People have been urged to make themselves aware of the possible side effects of Ozempic by the family of a woman who died from total organ failure after taking the drug.
66-year-old mother and grandmother Breeda O’Donoghue from Carrigtwohill in County Cork died at Cork University Hospital on December 9th, 2023.
Cork City Coroners Court heard Breeda O’Donoghue started taking Ozempic on September 19th and told her GP she was having no problems with the medication as the dose was increased slightly over time.
On November 23rd, she told the doctor she was suffering from nausea and was advised to stop taking it.
The doctor sent her to the Emergency Department at CUH in an ambulance on December 6th, following an examination which found her to be weak, dehydrated and generally unwell.
In a report from Professor Joseph Eustace read into the record by coroner Philip Comyn, he noted Ms O’Donoghue had been “apparently vomiting on a frequent basis over the last two to three months since starting treatment with semaglutide” - a medication which is sold under the name Ozempic.
Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster said ‘profuse vomiting’ can lead to total organ failure as the body’s cells cannot function properly as the body’s blood PH becomes unbalanced.
Main image: Breeda O’Donoghue. Picture by: RIP.ie.
