In 2021, Jordan Miller, then an undergraduate student at UT San Antonio, noticed something strange — a sudden and dramatic increase in poison control center calls across the United States seemed to coincide with the FDA approval of semaglutide for weight management
In a study published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology, Miller and her research team investigated whether the timing of the explosion in poison control calls was a coincidence or whether the FDA’s 2021 approval of a weight-management drug marked a turning point in public health. They found that it was no coincidence, with their research highlighting how easily confusion can spread when a treatment moves from a relatively small group of patients into the mainstream
“When the GLP-1[RA] drugs are being sold to diabetic patients, that’s a completely different story versus when the drug is used for weight management,” said Miller’s mentor, David Han, in a press release. “So, we had to quantify this evidence to show that it stemmed from the FDA approval and how to contain the risk. We need to better educate the public because how this drug behaves in our body and its long-term safety are not yet fully understood.”
Linking Poison Control Calls to Semaglutide Misuse
Before 2021, poison control centers typically received between 1,000 and 1,500 calls involving GLP-1 medications each year. Following the FDA’s expanded approval of semaglutide, reports climbed sharply. By 2023, poison centers were logging more than 8,000 calls involving GLP-1 medications, with semaglutide accounting for the overwhelming majority
“We suspected that the call volume was skyrocketing because of the misuse and mishandling of this drug and that it may be attributed to the FDA approval of this drug for weight management,” said Han
Researchers found that the approval represented a clear inflection point. The population taking semaglutide expanded far beyond people managing diabetes, creating an entirely new group of first-time users unfamiliar with how the medication should be taken
“In that figure that tracks the increase by specific drug, I wasn’t expecting semaglutide to be so incredibly dominant. I figured that it would lead the pack, but it was staggering. On the other hand, it makes sense with all the media attention,” explained Miller
Why Were So Many People Calling Poison Control?
Perhaps the most surprising finding of the study was that most poison control calls weren’t driven by intentional misuse or overdoses. Instead, they reflected simple — but potentially serious — medication errors
Semaglutide is designed to be injected once a week, yet many patients mistakenly took it every day. Others skipped the recommended gradual dose escalation and began treatment at the highest dose immediately, increasing their chances of unpleasant side effects and adverse reactions
“Can you imagine something you’re supposed to trickle up to, and you’re going full blast and seven times more often than you’re supposed to?” said Miller
These are exactly the kinds of mistakes poison centers are equipped to help manage, but the researchers say the findings reveal a broader public health challenge. As highly publicized medications become household names, many new users may not fully understand how to use them safely
Better Education Could Reduce Future Medication Errors
The researchers believe the biggest fix wouldn’t come from restricting access to semaglutide but from improving education before patients ever take their first dose
The team argues that clearer communication from healthcare providers, pharmacists, and manufacturers could help prevent many of the dosing mistakes that fueled the surge in poison control calls
“This work demonstrates the quantified impact of these drugs on public health. Statistics, data science, analytics, machine learning, and AI are meant to help people. We use them to transform data from any field into meaningful insight and informed action. Without that focus, it becomes hollow — numbers without a real impact,” concluded Han
This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only
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- This article references information from a study published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology:National Poison Center Trends in GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Exposures Following FDA Approval for Weight Loss
