Diet Coke Resolves Stomach Blockage Linked to Ozempic Use in Massachusetts Patient

A 63-year-old woman in Massachusetts avoided surgery after doctors used something surprising to treat her: diet soda. The woman, who has type 2 diabetes, had spent a month dealing with nausea, vomiting, and pain in her upper stomach. When doctors finally looked inside with imaging, they found a hard mass of undigested plant fiber stuck in her stomach. The cause turned out to be her long-term use of semaglutide, the drug best known by the brand name Ozempic.

Semaglutide belongs to a group of medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists. The FDA has approved these drugs to treat diabetes and help with weight loss. Part of how they work is by slowing down how fast the stomach empties. That helps control blood sugar and keeps people feeling full longer.

But that same slowdown can cause trouble. In this patient’s case, plant fibers she ate built up over time instead of moving through her digestive system. Eventually they hardened into a solid clump called a phytobezoar. The woman had lost about 40 pounds over roughly a year on the medication. Scans showed her stomach was stretched out and held a thick, semi-solid mass. A follow-up endoscopy confirmed it was a large clump covered in mucus, not a tumor.

Doctors turned to a method that’s been used before for this exact kind of blockage: cola dissolution therapy. Normally, doctors give patients up to 3 liters of regular cola over 12 hours to break the mass down. Since this patient had diabetes, her care team used 1.5 liters of diet cola instead. They also stopped her semaglutide during treatment.

The acid in cola seems to be what does the work. Diet cola has a pH of around 2.6, thanks to phosphoric and carbonic acid, and the carbonation helps loosen the fibers apart. The treatment worked fast. The next day, the woman felt a sudden tugging sensation in her stomach. Soon after, her nausea and pain went away. A second endoscopy showed the mass was completely gone, and she was able to go home.

As more people use GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide for weight loss, cases like this are a reminder that the medication can cause serious digestive side effects. Doctors say it’s important to keep an eye on patients who report ongoing stomach symptoms, since slow digestion can lead to blockages like this one. Cola dissolution therapy isn’t a new idea, but it offers a cheap, low-risk option compared to surgery. For the right patients, it can solve a serious problem without an operation.