Ozempic Side Effects — Everything You Need to Know

These unfortunate effects are strongest in the days immediately after injecting the once-weekly medication. Patients are also most likely to experience problems when they start on the drug or when they step up to a higher dosage; the side effects commonly fade away as the body gets used to the medicine.

Ozempic Burps

Only a minority of semaglutide trials have identified burping, or “eructation,” as a side effect. Anecdotal reports suggest that the burps, like other gastrointestinal issues, are worse when patients begin taking their drugs or step up to higher dosages.

Bloating and Farting

These uncomfortable side effects were reported in clinical trials as “abdominal distension” and “flatulence.” Bloating and farting complaints are less common than the gastrointestinal effects discussed above, and they have yet to catch on as hot topics on social media, but it’s good to know that Ozempic and related drugs may increase their likelihood.

Stomach Paralysis (Gastroparesis)

Delayed stomach emptying, the defining feature of gastroparesis, is a known consequence of Ozempic and related drugs. This delayed emptying partially accounts for some of Ozempic’s positive effects, helping to reduce hunger and provoke weight loss. It is also responsible for less severe side effects, such as gastrointestinal discomfort.

Luckily, severe and persistent gastroparesis appears to be very rare. The symptom was not identified in any of the drug’s phase 3 trials, which enrolled thousands of participants to evaluate semaglutide’s safety.

Temporary Intestinal Paralysis (Ileus)

Stomach paralysis isn’t the only severe gastrointestinal side effect that users have reported.

Ileus is likely a rare side effect — it wasn’t identified in previous clinical trials, which evaluated semaglutide in thousands of participants. In its updated guidance, the FDA noted, “Because these reactions are reported voluntarily from a population of uncertain size, it is not always possible to reliably estimate their frequency or establish a causal relationship to drug exposure.”