Ozempic: The diabetes drug that can also help with weight loss
In a culture where thin bodies are idealized, it’s little surprise that celebrities and people who can afford to spend $1,000 per month are turning to an injection that can help lose weight. The trouble is that it’s also a life-saving diabetes medication, and there isn’t enough to go around. Here’s the story.
A drug that has revolutionized diabetes treatment
Ozempic is proven to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. In diabetic adults with heart disease, it also reduces the risk of stroke, heart attack and death. Given these benefits, doctors around the world have been prescribing the drug to diabetics since it was approved around five years ago.
Oh-Oh-Oh it’s Magic? The Marketing![]()
Ozempic is advertised regularly on American TV for its value as a diabetes medication, with the theme song changing the words to the 1974 song by Pilot that originally goes: “Oh-Oh-Oh it’s Magic” to “Oh-Oh-Oh-Ozempic.”
Ozempic is not a weight-loss drug
After hailing the benefits for diabetes, the commercial goes on to say: “you may lose weight, in the same one year study, adults lost on average up to 12 pounds.” At the same time, words on the screen specifically say “Ozempic is not a weight loss drug.”
Serious side effects may include…![]()
According to the drug’s website, Ozempic may cause serious side effects, including possible thyroid tumors, including cancer, pancreatitis, changes in vision, low blood sugar, kidney problems (kidney failure), allergic reactions, and gallbladder problems.
The side effects are “no joke”
More common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach (abdominal) pain, and constipation. Those effects are part of the weight loss aspect but “can be so bad that people have to go to the ER,” Dr. Andrew Kraftson told the New York Times, adding that patients should be monitored when taking these drugs.
Hollywood’s worst kept secret![]()
The Guardian and Variety both published articles calling the drug “Hollywood’s worst kept secret” and quoted Hollywood-based experts saying “everyone is on it.”
The Speculation: From the Kardashians to Mindy Kaling to Oprah
According to the Toronto Star and TikTok, internet users are convinced that some of the most dramatic recent weight loss transformations are thanks to weekly Ozempic injections. These include Kim Kardashian’s before she squeezed into the Marilyn Monroe dress, as well as the weight loss of Mindy Kaling, Oprah, Adele, and Rebel Wilson.
The cost: Around $1,000 per month![]()
In the US, doctors say the injections cost around $1,000 per month. In other countries, it may be cheaper. While insurance tends to cover it for diabetes treatment, people using it for weight loss usually end up paying out of pocket.
Elon Musk attributes his weight loss to the drug class
In October, someone complimented Elon Musk on his weight loss on Twitter and asked him his secret. He replied saying “Fasting and Wegovy,” with Wegovy being a version of Ozempic approved to treat obesity or overweight people with at least one weight-related health condition in 2021. That drug sold like hotcakes, triggering a shortage, so some doctors began prescribing Ozempic instead.
Musk says it gives him “next level” nasty burps that taste like rotten eggs![]()
In November, he talked about his weight loss again, saying he lost 30lbs thanks to “Fasting + Ozempic/Wegovy + no tasty food near me.” One user said he takes that for his diabetes but that the drug gives him “nasty burps” that taste “like rotten eggs.” He asked Musk if he had the same side effect, and the Twitter boss responded: “Yeah, next level.”
Spreading beyond Hollywood
With celebrity rumors, media attention, and some doctors pushing it, word of the “miracle” weight loss drug quickly spread on social media. The TikTok tag #oxempic has 417 million views and the hashtag #ozempicjourney was full of people documenting their weight loss using the drug.
How Ozempic works![]()
The medication works by binding to GLP-1 receptors, stimulating insulin release from the pancreas when needed. It also reduces the amount of sugar released by the liver and slows down food from leaving your stomach, preventing blood sugar spikes. It can also reduce appetite. It is injected once per week.
“A Clockwork Orange for junk food”
Doctors explained to the Guardian that people taking the drug for weight loss say the drug can make foods or even liquids repulsive, like “A Clockwork Orange for junk food,” referring to the classic literary scene where a criminal was trained to feel disgust and nausea when thinking about crimes or violence. Some people using the drug lament the fact that they can’t enjoy food like they used to.
Ozempic’s recommendations for nausea suggests that is often true![]()
Indeed, the manufacturer of the drug says that eating bland, low-fat foods like crackers, toast and rice help with nausea, as does avoiding friend, greasy or sweet floods. It also recommends “foods that contain water like soups and gelatin” and drinking “clear or ice-cold drinks.”
Off-label prescriptions plus out-of-country and online purchasing
Endocrinologist Dr. Disha Narang said some doctors have begun prescribing Ozempic off-label for weight loss, while she’s seen other patients “who have somehow gotten their hand on” the drug. It is believed that the drug can be bought online or from countries with more lax prescription laws like Mexico.
A severe shortage for people who need it![]()
Health agencies around the world are having to issue warnings about the impossibility or difficulty of securing the drug. The Australian government says it’s because of off-label use for weight loss and that the drug won’t be available in Australia from mid-November 2022 until the end of March 2023.
Diabetics: “We need it to stay alive and keep functioning on an everyday basis.”
Diabetes patients around the world have had to switch to other medications due to the shortage. “It really makes me mad; it infuriates me,” Shane Antony told NBC, explaining how his blood sugar levels have shot up since he had to stop taking Ozempic in October. “We need it to stay alive and keep functioning on an everyday basis.”
Rebound weight gain after discontinuing use![]()
Besides the devastating consequence for diabetes patients, the drug also has other unwanted side effects for those using it for weight loss. One of those is rebound weight gain. A 2022 study found that people who had stopped taking the drug had regained two-thirds of the weight they lost a year later.
Remi Bader: “I gained double the weight back.”
On the podcast ‘Not Skinny But Not Fat’ content creator Remi Bader shared her experience with the drug. She said once she stopped taking Ozempic, her “bingeing got so much worse” and said the doctors blamed the drug for her having “gained double the weight back.”
Trendy treatments distract from deeper problems in the Western diet![]()
Hollywood nutritionist Matt Mahowald told the Guardian that drugs like these can also distract from tackling bigger problems related to the typical American diet, such as highly processed food and the difficulties and expense of getting healthy food.
Excessive weight loss could hamper long-term health
Mahowald added that by severely restricting calories, some healthy people using the drug may not be taking in the right level of calories and nutrition to be able to exercise intensely and build up muscle. This can have consequences for long-term health.
No studies for weight loss, not designed for average-weight people![]()
Ozempic has been studied and approved for diabetes, but not weight loss. Wegovy has only been studied to treat obesity and overweight people with weight-related medical conditions. “These drugs were not designed for normal-weight people who want to get down to be super thin,” Dr. Janice Jin Hwang told the New York Times.
Playing “roulette with their health”
Given that there haven’t been proper studies and that some people are taking the medication without medical supervision, injecting the drug is considered a risky behavior. “I don’t want to see people playing roulette with their health,” said Dr. Kraftson.
History shows weight loss drugs can cause more harm than good![]()
One study found this type of medicine can be safely taken for up to 68 weeks, but there isn’t a long-term study given the innovative nature of the drug. History shows that some drugs approved for weight loss like amphetamine, diuretics, the fen-phen and digitalis caused more harm than good. At one point, even tape worms were marketed to help stay thin.
Health is more than skin deep
