I started taking Ozempic some months ago and noticed an exacerbation of my tendency towards constipation. Annoying but I put up with it. Two weeks ago as I was still not showing any weight loss my dose was doubled from half a mg to one mg. My constipation started becoming extreme. Then last week after a couple of months of waiting I finally had the colonoscopy I’d scheduled. The prep that was supposed to flush me out only barely worked; until a few hours before the procedure I thought I was going to have to cancel because I wasn’t clearing anything. Then after the procedure absolutely nothing happened for 72 hours despite my taking senna, which in the past has provoked heavy diarrhea. Since then I have had minimal function, just barely enough to not be completely corked up. Even though constipation is not on the “official” list of possible side effects, an internet search reveals anecdotal testimony that this can be a severe problem for some people. I’m giving up on Ozempic and will go back to controlling my type-II diabetes with Metformin and diet.
Psyllium husk is being touted as nature’s Ozempic. I’ve been dosing two heaping spoons a day of the stuff for a year now and have never been more regular. But always remember that no single approach works for everybody or even most people.
I tried psyllium but promptly had to give it up. Extra fiber doesn’t do anything if your GI tract is on strike, it simply creates a blockage.
Thanks for posting this. I’ve been wondering about Ozempic. From what I’ve been reading, it almost seems like the way it works is that you feel so miserable you don’t feel like eating, and you can’t eat the stuff you really want to eat anyway. Constipation/bowel blockage is definitely not something I want to tangle with, as it were.
Might give Zepbound/Mounjaro a try. My wife found the Ozempic/Wegovy side effects to be challenging and switched with good results and minimal tiredness.
I’ve been on Zepbound for close to a year now. Weight is down from 220+ to 150. A1C and all the other indicators showed major improvement as well. Aside from some tiredness the day after my shot, my side effects have been minimal. Some mild nausea at the start, easily managed by ginger candies. Some bouts of diarrhea as I adapted to my new dietary requirements.
I never felt like not eating. I only lost the urge to eat large amounts and the cravings for heavy or rich food. It’s been a life changer for me. I had been dieting to the point of near- misery. Now it’s so much easier to manage.
That is a very rare side effect. I’ve dropped 55 lb on Ozempic and now Liraglutide and no longer have Type 2 diabetes.
The downside is indigestion and the occasional runs easily dealt with.
The health benefits far outweigh side effects for the great majority of people and are not limited to weight loss.
The risks and benefits of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) such as semaglutide have been compared in a comprehensive evaluation using data from 2.4 million participants.
The findings suggest GLP-1RAs are linked with a range of both positive and negative health effects, including a decreased risk of 42 health outcomes and increased risk of 19.
Compared to usual care, participants who used GLP-1RAs had a lower risk of:
- substance use and psychotic disorders
- seizures
- neurocognitive disorders including Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
- infectious illnesses
- several respiratory conditions
- coagulation and cardiometabolic disorders, including deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, stroke, cardiac arrest, heart failure and myocardial infarction.
Conversely, it found patients were at an increased risk of:
- gastrointestinal conditions such as nausea and vomiting, diverticulitis, gastritis and abdominal pain
- hypotension
- syncope
- arthritis.
RACGP - Examining the pros and cons of semaglutide
If only diarrhea/ the runs was the side effect I was getting! 
My wife is another one where it gives her severe diarrhea (and sometimes vomiting) instead of constipation. Which is odd since she’s had chronic constipation issues all her life, so you’d almost expect it to make that worse. Within a day or two after taking her shot, it starts - frequently and with little to no warning. It’s like having a week-long colonoscopy prep.
I’ve got IBS-D and my weekly .5mg dose of Ozempic has done wonders to control my IBS, so slowing down intestinal transit times is great for me.
I had my last colonoscopy in the fall and I was told to skip one Ozempic dose and had no issues getting cleaned out.
I’m on mounjaro for DM II (and now nearly off insulin) and am up to 7.5 mg weekly now. As for my IBS, it’s not completely eliminated the diarrhea but the episodes are far reduced. It has worsened the episodes of constipation. Oh well.
After 45 years of IBS, I’ll take the occasional constipation! The fact that I’m down 14 lbs and my A1C has gone from over 7 even with metformin and jardience to 5.4 is even better.
Agreed. Thus far constipation is not often a PITA. I’m quite pleased the Dire Rear status has diminished markedly.
I had constipiation with Ozempic and helped it by eating more fiber and taking magnesium citrate. It pulls more water into the bowel to keep things moving.
Without getting too graphic, how severe constipation? Passing nothing for 72 hours isn’t an inconvenience, it’s approaching requiring medical intervention. So far nothing I’ve tried– pushing water, magnesium, MiraLax®– has sufficed to correct the problem. Perhaps I am just an outlier but from what I’ve found online I’m not alone.
Username checks.
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I found mag citrate helpful, as well as staying very hydrated. Good luck!
I only started Ozempic a few weeks ago and I’m still on the starter dose, but I’ve been experiencing some of this as well.
Compared to the nightmarish movements I used to have when I was drinking heavily it’s a welcome change of pace, but it’s definitely gonna take some getting used to.
For me, just suddenly eating less feels like constipation sometimes. Less going in, less going out. I especially noticed this on a keto diet before I started super-dosing fiber.
My doctor put me on Metformin a year ago February. I’ve been extra good with my diet (I do notice when I eat “bad” things) but I’ve learned how to deal, and I’ve lost 60 lbs. Still losing. Since I’ve had good results, I have no desire to switch to Ozempic (not that anyone’s trying to get me to).
I get cravings, but surprisingly some things I used to love make me nauseated with I think of them now. But overall I don’t get as ravenously hungry as I used to, either. Winning!
You have talked about this with whatever doctor prescribed you the Ozempic, right?