Telehealth Weight-loss Drugs Raise Alarm Over Overdose Risks

WHO:

NBC News - Leslie Gammon, a 54-year-old woman from North Carolina, experienced a GLP-1 overdose.

NBC News - Dr. Fatima Syed, an associate professor of medicine at Duke University and a medical weight management specialist at Duke Health.

NBC News - Amble, a telehealth company that provided Gammon with GLP-1 medication.

WHAT:

NBC News - There was an almost 1,500% increase in calls related to overdoses or side effects of injectable GLP-1 weight-loss drugs from 2019 to 2025, totaling nearly 23,000 cases.

TODAY.com - About 11% of U.S. adults report taking GLP-1s for weight loss, according to Gallup.

TODAY.com - Gammon was hospitalized for three days after her overdose.

TODAY.com - Gammon incurred a hospital bill of $9,000 due to her overdose.

WHERE:

TODAY.com - Gammon received her telehealth prescriptions in North Carolina.

NBC News - The investigation was conducted in partnership with KFF Health News.

WHEN:

TODAY.com - Gammon signed up for Amble in October 2025.

TODAY.com - Gammon experienced her overdose from a compounded GLP-1 drug after using it for two weeks.

WHY:

NBC News - The rise in GLP-1 drug overdoses is attributed to the popularity of these medications and the lack of proper supervision from telehealth platforms.

TODAY.com - Dr. Syed emphasized the need for a system in place to protect patients when using telehealth for medication management.

HOW:

TODAY.com - Gammon received a vial and syringe from Amble to self-inject the GLP-1 drug weekly.

TODAY.com - After reporting that the initial low dose was ineffective, Gammon was instructed to increase her dosage significantly, leading to her overdose.

(UPDATED July 17, 2026 10:33 UTC)

Leslie Gammon, a 54-year-old woman from North Carolina, was hospitalized for three days after experiencing an overdose from a GLP-1 medication she received through the telehealth company Amble. This incident is part of a troubling trend, as calls related to overdoses or side effects of injectable GLP-1 weight-loss drugs surged nearly 1,500% from 2019 to 2025, totaling almost 23,000 cases. Dr. Fatima Syed, a medical weight management specialist at Duke Health, highlighted the urgent need for better patient protection in telehealth practices, especially as about 11% of U.S. adults are now using these medications for weight loss.