Actress Mayim Bialik shares her ‘nightmare’ experience with a GLP-1

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(NewsNation) — Actress Mayim Bialik is opening up about the crippling side effects she experienced while taking a GLP-1 medication.

The “Big Bang Theory” star writes in an article for “The Free Press” that she went on an unnamed GLP-1 in hopes of easing symptoms related to Graves’ disease. According to the Mayo Clinic, the autoimmune disorder affects the thyroid and can cause symptoms like fatigue, tremors and heart palpitations.

Bialik, 50, said three doctors recommended that she try the weight loss drug, as it has been shown to reduce inflammation associated with autoimmune disorders. She said she spent years trying different treatments, including “hyperbaric chambers and infrared saunas to detox medications and infusions,” to relieve her symptoms. She hoped this would be her “magic cure.”

Unfortunately, the actress said, after her first shot of the unnamed synthetic GLP-1, she began feeling adverse effects.

“Explosive, uncontrollable diarrhea. Sulfur burps so violent they left me afraid to open my mouth in public,” writes Bialik. “Sneezing attacks every time I tried to eat or drink. …Cramping. Bloating. Full-body aching, as though I had the flu.”

This went on for three days. At one point, she could barely keep down liquids, and her prescribing doctor sent a nurse to her house to administer IV fluids.

“What shocked me was how unsurprised my doctor and this nurse seemed,” the former “Jeopardy!” host continued. “How could a reaction even half as severe as mine be considered normal?”

Bialik’s situation is one that other GLP-1 users have echoed.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the most commonly reported side effects by GLP-1 users are gastrointestinal issues, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and headaches.

A study done in April by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that approximately 44 percent of users reported at least one side effect, most commonly gastrointestinal issues, and 37 percent reported nausea. The research also found reports of “temperature-related complaints, such as chills, feeling cold, hot flashes, and fever-like symptoms.”

Since 2023, roughly 4,400 patients have filed lawsuits against GLP-1 drugmakers. The plaintiffs, who range in age from 18 to 87, have pointed to severe, undisclosed side effects, including blindness, loss of brain function and organ damage. About 75 percent of plaintiffs say they have been left with gastroparesis, a condition that delays stomach emptying, while another 8% report extreme gastrointestinal injuries.

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GLP-1

Graves' disease

Mayim Bialik

Mayo Clinic

side effects

University of Pennsylvania

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