Doctors prescribe Diet Coke for Ozempic-related stomach blockage

A 63-year-old woman from Massachusetts developed a gastric bezoar (solid mass of undigested food) while taking semaglutide for weight loss.

Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, slows gastric emptying, leading to food accumulation and hardening in the stomach.

Doctors prescribed 1.5 liters of Diet Coke daily to dissolve the bezoar, using the soda's acidity and carbonation as a safe, non-surgical remedy.

The case was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in September 2025 and reported by Livescience.com.

The patient had been on semaglutide for a year, lost 40 pounds, and experienced nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain before diagnosis.