Ozempic and Gas: 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."

• Dim...
• April 7, 2020

For Type 2 Diabetes "Been using Ozempic for 7 weeks, lost 12 pounds. I also take Xigduo and Lantus at night. Gas, nausea, headache, and a few low A1c. But my number is down from 8.1 to 5.4. For the gas, I find that Gas-X helps. And for the nausea, I sip on cold water and keep my meals small. I haven't thrown up yet and no constipation or diarrhea."

• Bon...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 13, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "Started Ozempic about 7 weeks ago. Dosage .25. First week noticed some nausea, a lot of gas, some reflux, and diarrhea. Each week, side effects were getting worse. Nausea very bad, pains in left side, waves of heat, no energy at all. In all, just feeling BAD! Diarrhea is bad and a bit uncontrollable. Have not raised dosage due to being afraid of worse side effects. Have lost 5 pounds. Appetite is definitely less. My sugar numbers have not improved that much, which leads me to believe it is what I am eating. I still crave sweets. I have some jittery feelings at times! I am very discouraged."

• 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."

• Bad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 9, 2022

For Cardiovascular Risk Reduction "I am on day 4 after taking this and now bedridden. I have never been so sick in my life: nausea, vomiting, gas, headache, terrible smelly burping, dizzy, blurred vision, the list goes on. I hope this wears off soon, I have to go back to work. I am so disappointed in this product, very scary how it's destroying my body. I can't eat, sleep, barely move, just sipping water. Terrible stuff."

• 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."

• Mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 28, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "I noticed a difference in my fasting numbers, etc., but after taking the fifth dose, I felt like I had the stomach flu for 8 days. I was very nauseated, gas, burping, stomach pain, and achy. I didn't move off the couch all weekend. From what everyone says, you have to get through this, but I honestly can't take any more. I think it's time to come off of this. I can't imagine ever increasing it."

• 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."

• kat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 2, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "Week 4 injection of Ozempic will be today, and so far, feeling really good! (Prior med kept me sick, headachy, and depressed for months.) The slight nausea at the beginning stopped in less than a week. I have NO appetite. Good mostly but hard to get all the meals and nutrition I need. If I overeat, I get a sour stomach. Great incentive not to overeat! I have more gas, but take OTC meds for it. My blood sugars are much lower and right on target. I'll get another A1c in 2 weeks. No scales, but I'm losing weight. Clothes are looser, stomach is flatter. I'm supposed to double the dose today from .25 to .5, and I'm scared to! I feel so good, and I don't want that to change! This stuff is expensive, though! Yikes! Even with my insurance. Not sure how long I can afford it, and I don't qualify for their financial help."

• Bet...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 5, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "Only second week in on the lowest dose. Feel lighter, no hunger at all. Suffering from nausea, wind, and headaches. I would really like to go the distance with this medication. I have overeaten for years and am wanting this to work. Not thinking of eating is quite liberating."

• ACD...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 27, 2023

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I have experienced severe gas, belching, flatulence, moderate nausea all night, not heartburn but feels like seasickness, and moderate constipation. Have had about a 7-pound weight loss in a month. Simple to use with no problems injecting or at the injection site."

• ACD...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 27, 2023

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "I have experienced severe gas, belching, flatulence, moderate nausea all night, not heartburn but feels like seasickness, and moderate constipation. Have had about a 7-pound weight loss in a month. Simple to use with no problems injecting or at the injection site."

• Tja...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 9, 2018

For Type 2 Diabetes "My Dr. prescribed Ozempic for weight loss after I lost 50 lbs using Trulicity. I had few side effects from Trulicity. My side effects from Ozempic are awful. Two to three days after a weekly dose, I experienced severe diarrhea, gas, belching, nausea, lasting about 24 hours. I stopped injecting it for a couple of weeks, then tried it again to confirm Ozempic was the cause. It is. I learned my lesson."

• Eda...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 6, 2020

For Type 2 Diabetes "So I have been on Ozempic for 5 weeks. I am tired a lot. Not sure if this is the drug or my poor sleep, but now that I see others are tired a lot, it makes me wonder. I have nasty burps a lot. I started on a dose of 0.25 for 4 weeks. I had a lot of low-level nausea, but not too bad except for one day. Then last Sunday, I took the higher dose of 0.5, and I was okay on Sunday and Monday, but Tuesday the nausea was horrible, and I had explosive diarrhea all day to the point I had to take Imodium, and I got my doctor's office to prescribe an anti-nausea med, Zofran, which helped a little. The next day, less nausea, and today is Thursday of that week, and I still have the burps and more BMs than I would like, as well as a lot of gas. I know I have lost weight just by how my clothes fit. I have very little appetite. Not sure if the pluses outweigh the minuses yet. I am probably going to try one more week and see how I feel. It has had a modest impact on blood sugars. I have been using less insulin."

• Nes...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 3, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "Was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in March 2019. Doctor put me on Ozempic rather than insulin, although it's not recommended. He thought it was worth a try along with 500 mg metformin twice daily. The first 3 weeks of 0.25 mg Ozempic were just fine. Very minimal side effects - occasional diarrhea, some gas, and belching. Nothing I couldn't handle. The fourth week of 0.25 mg was worse. Constant diarrhea for four days, nausea, some vomiting. I went to a different doctor thinking I had a stomach virus, he prescribed me an anti-diarrheal, and I felt better. I took the Ozempic at 0.5 mg then, as prescribed. Two days later, nightmare. Diarrhea again, vomiting, nausea, and serious fatigue. I'm in the throes of it right now, and I'm going to be contacting my doctor to see what I can do to counteract this. Besides the side effects, though, it's working beautifully. My blood sugar is down from the high 300s to the low 100s in just a month."

• JUS...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 25, 2023

For Weight Loss (Obesity/Overweight) "Sulfur burps (like eggs), terrible gas, confusion, diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea. Anxiety led to severe panic attacks. I did lose weight, but its side effects are not worth it. It caused me food aversion. Eating and drinking became a chore. My dose was increased each week by 0.25 mg."

• Goa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 20, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have taken 7 doses of Ozempic. The first week wasn't too bad. A little nausea and fatigue. I did feel like my food stuck in my throat, and every time I burped, there it was. As I continued to take it each week, the side effects got worse. I was just diagnosed with diabetes in May, and since then, I've been able to come off of my insulin on my own, before Ozempic. I still take Metformin twice a day. This past week, the seventh dose made me so sick! If I wasn't nauseous every day, I was running to the bathroom at all hours of the day and night. I had horrible heartburn, gas, burping, jitters, and dizziness the whole time and thought I could continue, but after this past week, my doctor said to come off of it. It will take a while to get out of my system, I know, but I hope it does so quickly. I need my life back!!"

• Ice...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 4, 2019

For Type 2 Diabetes "OMG ... it’s not me. Dr. started me at .5 of Ozempic, first day after injection pretty much okay, then came nausea, stomach ache, headaches, then just dulled, gassy (didn’t know the burps were part of it but that increased), diarrhea, feeling beyond blah. I went to work and struggled through the day for 4 days like this. The first week wasn’t sure if it was the shot or some food, so I tried the Ozempic again. The second week was a little better, so I decided I’ll try the smaller dose. Today is day 2, but this morn, there’s the nausea, stomach ache, a little bit of headache, but lesser amounts. Despite the thought of weight loss, might be heading back to Januvia (Farxiga got the yeast infection, but it was cheap, $15 for 90 with insurance)."

• Pom...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 2, 2022

For Type 2 Diabetes "I've been on Ozempic for three years. Started with a .25 dose, then a .5 dose, and this week started a 1.0 dose. Throughout taking Ozempic, and before it, I also take Xigduo. I feel sick, nauseated, disgusted by food and smells of food, and more recently, extreme gas at both ends... both smell like rotting garbage or sulfur. Nothing helps with any symptoms. Gas reliever just means more gas and vomit burps. I have diarrhea regularly. My count is down to 6.9, but what is the point of taking something that clearly hinders my enjoyment of life? I'm really NOT bagging on this drug, it does what it is supposed to, but I wish there were a way to stop the side effects. If anyone has ideas, please share!"

• 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.'"

• Typ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 12, 2021

For Type 2 Diabetes "Severe diarrhea all the time. I could not go one day without having diarrhea. It's been two weeks since I started, btw. My shoulders and knees hurt so bad, and I'm very gassy. Occasional nausea and vomiting occurred as well. My eyesight has blurred severely. My doctor said they might remove this med from my RX due to me not being able to live a normal life. I literally have to take an extra change of clothes with me everywhere I go just in case."

• Kar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 19, 2025

For Type 2 Diabetes "I have been using for 10 months proximately (0.5 mg). It has steadied glucose with less insulin (Lantus), and I have lost about 25 lb (started at 302 lb). I would like a higher dosage to help with the weight issue, as it's been very helpful with appetite reduction. The doctor has not raised it for fear of hypoglycemia issues. I've had no real side effects beyond occasional nausea and constipation. Slower movement through the gastrointestinal system gives me a rather hard-packed stool. I have consistently had flatulence since week one."

• 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."

• Sam...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 23, 2023

For Type 2 Diabetes "I am in my late 50s, but I feel young for my age. I have always maintained a decent body, but my health has deteriorated over the years. I gained more weight than I should have due to a prescription drug called Seroquel that I was taking under the care of my previous doctor. However, my new doctor discovered that I had borderline type 2 diabetes, and my legs were starting to hurt. Five weeks ago, I weighed 182 lbs, but I have now lost 23 lbs and weigh 159 lbs. This weight loss has been made possible by a medication called Ozempic, which has been a godsend for me. It does exactly what it promises to do by making me feel full throughout the day. Even if I eat a muffin in the morning, I cannot eat for the rest of the day. The only side effects I have experienced are sulfur burps, gas, and nausea two days after injection. I am supposed to increase my dosage to 1 mg, but I plan to stay on 5 mg for a few more weeks. I have noticed that a few days after my injection, which is every Wednesday, I feel sick, but I have not vomited. I have stocked up on Gravol and Gas-X, which have been very helpful. I am thrilled to have lost 30 lbs in just five weeks!"