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GLP-1 use is rising. History will determine whether that’s fine or very bad.
Sometimes, it seems that every celebrity, from Real Housewives to Oprah herself, is singing the luxury weight-loss drug’s praises.
The Big Bang Theory alum Mayim Bialik had a very different experience from one single dose.
Not only were her side effects severe, but she says that doctors found them unremarkable because they’re not uncommon.
‘To say I had an adverse reaction would be somewhat of an understatement’
In an essay that she for some reason published on notorious right-wing site, The Free Press, Bialik detailed what she called: “My GLP-1 Nightmare.”
The actress explained: “I went on a weight-loss drug because a doctor told me it might help ease symptoms I’ve struggled with for basically my entire adult life.”
Bialik was diagnosed with Grave’s disease, an autoimmune disorder, at age 23. She has spent half of her life grappling with the symptoms.
A few months ago, three different doctors advised her to try GLP-1 because “the drugs have shown promise in reducing the systemic inflammation that drives autoimmune conditions.”
Bialik took their advise, hoping that it would end up being the “magic cure.” Unfortunately, it was anything but.
“I took one shot of the lowest dose of a synthetic GLP-1, and to say I had an adverse reaction would be somewhat of an understatement,” Bialik revealed.
“Explosive, uncontrollable diarrhea,” she shared. “Sulfur burps so violent they left me afraid to open my mouth in public.”
Bialik continued to rattle off symptoms: “Sneezing attacks every time I tried to eat or drink — which apparently has a name, snatiation.”
She listed: “Cramping. Bloating. Full-body aching, as though I had the flu.”
Bialik’s list concluded: “And an inability to keep down even small sips of water without sprinting to the bathroom with yet more explosive diarrhea. More than three times, I didn’t make it.”
She became so dehydrated that she needed IV fluids
“For the first two [days], I ate maybe one cup of rice and half a banana,” Bialik recalled. “Also some broth, which promptly left my body. I couldn’t even keep electrolyte drinks down.”
She characterized: “Everything exited with a rage that left me weak and debilitated.” Yikes!
“I was in constant contact with my prescribing doctor throughout,” Bialik described. “And when I couldn’t keep even a sip of water down, a nurse came to my home to administer IV fluids.”
One detail that stuck with her is how unfazed medical professionals seemed to be.
Her side effects were severe — but not uncommon. The praises that people hear about GLP-1s leave out horror stories like hers, but they’re very familiar in the healthcare world.
“On day three, I started antidiarrheal medication, which gave me just enough reprieve to eat toast and applesauce,” Bialik reflected.
“As soon as it wore off, though, the siege resumed as if it never stopped,” she grimly continued.
Bialik described: “I took more antidiarrheals and rode that seesaw for days, trying to coax my body back to homeostasis.”
She added that, though her intention in taking the single GLP-1 dose was to alleviate symptoms of a chronic illness, her existence as a woman in our culture and particularly in the entertainment industry had her wondering if she would lose weight as a result.
That is, we think that it’s safe to say, not praise of the controversial drug. Rather, it has everything to do with our society’s unhealthy body standards.
Mayim Bialik Details ‘Explosive’ Nightmare with GLP-1, Warns of Severe Side … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.