Ozempic warning

[Thomasina79]

Ok this was in the daily mail this morning, but apparently ozempic etc can lead to unwanted pregnancies as it stops contraception being effective.

That's made clear when it's prescribed.

It’s very clear when you order it. I’m sure it’s on the leaflet too. It isn’t a secret.

If you’re getting it from a licensed supplier, they tell you this at the time. This warning is only relevant to the numpties who are buying it from randoms on the internet.

They tell you that when it's prescribed

The coverage of MJ/Ozempic in the media is sometimes very frustrating. This particular article, on the BBC website, states correctly that the injections are only available on the NHS to people with a very high BMI, but then goes on to say that 'such is the demand for them that many people are buying them from unregulated sellers on social media or beauty salons.....' It completely omits the fact that people are also, perhaps mainly, buying them from a regulated pharmacy. As for the pregnancy issue, as other posters have said, there is a clear warning in the documentation. The subject of the article says she 'can't remember reading anything about contraception on there'. In other words, she didn't read the paperwork! Rant over, but it does annoy me!

When being prescribed Mounjaro, which has the same effect, you have to tell them what birth control you’re using and it flashes up on the prescribing screen that you may need additional methods of contraception. It’s very hard to miss.

Yes, was just about to say that the online consultations often have a whole section where you have to tick that you’ve understood about these things before you can continue. For someone to claim they were totally unaware they would have to have really not been paying attention!

I've swapped prescribers several times and all of them have warnings that you will need to use an additional method of contraception if taking birth control

I’ve just been reading about this and it looks like the risk has always been recognised with Mounjaro, it’s been thought that Ozempic didn’t cause the same issue.

It’s so clear when you complete the consultation. I don’t use oral contraception but was fully aware of this, firstly from ticking the box to say I didn’t use it, and secondly from doing the smallest bit of research about a really big decision to use this medication. Zero sympathy for anyone who claims they didn’t realise it could affect their contraception. either they didn’t take the consultation seriously and read the instructions OR they got it from an illegal source without advice. Some people treat this like it’s a herbal tea rather than a serious medication with multiple documented (and likely still more to be researched) side effects!

Been widely reported for Ozempic for well over a year at least - this article from March 2024 https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2024/03/21/ozempic-pregnancy-weight-loss-drugs-fertility/73032645007/

That looks like it’s talking about women becoming more fertile as their hormones are brought into line. The standard medical line on Ozempic however has been that semiglutides don’t affect hormonal birth control. I hadn’t realised as I’ve only ever used Mounjaro.

Eg thelowdown.com/blog/ozempic-wegovy-mounjaro-birth-control

Ah that’s interesting. So do you not get the same questions and warnings when completing the consultation for Semaglutide? However there are still lots of suggestions 2024 like this guardian article that anecdotally it was thought to make oral contraception fail - due to either delayed gastric emptying and/or d&v side effects. So I still think they should have been warning - anyone done the wegovy consult this year?

https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/may/27/women-advised-to-pair-effective-contraception-with-skinny-jabs-wegovy-ozempic

Every time I read an article like this, where someone has been negligent in the way in which they take them, my heart sinks because I really think that if people continue to be irresponsible they will tighten the rules around them. It’s the same way you hear about people ordered needles to get the ‘golden dose’.

It was made very clear to mean when I ordered Mounjaro the impact on oral contraception and later it was advised it also impacts oral progesterone as part of HRT.

iirc there wasn’t the same warnings for Ozempic/Wegovy (when I looked at them june 24) as they didn’t slow gastric emptying as significantly as Mounjaro which is what they thought caused the issues with absorption. So it might be news to some ozempic patients

If you’re on any of these injections, and this is a shock to you, then you probably need a new provider. Such a non-story.

It was on the BBC news this morning and I found myself shouting at my Google mini that she was an idiot as there has been a box to tick or a pop up on every consultation form I have completed today you understand MJ can interfere with oral contraception.

In regard to Ozempic, it seems a fairly obvious one as it works via delayed gastric emptying too so logically it will have an impact won’t it?

The internet though is full of medical sites telling you it has no effect on contraception.

My initial thoughts were like many of you, that there are loads of warnings. But it does seem not for Ozempic. Even if you google you’ll read that it doesn’t affect contraception. So I think it’s probably useful to add warnings.

Yep, they tell you this when it’s prescribed - it’s because obesity often causes infertility (you stop ovulating) and as your weight drops your hormone start to recalibrate and you can start ovulating again. So people who have assumed they are infertile and are having unprotected sex, find themselves getting pregnant. Additionally, when people are relying on the pill, because some people suffer gastric side effects, it may impact the effectiveness. The advice when starting these medications is to make sure you speak to your GP/HCP about extra/alternative contraception.

It’s all there in the medication leaflet, I believe (being menopausal, I ignored that section).

They tell you it when it’s prescribed, and it’s common sense to anyone with a brain. The medication works by slowing down your digestion so of course anything you take orally would take longer to process and anything that needs a constant build up in your system would be affected.

Edit: noticed people saying apparently they don’t warn you for ozempic, which sounds unlikely but maybe so. But even so, it makes sense logically that it would impact on any medications you’re taking. I don’t think I know anyone taking Ozempic/Wegovy anyway though, Mounjaro was proven more effective so that’s what everyone I know of uses.

@CloverPyramid the people with "the brain" (the people who make Ozempic, the qualified pharmacists and Drs) didn't know this, logically or otherwise, just a year ago when I started so not sure how you expect an unqualified patient to know?

The people who make Mounjaro didn't know it impacted oral progesterone, pharmacists didn't know either until April this year when new guidance was released from the BMS, PCWHS - this is still not in the Eli Lilly patient leaflets. When asking prior to April patients were told it didn't impact HRT.

Edit to remove comment based on misunderstanding previous post!