Thousands of patients have taken Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound, expecting better blood sugar control or weight loss help. What some have got instead is a trip to the emergency room, a feeding tube or sudden vision loss in one eye. These are not minor side effects and a growing number of these patients are now suing.
Gastroparesis: The Injury at the Center of the Litigation
Gastroparesis means that the stomach has stopped moving food properly. The medical term for this is stomach paralysis, and for people who develop it, the impact on daily life can be severe.
GLP-1 agonists intentionally slow gastric emptying. But in some patients, this becomes pathological and irreversible even after medication is stopped. People report vomiting hours after eating, feeling full after a few bites, and losing weight – not because the drug is working, but because their bodies can no longer process food.
The consequences include malnutrition, dehydration, repeated hospitalizations, emergency surgeries, aspiration pneumonia during anesthesia, and some patients require feeding tubes.
Bowel Obstruction and Ileus
Ileus occurs when the intestines stop moving on their own – without any physical blockage. A bowel obstruction involves an actual blockage preventing the passage of food, fluid, or gas. Both can become medical emergencies.
The FDA added a warning about ileus to Ozempic in September 2023, and in January 2025 they added a warning for severe gastrointestinal adverse reactions. These issues are relevant to the lawsuits. The 2023 FDA label update, cited by the plaintiffs, serves as evidence that the risk was known and serious enough to warrant formal disclosure before harming many patients.
Bowel obstruction claims often require strong medical records – imaging, hospitalization records, surgical notes. Timing is critical. Patients who develop symptoms shortly after starting a GLP-1 medication or after a dosage increase may have a stronger factual basis for a claim.
Sudden Vision Loss and NAION
This is the injury that has received the most attention in 2026, and science behind it is developing rapidly.
NAION – Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy – is sometimes called an eye stroke. It involves reduced blood flow to the optic nerve and can cause sudden, permanent vision loss in one eye. There is no cure for it.
A study evaluating data from more than 100,000 diabetes patients found that those taking GLP-1 drugs were approximately 68 times more likely to develop NAION than those using other treatments. A separate VA study published in JAMA Network Open found that GLP-1 users had a higher three-year risk of NAION compared to patients using older SGLT2 diabetes medications.
Chronic Vomiting, Dehydration, and Malnutrition
Not every serious GLP-1 injury has a clear diagnosis attached to it – at least not right away. Some patients spend weeks unable to keep food down, are repeatedly dehydrated and unable to work or take care of their families. They may be told these are “just side effects”. Many are encouraged to push through.
That experience still counts. Chronic vomiting, severe enough to require IV fluids, ER visits, or significant missed time from work, can form the basis of a legitimate claim – especially when the medication’s role in causing those symptoms was not adequately disclosed on the label.
Gallbladder disease has also been reported. After researchers published a study in JAMA Internal Medicine linking Ozempic to a higher risk of gallbladder disease, attorneys began accepting claims related to gallbladder disease as well.
Talk to an Attorney Before the Clock Runs Out
Statutes of limitations vary by state. If you wait too long after the symptoms began or after you first linked those symptoms to medication, you may lose your right to file – regardless of how severe your injury was.
Edward O. Moody, P.A., is currently reviewing claims for GLP-1 injuries involving gastroparesis, bowel obstruction, NAION, chronic vomiting, dehydration and related complications. Our firm has more than four decades of experience in representing people harmed by dangerous drugs and corporate negligence. We know how to deal with large pharmaceutical companies.
If you or someone you know has suffered serious complications after taking Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound, or other GLP-1 medications, please contact our office for a consultation today.