Is the Stomach Paralysis Ozempic and Mounjaro Are Causing Permanent?

If you take the diabetes or weight loss drugs Mounjaro or Ozempic, then you might be aware of recent news stories in which thousands of patients prescribed the injectables are suing the medications’ manufacturers. They allege the pharmaceutical companies that produce these drugs failed to warn them about the potential for causing or worsening stomach paralysis. If you, too, are affected, you might be wondering, “Is the stomach paralysis Ozempic and Mounjaro are causing permanent?”

Below, the legal team of Thomas Law Offices will highlight our findings from combing medical literature regarding the permanency of this condition. We’ll do this in hopes that it aids you in identifying resources from which you can perform further research on your own that you can discuss with your doctors in deciding the best path forward, given your specific health history and the severity of your symptoms.

Understanding What Gastroparesis Is

Gastroparesis is a gastrointestinal condition that slows how quickly food moves from the stomach into the small intestines. This is why some medical resources, including the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), also refer to this condition as “delayed gastric emptying.”

Causes of Gastroparesis

The American College of Gastroenterology maintains that various underlying medical diagnoses, as well as the use of certain medications, can cause stomach paralysis. One of the most common illnesses that causes someone to develop this condition is diabetes. Antidepressants, nicotine, marijuana, progesterone, and narcotics are examples of drugs most likely to cause someone to end up with this debilitating gastrointestinal disease.

Symptoms Stomach Paralysis Patients Experience

Some of the earliest symptoms of the disease include belching, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms are generally accompanied by both abdominal pain and a sense of bloating or fullness soon after an affected individual begins their meal. Symptoms can be carbonated beverages and fatty foods.

Gastroparesis patients may also find it challenging to regulate their blood sugar and become malnourished, resulting in a loss of weight as gastrointestinal pain increases or blockages leading into the small intestine occur.

Is Diabetes or Weight Loss Drug-Induced Gastroparesis Treatable?

Stomach paralysis isn’t always a permanent, chronic condition. Many individuals who receive a gastroparesis diagnosis only experience a temporary bout of this debilitating gastrointestinal disease. It’s permanent for others, and there’s no current cure for it.

There are medications patients can take to alleviate symptoms. Making dietary modifications can be effective at staving off the effects of the disease, too.

However, vagus nerve damage can be so acute for some that no other options work, and one of the following types of surgeries become necessary:

• Gastric bypass: This is the same as the bariatric surgery obese individuals undergo. It involves the removal of the portion of the stomach that is no longer functioning and connecting the portion of it that still works to the small intestine to restore standard emptying.
• Pyloroplasty: This endoscopic procedure involves cutting into and expanding the muscular valve that connects the stomach to the small intestine to improve emptying.

The Connection Between Mounjaro and Ozempic and Stomach Paralysis

One of many complications associated with being diabetic is the onset of neuropathy. While most literature about diabetes focuses on nerve damage within the limbs, like the feet, it can affect the stomach, too, leading to a gastroparesis diagnosis.

Patients are now lining up and filing lawsuits against the manufacturers of popular diabetes and weight loss injectables Ozempic and Mounjaro, alleging the onset of their stomach paralysis occurred or worsened by taking these drugs.

Where To Get Help if You’re Suffering From Stomach Paralysis

While gastroparesis does not shorten the lives of patients, it does affect their quality of life. For example, it can limit your ability to enjoy a nice meal with family and friends and lead you to experience lingering adverse symptoms that limit your ability to engage with others as you’d like.

The best course of action if you’re suffering from stomach paralysis symptoms is to discuss any possible medical interventions, whether medication or surgery, that may provide relief with your doctors.

You may also want to consider contacting a Mounjaro and Ozempic stomach paralysis lawyer like one of ours here at Thomas Law Offices if you believe one of the aforementioned diabetes or weight loss medications caused or exacerbated your condition. This is especially the case if doctors have told you that your gastroparesis may be permanent.

There’s no risk and no obligation to speak with an attorney in our office about your case. So, let us provide you with a free case review to assess whether you have a valid claim and, if so, what legal remedies are available to you today.