(NewsNation) — As the popularity of weight loss drugs has increased, so have calls to poison control as people, including children, overdose on the medications.
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound are designed to be injected, typically once a week. That means the medications are designed to remain in the body for that long, which can have devastating consequences if a child gets their hands on the drug.
The case of Jessa Milender, reported by local Indiana news outlet WTHR, is one example. The then-7-year-old girl took her mother’s GLP-1 injection, which she thought was a drug for stomach aches.
In Jessa’s case, she ended up being hospitalized twice as she suffered constant vomiting and pain, with doctors fearing her kidneys could be damaged.
Weight loss drugs come with side effects, including gastrointestinal distress. As with most medications, those side effects are worse if people take more of the drug than prescribed. In most cases, that’s due to people taking their next dose too early, incorrectly measuring a dose or thinking that extra medication will help them lose weight more quickly.
Jessa ended up in the hospital for supportive treatment because there’s nothing doctors can do to reverse the effects of GLP-1 medication or force the body to eliminate the drug more quickly. Jessa fully recovered.
Indiana’s poison control center said calls related to GLP-1s have seen a significant increase, though it’s hard to get a true sense of how often GLP-1 overdoses are occurring because many people don’t call poison control and simply deal with the symptoms on their own.
As GLP-1 therapies become more accessible and inexpensive, overdoses will likely continue to rise.
Experts recommend people carefully read the dosing instructions for their medication and keep them safe from children by storing them in a secure area, like a lock box.
