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.

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