A rising number of Ozempic gastroparesis lawsuits are being filed across the United States, alleging that the popular diabetes and weight-loss drug has caused patients to develop severe stomach paralysis and other gastrointestinal problems.
Similar claims are also being made against other GLP-1 receptor agonists, including Wegovy, Mounjaro, Rybelsus, Saxenda, and Trulicity, as patients continue to report lasting digestive issues.
Patients who developed gastroparesis or other similar stomach problems after taking Ozempic or similar medications can find out if they qualify to take legal action and receive compensation by contacting an experienced team of attorneys who are involved in this litigation.
Millions Prescribed Ozempic & Other GLP-1 Drugs for Weight Loss & Diabetes
Ozempic (semaglutide) was originally approved for type 2 diabetes management, but quickly became one of the most prescribed weight-loss drugs in the U.S. Its sister drug Wegovy contains the same active ingredient at a higher dose, while Rybelsus is the first oral tablet form of semaglutide. Novo Nordisk also markets Saxenda (liraglutide), another GLP-1 drug for weight management.
Eli Lilly’s Trulicity (dulaglutide) is also prescribed for type 2 diabetes and has been part of the same surge in demand. Together, these medications represent a fast-growing class of drugs that millions of patients now use for both blood sugar control and weight loss.
But as prescriptions have skyrocketed, reports of semaglutide stomach problems, bowel obstruction, and gastroparesis have also increased, leading to thousands of lawsuits against the manufacturers of these drugs, alleging that doctors and patients were not adequately warned about the risk of side effects.
Research Findings and Safety Concerns About Ozempic
Recent studies have highlighted potential dangers associated with GLP-1 medications. A 2023 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that patients taking semaglutide were more likely to develop serious gastrointestinal disorders compared to those using non-GLP-1 treatments.
Case reports have described patients suffering from severe gastroparesis after Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Saxenda, or Trulicity, with some requiring hospitalization or emergency procedures. Individuals have reported unrelenting nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain that disrupted their ability to work or eat normally.
What Is Gastroparesis?
Gastroparesis—often referred to as “stomach paralysis”—is a serious disorder in which the stomach muscles cannot move food through the digestive tract in a normal way. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain, and severe constipation. In extreme cases, patients may require hospitalization, feeding tubes, or long-term care.
Although diabetes itself can sometimes cause delayed stomach emptying, lawsuits against Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly argue that GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, Rybelsus, Saxenda, Mounjaro, and Trulicity significantly increase the risk.
Some patients have reported that their stomach paralysis symptoms continued even after stopping semaglutide, raising concerns that these drugs may cause long-term or irreversible digestive damage.
Thousands of Ozempic & GLP-1 Lawsuits Filed
The lawsuits claim that drugmakers failed to provide adequate warnings about the risk of gastroparesis and related stomach disorders. Plaintiffs argue that companies marketed drugs like Ozempic, Rybelsus, Saxenda, and Trulicity aggressively for weight loss while downplaying or ignoring the potential for long-term gastrointestinal side effects.
Many of these complaints specifically reference an Ozempic bowel obstruction lawsuit or broader GLP-1 stomach paralysis claims, asserting that patients would have chosen safer alternatives if they had been properly informed.
Legal experts expect the litigation to expand and potentially consolidate into multidistrict litigation (MDL), a process that combines similar lawsuits before one federal judge. This could streamline the handling of hundreds or even thousands of claims involving GLP-1 drugs.
FDA Monitoring Side Effects Linked to Ozempic & Similar Drugs
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not recalled any GLP-1 medications, but it has updated safety labeling related to gastrointestinal complications, including bowel blockages.
The agency continues to monitor adverse event reports for drugs like Ozempic, Rybelsus, Saxenda, and Trulicity, while also reviewing ongoing research about their long-term safety.
Independent health experts have urged more studies to determine how strongly GLP-1 drugs are linked to gastroparesis and which patients may be most at risk.
Health Impacts on Diabetes & Weight Loss Patients
Patients filing lawsuits describe debilitating symptoms that have altered their daily lives. Some allege that gastroparesis caused by semaglutide left them unable to work or eat normally, while others required repeated hospital stays. A number of plaintiffs say their Ozempic stomach paralysis symptoms persisted long after they stopped taking the drug.
Reports have also surfaced of patients prescribed Rybelsus, Saxenda, or Trulicity who experienced similar long-lasting digestive complications, reinforcing concerns that the risks may extend across the entire GLP-1 drug class.
Ozempic, Wegovy Also Linked to Vision Loss (NAION)
A 2024 JAMA Ophthalmology study found that patients using Ozempic or Wegovy were about four times more likely to develop non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), a condition that can cause sudden, and sometimes permanent, vision loss or blindness.
The risk of NAION among Ozempic and Wegovy users was about eight times greater among patients who were overweight. While the biological link isn’t fully understood, researchers suggest semaglutide may reduce blood flow to the optic nerve or trigger abrupt drops in blood sugar.
More than 30 lawsuits alleging vision loss linked to Ozempic and Wegovy have already been filed in New Jersey state courts, with plaintiffs claiming they were not warned of this serious side effect.
Patients With Gastroparesis May Qualify for Compensation
The outcome of the Ozempic gastroparesis litigation could set an important precedent for other GLP-1 drugs, including Rybelsus, Saxenda, and Trulicity.
With millions of Americans taking GLP-1 medications for diabetes or weight loss, the litigation and medical findings could reshape how these drugs are prescribed—and how their risks are communicated—in the years to come.
As lawsuits mount and research continues, courts will weigh whether manufacturers adequately warned about the risks and whether patients should be compensated for the harm they suffered.
Patients who were prescribed Ozempic or other similar weight loss or diabetes drugs and who have been diagnosed with gastroparesis may be eligible to file a lawsuit and receive compensation.
The first step in taking legal action is to contact an experienced pharmaceutical liability law firm, who can help patients to determine whether they qualify to file a lawsuit, and help them begin the process of filing a claim.
