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Mayim Bialik is candid about the adverse reactions she says she experienced after taking the GLP-1 drug, revealing that one low-dose injection led to weeks of worsening stomach symptoms.
In an article he wrote for the Free Press titled “My GLP-1 Nightmare,” the 50-year-old actor admitted that he has struggled with body image since childhood but insisted that weight loss was not his main reason for taking the drug.
“I took the weight loss drug because the doctor told me it would help relieve the symptoms I’ve struggled with all my adult life,” explained the “Big Bang Theory” star.
Bialik revealed that she was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Grave’s disease at the age of 23.
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Mayim Bialik recalled how taking a single injection of low-dose GLP-1 led to weeks of debilitating side effects. (Aldara Zarraoa/Getty Images)
He wrote that over the next 25 years, he developed inexplicable symptoms that included “rashes and rashes all over the body, severe histamine reactions to food and smells, palpitations, waking up around the clock throughout the year, howling dogs alternating with crippling depression.”
The former “Jeopardy” host recalled that she went on to receive a series of diagnoses including connective tissue disease, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), Sjögren’s syndrome and dysautonomia.
“But each was a label for a major crack that no single expert could explain,” Bialik wrote.
Bialik said she suffered from dehydration, bloating, constipation and body aches. (Nina Westervelt/Enhlobhonlobo/Penske Media)
Bialik shared that a few months ago, she decided to take GLP-1 on the advice of three different doctors, who recommended the drug because “the drug has shown promise in reducing the systemic inflammation that drives autoimmune conditions.”
Bialik recalls that she had tried several treatments that were unsuccessful in alleviating her symptoms. He wrote that he hoped that taking GLP-1 would be a “magical cure,” but the experience quickly changed.
“I took one low dose of synthetic GLP-1, and to say I had a negative reaction would be an understatement,” she said. “Eruptive, uncontrollable diarrhoea. Sulfur belching so violently that it left me afraid to open my mouth in public. Sneezing attacks every time I tried to eat or drink—which apparently has a name, huffing.”
“Constipation. Constipation. Body full of pain, like I have the flu,” he continued. “And not being able to absorb even a small amount of water without running to the toilet, I have explosive diarrhea. More than three times, I didn’t make it.”
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Bialik recalled that she struggled to hold down food or water and the difficulty left her so dehydrated that she needed IV fluids.
“The first two [days]I ate maybe one cup of rice and half a banana,” she said. “And broth, which left my body quickly. I couldn’t even get the electrolyte drinks down.”
“Everything came out of a rage that left me weak and paralyzed,” Bialik continued. “I was in constant contact with my doctor who was giving me medication the whole time – and when I couldn’t even hold down water, a nurse came to the house to give me IV fluids”
Bialik said she was surprised how her medical providers seemed unfazed by her reaction to the drug, recalling that they told her her side effects were unusual.
He wrote that he later discovered gastrointestinal symptoms, including nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, are among the most commonly reported side effects of GLP-1 drugs.
According to the Mayo Clinic, gastrointestinal side effects associated with GLP-1 medications are well documented and often occur when patients start treatment or increase their dose.
Although Bialik describes severe reactions, the Mayo Clinic notes that side effects can vary greatly in severity, and most patients experience mild to moderate symptoms and get better over time.
Bialik shards that her grief led her to think about her long-standing image problems. (Screenshot by Mayim Bialik/Random Club Media)
Bialik recalled that she spent days trying to control her symptoms but was unable to get relief.
“On the third day, I started anti-diarrhea medication, which gave me enough time to eat toast and applesauce,” he wrote. “As soon as it wore off, the siege started anew as if it wasn’t going away. I took more anti-diarrhea drugs and rode saws for days, trying to coax my body back into homeostasis.”
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“And yet, in the depths of my misery—my tired body, my aching joints, another ruined pair of underwear—a stinging, hurtful thought came to me: At least you can lose weight,” he recalled.
The actress wrote that her ordeal rekindled her years of struggling with body image, revealing how Hollywood’s emphasis on thinness and social media beauty standards contributed to feelings of shame and a “bad relationship with food.”
Bialik, who rose to fame as a child star on the hit show “Blossom,” recalls that she began gaining weight as a child after being prescribed antidepressants, and had a “deep sense of shame about my body” when she was a working actress in her 40s.
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The Emmy Award nominee admitted that her body image problems worsened after menopause which caused her to gain 20 kilos which she failed to lose.
“Even when I was so sick that I couldn’t stand, drink water, or think straight, I was still chasing this dragon,” Bialik admitted.
Bialik wrote that she eventually decided to stop taking GLP-1 and gave her “one hundred dollars left in the shot” to a friend. He wrote that he “wouldn’t blame anyone for pushing for worse results than I did” for weight loss that had previously eluded them.
Bialik said she started gaining weight at a young age after starring in “Blossom.” (Photo by Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
“But my body made its position clear, and I had learned, after decades of watching it, to finally listen,” she said.
Bialik wrote that the experience provides insight into the daily struggles endured by those with chronic gastrointestinal disease.
“After the injury, I couldn’t leave the house for the better part of a week. When I had to go somewhere, I would load up on anti-diarrhea drugs and avoid eating or drinking for hours beforehand,” he said.
“There are people who are often embarrassed because of their stomach problems, who seem unclear when they cancel plans, who disappear from events without explanation,” continued Bialik. “Now I can see the deep pain and embarrassment from the body betraying you in ways you can’t explain to other people at a dinner party.”
He explained that he “finally went to a gastroenterologist” after weeks of persistent symptoms following his one injection.
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Bialik said her gastroenterologist told her that “although my reaction was surprising, it was not unusual.”
Bialik said she stopped using the medicine and gave the remaining medicine to her friend. (Axelle Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)
“These drugs, he said, are very disruptive to the body and should not be used except for a specific, controlled set of serious reasons — namely, life-threatening obesity and its related health consequences,” Bialik wrote. “I didn’t meet that bar. He told me to expect a full month of alternating diarrhea and constipation, hopefully it will go down.”
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Bialik explained that he also informed her that some of the medications she was taking could cause her intestinal health problems.
“I left his office feeling reassured — a real doctor confirming that I’m not normal, that the medication really did this to me — and afraid that I have a lot to deal with in the coming weeks,” she wrote.
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“And when I came out, I saw my glimpse, and I didn’t back down,” Bialik continued. “I didn’t see under my first chin the second chin I had been working on for months – because it wasn’t there.”
“My cheeks were showing. I stared for a moment, smiled at the Mona Lisa, then headed to the parking lot, pausing to pull up my skirt, which was starting to sink a little around my hips.”
