Wegovy & Gallbladder Issues

[Tailfeather]

Has anyone had gallbladder problems while on Wegovy? I'm currently in A&E with really bad pain and can't stop being sick. They think it's my gallbladder, just waiting for a scan.

I understand this is common with extreme weight loss (I wouldn't actually call mine extreme, but I have lost weight!). Has it happened to you and did you go back on Wegovy?

Yes I had to stop taking it. It’s not worth it. I am not going to suffer like that to be thin. Think about your quality of life. I have lost weight without ozempic it’s perfectly possible just hard work.

Following if I may. Hope you are ok?

Has it been confirmed as gallbladder? Are you going to have surgery or do you go on a waitlist.

I've been asked into see the GP at my surgery who seemed to have an interest in the injections, after a urine test I did for the diabetic nurse came back abnormal from last week.

Did you have to have your gallbladder removed?

Yes, it has been confirmed as my gallbladder and I'm on the waiting list to have it removed.

Thank you, sorry again for your plight, are you officially told to stop the Wegovy now?

The issue is rapid weight loss, which can cause gallstones, not wegovy. Look it up. Lots of people on very low calorie diets experience the same problems.

I didn’t have mine out and my pain stopped when I stopped ozempic. In the lead up I had really bad nausea, reflux, indigestion and then 2 very long (16 hour) gallbladder episodes of severe pain (couldn’t eat, just curled up in a ball). I went to my doctor and they told me to stop it immediately so I did and haven’t had those symptoms again.

@Waferbiscuit please don’t make statements about things like wegovy doesn’t cause gallbladder problems unless you know what you are talking about - it’s literally written in the side effect/warnings on the drug!

https://onlinedoctor.lloydspharmacy.com/uk/lifestyle-advice/wegovy-side-effects

I hope you are feeling better soon after your op. However this is a new drug and gallbladder issues are a known side effect, you will no doubt be told to follow a particular diet whilst you recover so it might be a good time to make long term changes. They usually advise you not to use wegovy if you are having an operation because of the risks of delayed gastric emptying and aspiration

OP, I tried another version of this a couple of years ago, can't recall the name saxenda or something? I was also doing the 16:8. I then learned both are bad for gallbladder. I had to have mine out last year. I hope you get help soon.

Thank you but neither me nor the op call our weight loss, extreme. I mean I was picking up my 10% of body weight certificate on Saturday, alongside a gent who has lost 2.5 stone in 3 weeks whereas I've taken 3+ months. My understanding when on the first injection Saxenda was you had to lose a percent of your body weight in so many number of weeks to even remain on the drug so it's interesting and then there was talk of people doing these injections and not eating just having shakes and that definitely hasn't been me. I always thought you got gallstones quickly, like within days on the injections not many months later so this is some learning for me.

I got gallstones after a period of weight loss (again not extreme - like a couple of stone). I wasn't on wegovy. My understanding is that although gall stones symptoms may subside the problem doesn't really ever go away once it has occurred, and I continued to have sporadic attacks even after maintaining my weight.

I have since had my gallbladder removed - no further issues 2 years later.

No, I haven't been told officially to stop taking it as I've only seen junior doctors who'd never even heard of it!! I was like 'Wegovy, you know, like Ozempic? Semaglutide?' But no! I'm hoping to see a consultant privately who can shed a bit more light on this, so I have stopped taking it in the meantime just in case. But I have read some posts where doctors have told them they can keep taking wegovy until 2 weeks before their op (due to the anaesthetic) and then start again straight away afterwards.

I often fast for 16 hours, purely because I don't really like breakfast and am never hungry in the morning - with or without wegovy. So that could have contributed.

Hopefully they can shed some light on it. It’s so new, so many doctors haven’t really got a full picture yet. Yes best to stop before your op date for sure.

Mine hasn’t come back for a while - mine was definitely related to the gastric symptoms I was experiencing as it was always a slow build up to the agonising pain over many hours and the triggers were not eating for long periods of time then struggling to eat anything that wasn’t tiny and bland. The worst one I had was set off by bread. I had felt off all day and nauseous but indigestion too so I had something to eat and it just got worse I drank so much gaviscon it did nothing! I didn’t go to A&E as I wasn’t sweating or had a temp (so no infection) I spoke to 111 who told me to see GP, who told me to come back if it happened again and I would get a scan but to stop the medication in case I had anything else like a stomach ulcer. I feel so much better since coming off ozempic I don’t think I realised how much it was affecting me gastrically until I stopped it

I eat little and often now to keep it at bay and this helps. Don’t eat high fat things either but also I have lost more weight since I stopped, some of it through fear of another attack! It is doable if you adjust your diet if you are worrying about coming off ozempic - it doesn’t have to mean it’s the end of your weight loss at all

I don't understand why you would go back on it. This is a known side effect and you're having it. Don't play with your health.

I lost weight breastfeeding my son, it wasn't very quick and got gallstones. The day I had it removed was a good day indeed! I was only early 30s and quite fit at the time

My friend would only eat one meal a day in the evenings and this went on for years. She had a horrible gallbladder attack when she was on holiday and had to have it removed.

They said eating within a very very short time of the day for a long period was very bad for your gallbladder.