SALT LAKE CITY — Shortages and user error are contributing to a surge in calls. Utah Poison Control Center Overdoses on weight-loss drugs similar to Ozempic, which the center told KSL, have increased 640% since 2020.
For all those looking to get weight loss pills OzempicBut now the drug is so popular and sometimes hard to get, people are turning to compounded versions that are less safe and more obscure.
Kevin Demas, a pharmacist at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center’s pharmacy, told KSL-TV that the drug is good, but prone to user error: Unlike Ozempic, which is administered like an easy-to-use EpiPen, the compounded version of the drug comes in a vial or syringe that requires users to measure out their own dose.
“The drug is very sensitive, so if you give it even a little bit too much or too little, the patient won’t get the benefits and will have a lot of bad side effects,” Kevin Demas, a registered pharmacist at The Apothecary Shop, said.
This resulted in a 640% increase in calls to the Utah Poison Control Center complaining of symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
“They intended to administer 0.25 milligrams, but they misunderstood or took the wrong amount and accidentally administered 2.5 milligrams,” said Simon Rodriguez, a poison specialist with the Utah Poison Control Center.
Demas said the syringes cannot be easily labeled and come in different dimensions and sizes, making it easy to mix them up.
“If this is what the doctor wants to give the patient and this is what the patient is going to be injected with, then they’re going to be hospitalized,” Demas said.
The best way to be sure you’re taking the right amount is to have your doctor or pharmacist show you the exact amount, he said.
“For medications that patients take at home in vials or syringes, this should be discussed directly with their doctor or pharmacist to prevent these kinds of errors from happening,” Demas said.
If you get an injection at home and feel unwell, Utah Poison Control Center 1-800-222-1222.
