The Hidden Dangers of Weight Loss Drugs: Why Extreme Caution is Needed

In recent years, so-called “miracle” weight loss drugs like Mounjaro and Ozempic have been hailed as revolutionary tools for shedding excess pounds. From celebrities to everyday people, demand has skyrocketed, driven by promises of rapid results and a slimmer figure. Yet beneath the hype lies a growing body of evidence that these medications can have devastating physical and psychological consequences, and the long-term risks remain largely unknown.

Journalist Shona Sibary recently shared her deeply troubling experience with Mounjaro. After losing 17kg in five months, she found herself spiralling into bulimia for the first time at age 54, compelled to purge after eating and existing on dangerously low calorie intakes between doses. What began as a quick fix to midlife weight gain became a trigger for a serious eating disorder, echoing warnings from experts who note that such drugs can fuel obsessive attitudes toward food and body image, particularly among middle-aged women (see Shona Sibary’s account, Daily Mail, 25th July 2025).

Sharon Osbourne’s experience with Ozempic underscores another alarming risk: extreme and persistent weight loss. The 72-year-old star admitted she now struggles to gain weight back, despite stopping the drug months ago, leaving her frail and frustrated. Doctors remain puzzled by the long-term metabolic effects, highlighting how little we know about the consequences of these medications (“Osbourne & Ozempic”).

Beyond the psychological toll and unpredictable metabolic changes, these drugs carry recognised medical risks. Side effects can range from nausea and diarrhoea to more severe complications like increased heart rate, liver damage, and pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is not only painful and potentially life-threatening in the short term; repeated bouts can lead to chronic pancreatitis, a condition strongly linked to a higher risk of pancreatic cancer.

Research shows that chronic pancreatitis can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by up to 13 times compared to the general population (Lowenfels et al., Gastroenterology, 1993; Kirkegård et al., Pancreas, 2017). The underlying mechanism is thought to involve repeated injury to pancreatic tissue, ongoing inflammation, and the gradual accumulation of genetic mutations in affected cells.

While a direct link between GLP-1 receptor agonists (such as Ozempic and Mounjaro) and pancreatic cancer has not yet been definitively proven, there is well-documented evidence of acute pancreatitis in some patients taking these drugs (Egan et al., JAMA Internal Medicine, 2014). Both the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) advise that patients taking GLP-1 medications be carefully monitored for symptoms of pancreatic inflammation, and that individuals with a history of pancreatitis avoid these treatments.

While there is no denying that obesity poses real health risks and that these medications can be life-changing for those with serious medical need, for many they are being used as a shortcut—often by people who are not clinically obese and could achieve results through healthier means. The price is not just financial, but potentially the sacrifice of long-term physical and mental wellbeing.

Before reaching for an injection or pill, consider the cost: not just in pounds and pence, but in your health, your relationship with food, and the unknown risks to your body years down the line. Sustainable weight management is best achieved through balanced eating, regular activity, and supportive lifestyle changes—not a weekly jab with consequences we are only beginning to uncover.

For most, the safest and healthiest path is the slow, steady one. The promise of a quick fix may simply not be worth the peril. If you do go ahead, please bear this in mind: Analysis of 11 studies of older and newer GLP-1 weight loss drugs by the University of Oxford found that patients typically lost 8kg on weight loss jabs but returned to their original weight within 10 months of stopping them. It might not just be an expensive risk, but also a very temporary one.