Tennessee
Tennessee Poison Center sees increase in weight loss drug ‘accidental overdoses’
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – As the popularity of weight loss drugs increases, so is the number of calls the Tennessee Poison Center is getting about those drugs.
WSMV4 Investigates found that some people in Middle Tennessee are giving themselves too much weight loss medication and ending up in the hospital.
The high demand for drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic led to a nationwide shortage. People are now turning to alternative versions of drugs that are cheaper and easier to get, but local health professionals said they can be risky.
The Tennessee Poison Center had 69 cases in 2023 for exposures to weight loss drugs. In 2017, the year Ozempic was approved by the FDA, that number was zero.
“I think our data is just mimicking the widespread use of these medications,” Dr. Rebecca Bruccoleri with the Tennessee Poison Center said.
With widespread use comes shortages. As NBC News reported this week, some doctors are now embracing compounded versions of the drugs that are essentially a copy of the brand-name medicines.
However, Dr. Bruccoleri pointed out that the alternatives are not FDA-approved.
“I would be concerned about compounded formulations and stick with those that have been manufactured properly,” Bruccoleri said.
Not only are people turning to drug alternatives amid the shortage, but some are also going outside of the traditional healthcare system, like to medspas, to get medication more quickly than they could from a physician.
When people leave with pens and administer their own doses, they risk accidentally giving themselves too much. That is called therapeutic error.
Dr. Bruccoleri said it made up for 73% of cases the poison center saw in 2023.
“It is important that prescribers, pharmacists and patients all work together to make sure patients understand how to use the pens before they go home so these errors don’t happen,” Bruccoleri said.
People who take higher doses than normal experience nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. People can call the Tennessee Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.
Copyright 2024 WSMV. All rights reserved.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tennessee football beat out Ohio State for transfer edge rusher Chaz Coleman, giving the Vols one of the top players in the portal.
Coleman spent one season at Penn State. With the Nittany Lions, the former four-star prospect collected eight tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack and a forced fumble in nine games.
Coleman is a native of Warren, Ohio. His offer sheet out of Harding High School included Ohio State, Missouri, Illinois, Ole Miss and Kentucky, among others.
In Coleman’s lone season at Penn State, the Nittany Lions saw a plethora of change.
Former head coach James Franklin was fired in mid-October after a 3-3 start. After finishing the season with an interim staff, Penn State hired Matt Campbell as its next head coach.
The change in staff also led to the departure of Jim Knowles — Penn State’s defensive coordinator who served in that role at Ohio State from 2022-24. He’s not at Tennessee.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Tennessee lawmakers are preparing to discuss hundreds of bills as the state legislature convenes, with mental health funding emerging as a priority for two lawmakers.
State Rep. Sam McKenzie, D-Knoxville, and state Sen. Becky Massey, R-Knox County, said mental health care funding will be a focus of upcoming legislative conversations.
“It’s been a big topic,” McKenzie said.
“That’s going to be very top of my mind as far as working and advocating for that,” Massey said.
Massey, who chairs the Transportation Committee, said the state needs more money for road expansion. She expressed concerns about insufficient funding for billion of dollars worth of road projects.
“People are paying less to drive on our roads and the cost of building roads are going up. So your gas tax is going down, the cost of building roads is going up,” Massey said.
McKenzie stressed the need for more public education funding following the first year of families using state dollars for private school through the voucher program.
“In Knox County, our numbers are up. Actually, in Memphis, their numbers are up, so I think some of the changes we’ve made in regard to public education and putting a few more dollars in, I think we can continue that process,” McKenzie said.
State House Speaker Cameron Sexton has said he wants to at least double the voucher program to offer it to 40,000 to 50,000 families. Both Massey and McKenzie expressed skepticism about the expansion.
“This isn’t about those kids in failing schools, this is about their friends, the rich or almost rich, that are just wanting a check from the government,” McKenzie said.
Massey cited revenue concerns about the expansion.
“I’m not getting the vibes that there is going to be enough revenue to do that because we’ve got other funding needs also,” Massey said.
Massey added the state could expand the program this year, but perhaps to 5,000 more families.
The General Assembly will reconvene next Tuesday.
Copyright 2026 WVLT. All rights reserved.
Tennessee
Deputies perform ‘life-saving measures’ after 5-year-old falls into swimming pool in Tennessee
FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Tennessee sheriff’s office is asking the community to pray for a family whose 5-year-old was hospitalized after falling into a swimming pool.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and family members were “administering life-saving measures” Thursday afternoon after pulling the child out of the water.
The child was then transferred to a hospital, where they are still being treated.
“The child was subsequently transported to the hospital, where they are currently receiving medical care‚” said a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office. “Out of respect for the family’s privacy, no further details will be released at this time.”
Copyright 2025 WSMV. All rights reserved.
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