Mom, 58, Used a 'Miracle' GLP to 'Be Thin' for Her Son's Wedding. She Claims It Made Her So Sick She Almost Missed the Big Day
Ali Eastburn, a 58-year-old mom from Nashville, was struggling with losing weight after menopause
She turned to the GLP-1 medication Ozempic because she wanted 'to be thin' for her son's upcoming wedding, but when her weight loss stalled, she said she increased her Ozempic dose — after which her appendix burst
A rep for the manufacturer told PEOPLE, "Novo Nordisk remains confident in the benefit-risk profile of our GLP-1 medicines, when used consistent with their indications and product labeling"A mom who started taking Ozempic to drop weight before her son's wedding nearly missed the big day after her appendix burst. She claimed the medical emergency was caused by the medication, which she said 'almost killed me.'
Ali Eastburn, 58, struggled with her 'post-menopausal' weight for years.
'My whole metabolism just changed and I had tried everything to lose weight,' the Nashville mom said, according to the Daily Mail.
Eastburn, who was a size 16 before starting Ozempic, worried about how she might look in the photos for her son Chase's upcoming wedding. In April, her doctor prescribed her the weight loss drug.
Ozempic and others in its class (the active agent, semaglutide, is marketed under the brand names Wegovy and Mounjaro) impact satiety. While Ozempic is approved by the FDA for people with type 2 diabetes and not formally approved for weight loss, it has become a trendy way to shed extra pounds.
A Novo Nordisk spokesperson told PEOPLE: "Semaglutide has been extensively examined in robust clinical development programs, large real-world-evidence studies and has cumulatively over 33 million patient years of exposure."
They continued, "Semaglutide's efficacy and safety have been extensively demonstrated in people with obesity/overweight with robust evidence for improving health outcomes. Semaglutide has demonstrated improvements in CV death, stroke and myocardial infarction. Novo Nordisk remains confident in the benefit-risk profile of our GLP-1 medicines, when used consistent with their indications and product labeling."
Eastburn said, "At first, it seemed like a miracle. The weight was just coming off.'
By the start of July, Eastburn had lost 15 lbs. 'I felt better and that there was hope,' she said.
But then, her weight loss stalled: 'I knew I had to do something drastic as I was desperate to look better. I didn't want to hate the wedding photos for the rest of my life,' Eastburn said. 'I upped my dose so I could get to my goal of losing 20 lbs.'
https://people-app.onelink.me/HNIa/kz7l4cuf
Eastburn did not clarify whether she consulted with a doctor before increasing her dosage of Ozempic. The FDA warned in 2024 that taking more than the recommended dose of compounded semaglutide could lead to "gastrointestinal effects (e.g., nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain)," as well as "fainting, headache, migraine, dehydration, acute pancreatitis and gallstones."
After upping her dose, Eastburn said she felt an immediate impact.
'The first week the nausea was uncontrollable and I had no desire to eat or drink anything,' she said, explaining she felt an 'all-new level' of 'excruciatingly painful' heartburn.
Explaining she was 'sick as a dog,' Eastburn said she was dry heaving and fighting the urge to vomit when she went shopping for a dress to wear to the wedding. She said she ended up in the emergency room twice, struggling with nausea and 'violent diarrhea.'
Still, she flew from Nashville to Orange County, Calif., on July 15 for the wedding — only to get so ill on the flight that once they landed, 'an ambulance took me to the hospital straight away and I was diagnosed with a burst appendix.'
A burst appendix is a medical emergency, according to the Cleveland Clinic, and happens when the appendix becomes inflamed; When it bursts, it sends bacteria throughout your body, risking life-threatening complications.
Eastburn spent four days in the hospital, missing Chase's rehearsal dinner. 'I just cried as I felt like it was my fault as I did this to myself. I missed all of this as I wanted to be thin and it broke my heart,' said Eastburn, who nearly missed the wedding.
'We went at the very last minute as I was in so much pain. Sitting on a chair was so painful and I could barely walk. When my son saw me sitting in the front row, he came over and hugged me for the longest time and bawled like a baby,' she said.
'We didn't think I was going to be at the wedding, much less live to tell anyone about it. I didn't care about my size as I was just so proud to be there. It was hard to stand and do the mother-son dance, but I was so grateful,' she said, sharing that while 'I was so swollen and my stomach was so puffy,' her weight 'was the last thing on my mind.'
Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Eastburn claimed the medication caused her health struggle; There have been sporadic case studies that suggest appendicitis could be a potential risk, but there has been no direct link established between the medication and the condition.
'I will never jeopardize or endanger myself again with any drugs to lose weight as that was too close of a call,' Eastburn said.
'I would say think long and hard before taking a GLP-1 as it almost killed me," she claimed. "If you care about your family or people that you love, think about them having to live life without you as it might kill you. Being thin is not worth losing your life.'
Read the original article on People
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
38 minutes ago
- The Hill
FDA flags problems with two Boston Scientific heart devices tied to injuries and deaths
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators are warning doctors and patients about safety issues with two separate Boston Scientific heart devices recently linked to injuries and deaths. The Food and Drug Administration issued two alerts Wednesday about electrical problems tied to the company's heart-zapping defibrillator systems and a separate issue with a heart implant used to reduce stroke risk. The agency said the company's Endotak Reliance defibrillator wires can become calcified, leading to failures in delivering life-saving shocks to the heart, according to the FDA. Defibrillators are surgically placed in the upper chest, where they monitor irregular heartbeats and use electrical shocks to jolt the heart back to normal. As of July 24, Boston Scientific has reported 386 serious injuries and 16 deaths associated with this issue, the agency said. Ten of the deaths were judged to be due to the device failing to function properly, the company said in an email. Four were linked to attempts to surgically remove the devices from patients and two others were deemed unrelated to the implants. Boston Scientific's wires were distributed between 2002 and 2021 and are no longer available, the company noted in its letter to doctors. Some patients will need to have the devices replaced, though physicians should weigh the risks of the removal procedure. In a separate notice, the FDA said Boston Scientific recently updated instructions for implanting its Watchman device, which closes a portion of the heart's left atrium to reduce the risk of stroke. In a letter to physicians, the company noted that there is an increased risk of blockages in the bloodstream depending on the level of anesthesia for patients undergoing the initial implantation procedure. Watchman is an alternative to long-term treatment with blood thinners for patients at increased risk of stroke. As of July 30, the company has reported 120 serious injuries and 17 deaths related to the issue, the FDA said. A company investigation concluded that the safety issue 'is not associated with the design or manufacture of any component of the Watchman system. Heart devices, including defibrillators and other implants, are Boston Scientific's largest business, making up two-thirds of its $5 billion in revenue for the most recent quarter. Shares of Boston Scientific Corp. fell nearly 1.8 percent Wednesday to close at $102.95 in trading. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Novo Nordisk Ramps Up U.S. Legal Fight Over Wegovy, Ozempic Copies
Novo Nordisk (NOVO, Financials) expanded its U.S. legal campaign against makers of unapproved versions of semaglutide the active ingredient in its blockbuster weight?loss and diabetes drugs Wegovy and Ozempic. The Danish drugmaker said Tuesday it filed 14 new lawsuits; the targets include telehealth providers, compounding pharmacies, and medical spas accused of selling compounded semaglutide under the fake guise of personalization. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 1 Warning Sign with NVO. The suits name firms such as Prism Aesthetics, Mochi Health, and Fella Health; some have also appeared in Eli Lilly's (LLY, Financials) litigation over knockoff versions of its weight?loss drug Zepbound. Novo claims the defendants are steering patients toward compounded semaglutide that has not been approved by regulators; in some cases, the products allegedly contain illicit foreign?sourced active pharmaceutical ingredients. Compounders were temporarily allowed to produce semaglutide during a declared shortage; when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ended that allowance, some companies shifted to offering personalized versions outside the approved drug label. Novo argues the approach violates state laws on corporate practice of medicine; it also raises safety concerns, as the copies have not been proven effective. Industry groups pushed back; Scott Brunner, CEO of the Alliance for Pharmacy Compounding, said Novo's claims misrepresent the work of legitimate, state?licensed pharmacies. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
FDA flags problems with two Boston Scientific heart devices tied to injuries and deaths
Defibrillators are surgically placed in the upper chest, where they monitor irregular heartbeats and use electrical shocks to jolt the heart back to normal. As of July 24, Marlborough-based Boston Scientific has reported 386 serious injuries and 16 deaths associated with this issue, the agency said. Ten of the deaths were judged to be due to the device failing to function properly, the company said in an email. Four were linked to attempts to surgically remove the devices from patients and two others were deemed unrelated to the implants. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Boston Scientific's wires were distributed between 2002 and 2021 and are no longer available, the company noted in its letter to doctors. Some patients will need to have the devices replaced, though physicians should weigh the risks of the removal procedure. Advertisement In a separate notice, the FDA said Boston Scientific recently updated instructions for implanting its Watchman device, which closes a portion of the heart's left atrium to reduce the risk of stroke. In a letter to physicians, the company noted that there is an increased risk of blockages in the bloodstream depending on the level of anesthesia for patients undergoing the initial implantation procedure. Watchman is an alternative to long-term treatment with blood thinners for patients at increased risk of stroke. Advertisement As of July 30, the company has reported 120 serious injuries and 17 deaths related to the issue, the FDA said. A company investigation concluded that the safety issue 'is not associated with the design or manufacture of any component of the Watchman system. Heart devices, including defibrillators and other implants, are Boston Scientific's largest business, making up two-thirds of its $5 billion in revenue for the most recent quarter. Shares of Boston Scientific Corp. fell nearly 1.8 percent Wednesday to close at $102.95 in trading.
