Semaglutide Poisoning Reports Jump 1,500 Percent as People Accidentally Overdose

Some people have taken 10 times the recommended dose or even the entire month’s dose due to confusion about the directions.

In this photo illustration, boxes of the diabetes drug Ozempic rest on a pharmacy counter in Los Angeles on April 17, 2023. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Poisoning related to semaglutide, a medication used for weight loss and diabetes, saw a massive jump this year as many people took incorrect doses of the drug.

Between January and November, American poison control centers received almost 3,000 calls involving semaglutide, according to a Dec. 13 report from CNN. This is a 15-fold increase from 2019.