{"id":481673,"date":"2026-05-12T23:50:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T23:50:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/481673\/"},"modified":"2026-05-12T23:50:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T23:50:17","slug":"glp-1s-like-ozempic-masked-our-cancer-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/481673\/","title":{"rendered":"GLP-1s like Ozempic masked our cancer symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to The Thin Line, The New York Post\u2019s series about the darker side of GLP-1 drugs. Though GLP-1 agonists sold under brand names like Ozempic have helped millions of people lose weight, manage diabetes and improve other health conditions, they are not without risks. Check back for more stories about the lesser-known downsides of these wildly popular medications.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brooke Hinderhan thought she had turned a corner with her health.<\/p>\n

After metformin failed to control her diabetes, doctors prescribed Ozempic. For a time, the popular GLP-1 drug worked, bringing her blood sugar under control.<\/p>\n

Even the side effects<\/a> were manageable \u2014 until she developed severe fatigue, followed by diarrhea and stomach cramps<\/a> that left her doubled over in pain.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was just the Ozempic,\u201d said Hinderhan, 47, a registered nurse case manager from Norris, Illinois.<\/p>\n

Brooke Hinderhan initially believed her cancer symptoms were caused by the GLP-1 she was taking for diabetes. <\/p>\n

The reality, she would later learn, was far more serious: Cancer had been growing in her colon, and what she assumed were routine side effects were actually early warning signs of the disease already taking hold.<\/p>\n

Her experience is part of a pattern now emerging online. Across social media, GLP-1 users and their families are sharing accounts of the diabetes and obesity drugs masking serious illness, in some cases delaying diagnosis and treatment until it was too late.<\/p>\n

Like Hinderhan, many involve colorectal cancer, a disease rising among younger Americans<\/a>. Today, it\u2019s the leading cause of cancer-related death in US adults under 50, with many patients diagnosed at advanced stages<\/a> after dismissing symptoms as hemorrhoids, IBS and, now, GLP-1 use.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think most of what I was experiencing was probably side effects from the tumor, but nobody will ever really know if the Ozempic made me feel that way,\u201d Hinderhan said. \u201cIt all blended together.\u201d<\/p>\n

From concern to crisis<\/p>\n

Worried about her escalating symptoms, Hinderhan\u2019s doctor switched her to Mounjaro. Like Ozempic, it\u2019s a GLP-1 treatment that mimics hormones released after eating, helping regulate blood sugar, appetite and cravings.<\/p>\n

The doctor said Mounjaro had fewer side effects, but for Hinderhan, they never went away. In fact, they got worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI had extreme fatigue, which was so overwhelming,\u201d the wife and mother of four said. \u201cIt took a big toll on my life because I was just so tired.\u201d<\/p>\n

By February 2025, she was losing weight rapidly and began having bloody, foul-smelling stool.<\/p>\n

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic are widely used to treat diabetes, obesity and other chronic conditions. Fernanda \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

Hinderhan had recently turned 45 \u2014 the recommended age to begin colorectal cancer screening<\/a> \u2014 and scheduled a colonoscopy. But she later canceled it, brushing off concern about the threat.<\/p>\n

Later, though, she took a Colorguard test \u2014 an at-home stool screening tool \u2014 that came back positive. That\u2019s when she started getting scared.<\/p>\n

Her doctor scheduled a colonoscopy, but she didn\u2019t make it to the appointment. About a month before, Hinderhan developed severe pain in her side at work.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMy initial thought was, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m going to die.\u2019 Then I started thinking, \u2018I should have come in sooner.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Brooke Hinderhan<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI went down to the ER fully anticipating that I was going to be getting my appendix taken out,\u201d she said. \u201cI left with the news that I had a large mass on my colon.\u201d<\/p>\n

The tumor was the size of a baseball, having grown so large it was nearly blocking her colon completely. The pain, she later learned, was from severe constipation.<\/p>\n

A colonoscopy and biopsy confirmed the diagnosis: Stage 2 adenocarcinoma, along with a splenic fracture.<\/p>\n

Hinderhan was diagnosed with Stage 2 colorectal cancer following a colonoscopy. Brooke Hinderhan<\/p>\n

\u201cI had been a hospice nurse for about eight years, and my initial thought was, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m going to die,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cThen I started thinking, \u2018I should have come in sooner,\u2019 but I didn\u2019t really feel like there was something wrong until the last few weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

When cancer red flags and GLP-1 side effects overlap<\/p>\n

Colorectal cancer often develops silently, but early symptoms<\/a> include changes in bowel movements, abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, anemia and blood in stool.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome side effects that GLP-1 agonists will cause \u2014 mostly constipation, abdominal discomfort, bloating \u2014 will overlap with symptomatic colorectal cancer,\u201d said Dr. David Greenwald<\/a>, director of Clinical Gastroenterology and Endoscopy at Mount Sinai Hospital, who did not treat Hinderhan.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really hard to differentiate them right now,\u201d he added. \u201cYou obviously can\u2019t use weight loss as your marker.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Novo Nordisk spokesperson told The Post that semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, has been extensively studied in clinical trials.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand that some patients may experience gastrointestinal side effects,\u00a0which are often temporary and can improve over time,\u201d they said. <\/p>\n

A representative for Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Mounjaro, said patient safety is the company\u2019s \u201ctop priority.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe actively monitor, evaluate, and report safety information for all our medicines,\u201d they said. \u201cLilly\u2019s labels for its medicines include robust, FDA-approved warnings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both companies encouraged patients experiencing side effects from their medications to speak with their healthcare provider.<\/p>\n

Greenwald said there are a few symptoms in particular that should raise concern.<\/p>\n

\u201c[GLP-1s] won\u2019t cause rectal bleeding or a significant thinning or narrowing of the stool,\u201d Greenwald said. \u201cThese need to be evaluated by a health care provider, because they aren\u2019t normal.\u201d <\/p>\n

When caught early, more than 90% of colorectal cancer patients survive at least five years. Once it spreads, that number drops to about 13%, according to the American Cancer Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe good news is that colorectal cancers tend to be relatively slow growing,\u201d Greenwald said. \u201cDelays, when they get into the matter of years, can result in later stage cancers, which are going to have worse prognosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

A life-changing diagnosis <\/p>\n

Michelle Lyson is facing that reality firsthand. Five years before her cancer diagnosis, her doctor recommended she try a GLP-1 for diabetes, weight loss and polycystic ovary syndrome relief.<\/p>\n

Michelle Lyson had been living with GLP-1 side effects for five years before her cancer diagnosis. Courtesy Michelle Lyson<\/p>\n

\u201cIt worked, I had great blood sugar control and I lost over 100 pounds,\u201d said Lyson, 55. But she developed gastrointestinal issues almost immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes I\u2019d be really constipated, and then other times I\u2019d have to go four or five times a day,\u201d Lyson said. \u201cWhenever I would talk to my doctor about it, she would just say that\u2019s part of Ozempic.\u201d<\/p>\n

In January, she noticed blood in her stool, and tests showed the mother of three from Hampton, Virginia, was anemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven at the time, my doctor and I weren\u2019t too alarmed,\u201d Lyson said. \u201cI really thought all of it was the GLP-1s.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI sit and think about all the years I worried about wanting to be thin, and I wish I could take those back and just focus on my health.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michelle Lyson<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Her doctor ordered a Cologuard test. It came back positive, prompting her to undergo a colonoscopy that revealed the disease.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce they told me I had cancer, I had a feeling it was going to be worse than they thought because I started putting everything together and realizing, \u2018Hey, I\u2019ve been dealing with this for five years,\u2019\u201d Lyson said. \u201cIt\u2019s been there awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n

During surgery, doctors discovered it had spread to her peritoneum, or the thin membrane that lines the inside of the abdomen and pelvis. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat makes it stage four,\u201d Lyson said. <\/p>\n

Now, she\u2019s staring down six months of chemotherapy before another surgery to remove as much cancer as possible. During that operation, doctors will also place heated chemotherapy directly into her abdomen to target any remaining cancer cells. <\/p>\n

Following her diagnosis, Lyson had to stop taking GLP-1s and has gained more than 40 pounds, a common experience<\/a> when people go off the medications. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really discouraging,\u201d she said. \u201cI kept it off for so long \u2026 but I think I\u2019d rather be alive at this point.\u201d <\/p>\n

Not a \u2018golden ticket\u2019 after all<\/p>\n

After her diagnosis, Hinderhan underwent surgery to remove the tumor, part of her colon, her gallbladder and 52 lymph nodes. She suffered complications during the procedure and spent eight days in the hospital on a feeding tube, followed by months of recovery.<\/p>\n

Doctors initially believed she would need chemotherapy, but after testing the lymph nodes, they found no signs of cancer spread. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat, to me, was a miracle,\u201d Hinderhan said. <\/p>\n

Hinderhan now advocates for colorectal cancer screening, which is recommended every 10 years starting at age 45 for most people. Brooke Hinderhan<\/p>\n

Today, Hinderhan is cancer-free and back on a GLP-1 to manage her diabetes.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve lost a lot of weight, my inflammation is down, and I attribute all of that to the GLP-1,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t have the symptoms that I had before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite everything, she doesn\u2019t regret taking it.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking back, I didn\u2019t know what was making me feel the way I was feeling,\u201d Hinderhan said. \u201cIf I had followed recommendations and gotten my colonoscopy when I was supposed to, maybe it wouldn\u2019t have come to this.\u201d <\/p>\n

Lyson feels similarly: \u201cIf I knew ahead of time that I needed to watch for this, then I might have still done it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Lyson\u2019s message is simple: Listen to your body, follow screening guidelines \u2014 and know that GLP-1s aren\u2019t always the \u201cgolden ticket\u201d they\u2019re made out to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt does make you lose weight, it does quiet the food noise<\/a>, but really consider if it\u2019s worth it,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause, where I\u2019m at right now, I sit and think about all the years I worried about wanting to be thin, and I wish I could take those back and just focus on my health.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to The Thin Line, The New York Post\u2019s series about the darker side of GLP-1 drugs. Though…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":481674,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[274],"tags":[11620,2675,18,4500,1950,135,19,17,462,7176,2927,167119],"class_list":{"0":"post-481673","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-colorectal-cancer","9":"tag-diabetes","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-exclusive","12":"tag-glp-1","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-ie","15":"tag-ireland","16":"tag-medication","17":"tag-obesity","18":"tag-ozempic","19":"tag-the-thin-line"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116564290919818266","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=481673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/481673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/481674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=481673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=481673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=481673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}