We present the case of a 52-year-old woman who developed a functional small bowel obstruction despite having no history of abdominal surgery, prior bowel obstruction, or GI interventions. The only notable recent change in her medical history was a dose escalation of Zepbound (tirzepatide), a glucagon-like peptide-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide agonist prescribed for weight loss. This case raises concern about potential severe GI motility complications associated with Zepbound, particularly in the absence of conventional SBO risk factors.
Lorenz et al. (2025) studied this question.