IBS, I didn't know if it would be bad for me. But I have no issues taking it, and so far, so good. It's still early days for me, but I would 100% recommend it."

• Typ...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 16, 2023

For Type 2 Diabetes "I am on my 3rd month of taking Ozempic. No decrease in A1C as of yet. Weight loss, none. Ease of use, I find handling the needles cumbersome. The needles are smaller than Trulicity and less painful to inject. Less bruising at the injection site. Current side effects: nausea, stomach pain, stomach discomfort, swelling, bloating, increased constipation, increased hunger, sour stomach, headaches. I find I am forced to take additional medication/supplements in attempting to eliminate some of the side effects. I've taken stool softeners and laxatives in order to improve constipation with limited success. I am taking a pain reliever almost daily for headaches. I am also taking medication to help ease the nausea with limited success."

• Big...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 16, 2022

For Type 2 Diabetes "Ended up in the emergency room on the day of the second dose. Triggered a gallbladder issue and ended up elevating my liver enzymes. Symptoms mimicked a heart attack or pancreatitis. Hard to tell the difference. Severe abdominal pain radiating to the back, elevated heart rate, nausea, gas, bloating. For some people, this type of medication is very, very bad medicine and totally not worth it. I lost 10 pounds in two weeks because it made me so sick I could not eat or drink. One day this will also have an FDA black box label on it like Byetta. A class action lawsuit will be on your TV commercials. I would be seriously careful if you plan on taking this medication for anything, weight loss or glucose control. Not worth it. Once you get sick, you will be longing to get the stuff out of your system and will be physiologically impacted by the experience. No antidote. Have to wait it out. Never again. The Russian roulette of diabetes medication. Taker beware."

• JCR...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 11, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have type 2 diabetes, and before Ozempic, my A1C was 6.3, now it's down to 5.3. I tried Trulicity before, but it was a hassle with the one-dose pen and refrigeration, and more expensive under my plan. Didn't help with my weight at all. Ozempic has worked great for me. Completely controls my appetite. It does cause some bloating and nausea, but not severe enough to make me need to stop taking the medication. I started on 0.25 and then increased to 0.5 - I've lost 27 lbs so far! I'm really hoping the appetite control lasts. I think with this drug, you really MUST decrease your food intake to lessen the side effects."

• Cau...
• March 3, 2022

For Type 2 Diabetes "I took .25 for about 6 months and thought this was a miracle drug. Caused slight constipation, but I dealt with it. When they increased me to .5 mg, I started violently vomiting the next day. No one could figure out what was wrong with me. Pancreatic enzymes were high, but not high enough to diagnose pancreatitis. I could barely eat for two months. Gas, bloating, side pain, back pain, stomatitis pain, non-stop burping, constipation, nausea, vomiting off and on. My food perpetually felt like it was backed up into my mouth. They had to take me off of the drug, and now my sugars are higher than ever, and no one can help me. They were okay before, but now doctors consider me as failing two types of drug classes because of this, won't give me my old meds back, and I may have to go on insulin. I am gaining weight like never before and am so tired that I can barely function. They now believe it gave me gastroparesis, and I can't get better. I would recommend this medicine to no one."

• mac...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 21, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "After the first 0.25 mg injection, I was extremely bloated and burping within 5 hours. I woke the 2nd day with extreme bloat, diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal pain. I could not eat or drink a thing because of severe bloating. This lasted 5 days. Foolishly, I did a 2nd dose the next week of 0.25 mg. This time, I became much, much sicker with the same symptoms but more severe. Abdominal pain severe, bloating was so bad I had to go to the ER, my stomach was as tight as a drum. They were talking about sticking a tube in my stomach to release the incredible pressure, instead, I came home and rolled around in agony for 3 days. I stopped using it, but the side effects continued. 7 weeks of severe gastroenteritis that caused so much inflammation in my body, I have been in so much pain. No amount of weight loss is worth this level of suffering. If you have any GI issues like gastroparesis, you really should not be risking it with this drug, it says so right in the insert."

• Hat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 19, 2022

For Cardiovascular Risk Reduction "This is the worst medication I have ever had. Side effects of egg burps, vomiting, bloating so bad. DO NOT TAKE THIS. 30% of people that try this drug end up having problems with it. DO NOT TAKE. You can't eat, everything that goes into you makes you want to throw up. DON'T TAKE! Never-ending nausea and weakness. DON'T USE, SAVE YOURSELF. Headaches....."

• Dix...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 11, 2022

For Cardiovascular Risk Reduction "Two days after my first injection, I had horrible sulfur burps that were making me feel sick. By that evening, I had horrific stomach cramps; by 11:30 pm, I had uncontrollable diarrhea! My prescriber advised me to eat six small meals a day and that the symptoms would improve with each injection. I left it twelve days before my next one (as I had a couple of social things I didn’t want to miss if it happened again) and thought at first it was better. A headache day one, nausea on day two, but sulfur burps again by day three. I got indigestion medicine, but it didn’t even touch it. That night, same again; cramps, diarrhea, more burps, and this time intense nausea too. I decided at that point it might not be for me! I really hope it helps some people lose weight, but don’t expect a quick easy fix! I actually felt fatter the whole time I was on it as I was so bloated and tender."

• Eur...
• January 25, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "Started the Ozempic injections about 4 months ago. I did okay on the .25 dose. After 3 weeks, the doc had me do the .50 dose. I had chronic stress for 3 months (dog had cancer), so I lost myself in caring for her. After her death, I felt the effects of the RX. I had the worst sulfur burps and gas, stomach pain, bloating, and nausea I'd ever had in my life. I stopped the RX, changed to a low sulfur diet, and that didn't work, so I did a slow stomach emptying diet. After 1.5 weeks, my sulfur and gas/bloating cleared up, and I felt normal. I had a doc appointment and told him about the sulfur issues and what I did to stop it. He said I had lost 20 pounds, A1C went down to 6, and he wanted me back on it. I took another injection, and 2 days later, here I am with bad sulfur burps, gas/bloating, nausea, and stomach pain. I guess I'm going to have to eat very little to keep my stomach empty to make my doc happy-while I suffer. Not thrilled but willing to try a while longer to see if weight loss and A1C continues."

• Tan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 11, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "I’m on Ozempic for weight loss. I started at a small dose for 4 weeks, 0.25, then 2 weeks, 0.5. Now I’m on maintenance, taking 1 mg. In the beginning, straight after the injection, I would suffer from nausea, migraines, and loss of appetite. My side effects have shifted. I don’t suffer from nausea for more than a day, however, I have sulfur gas. It’s horrible. I’m bloated and very gassy. I haven’t lost a ton of weight yet, however, I do think diet is key as I am taking this for weight loss, and so far, yes, my appetite is suppressed. A day or two before it’s time to take the injection, I gain more of an appetite. This stuff is killer expensive, and my insurance doesn’t cover it. I’ll give it a couple more months and see how it goes."

• Ang...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 18, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "OMG, do not take this drug, Ozempic. I had my first dose on Monday, and since then, I have had constant nausea and stomach bloating and cramps. My arms and legs are so sore and almost like a spasm. The back of my head is killing, and I feel dizzy all the time. Symptoms have gotten worse from about day 2 after the injection. I will not be taking the second injection! And I'm hoping it will not last in my system for the 5 weeks it mentions! I live in the UK, so no cost, but I wouldn't pay for this horrible injection."

• Lax...
• August 19, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "I just started this drug on Thursday. It’s now Monday, and I have lost 7 pounds, however, I feel miserable. Today it’s overwhelming dizziness, but previously it was nausea, bloating, and stomach pain. No appetite whatsoever, extreme fatigue, and insomnia! I had six stents placed in my heart arteries on July 22. I was hiking on the 20th and needed to be rescued from the trail. My blood glucose at rescue was 33. I was put on insulin in the hospital and prescribed a cardiac cocktail of six different meds, four of which caused some dizziness and light sensitivity, which had improved over four weeks to the point that I was walking an hour a day. I’ve barely left the house since Thursday. I will not take another dose of Ozempic. PS: the insulin was working well, I was down to 3 units, three times a day of Humalog (from 8 units x 3) and 9 units of Basaglar (from 25), plus 500 mg x 2 of Metformin."

• rav...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 10, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "I experienced severe stomach bloating and constipation after the first dose. I started injecting into the back of my arms and, with each subsequent dose, side effects lessen, though I still experience moderate nausea and fatigue after taking my weekly dose. On the positive side, my appetite has been reduced by at least 1/2, with 15 pounds lost. My fasting blood sugars are in the 80's and my post-meal levels rarely top 130. Even after eating small amounts of carbs, sugars fall to the nineties within an hour."

• Cpa...
• July 1, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "I've been taking Ozempic for six weeks. I'm experiencing a lot of the same side effects as everyone else. No nausea, but definitely the cramping, bloating, sore stomach, and constipation. Had to do two fleet routines already. Weight loss has been fantastic, but I'm beginning to worry now. Twenty pounds so far and still dropping. .25 mg dose. Sugar numbers have been great. Don't think it's worth all the side effects. Going back to Farxiga. Much more predictable."

• Gro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 26, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "Have been on semaglutide for 8 weeks and am presently on a 1 mg dose. First, the positives. I have lost 16 pounds, my intake of Novorapid has decreased significantly, and my blood glucose has dropped from 7.9 to 6.8. Negatives: mild constipation, bloated feeling, slight nausea, reflux acid, lethargy, and wind (burps and farts). I feel the positives outweigh the negatives at the present time, but only time will tell."

• Sic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 11, 2022

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have been taking it for 4 weeks. My doctor did not use prescribing information as given by the pharmaceutical company. She fast-tracked me and I am miserable. My A1C is 9.6, and that is why she prescribed this. I'm nauseated, constipated, bloated, miserable. I have not lost weight, I struggle to regulate. I feel my PCP is missing something. I have asked to see an endocrinologist. If you can take it, I'm sure it's great. But being this ill is worse than long-term Type 2 diabetes."

• Mar...
• March 17, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "My very first injection has made me deathly ill. The nausea, vomiting, bloating, gas, most intense hunger pains, cramping, sulfur burps that make you want to throw up, and just generally feeling miserable. The thought of food most of the time has made me want to throw up. I can't take my other meds most of the time because I end up vomiting. All this while trying to work full time. I have tried Trulicity, which made me very sick, Victoza put me in the emergency room. Ozempic has me close to the emergency room if I end up dehydrated. This is how I imagine being poisoned would feel like. Medicine should not make you feel this bad. No illness that I have had has made me feel this horrible. If you have any kind of stomach issues, really, I have GERD, think twice before injecting this nasty 'medication.'"

• Ent...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 4, 2025

"Currently on 1 mg per week (week 3). Mid-evening: feel bloated and nausea, followed by frequent watery loose stool throughout the night (ranging from 5 minutes to 30 minutes between movements). By midnight, nausea escalated to vomiting with continued watery loose stool. Early morning, body stabilizes with infrequent watery stool. Such events reoccur 2 to 3 days apart. Weight loss is ongoing."

• tob...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 4, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "This medication started off okay for the first week, then all hell broke loose. Stomach pains, stomach bloating, a feeling of nausea but cannot bring up, dizziness, and a feeling of severe unwellness. Finally admitted to the hospital where a blood sugar doctor stopped the use immediately and put me on to tablets."

• Kim...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 5, 2023

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have type 2 diabetes and am overweight. Although I try to eat healthy and walk, I am always tired and couldn’t lose weight. I started Ozempic about 6 months ago. At 0.25 mg, I experienced nausea, bloating, and diarrhea after I ate anything. I didn’t want to increase my dose after 4 weeks due to the side effects. The symptoms lessened but didn’t go away. I increased my dose 3 months ago to 0.50 mg. I have lost about 18 pounds, but the side effects make me feel terrible. I experience sharp stomachache pains, nausea, and overall not feeling well, and the worst symptom is terrible leg pain. Both legs hurt constantly from my knees down. Some nights I cannot sleep. I have been told it’s not a reported side effect, but it started right after I increased my dose. My A1C is down from 12 to 7.5, so I want to continue but am not sure if I can tolerate this discomfort. Has anyone else experienced leg/foot pain? My doctor says it’s from diabetes, but my numbers are down, and I never had this pain before."

• hal...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 4, 2023

For Type 2 Diabetes "The major side effects are all I got with this med, which includes upset stomach, heartburn, burping, gas, bloating, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite, stomach flu symptoms, headache, dizziness, and tiredness."