Ozempic (semaglutide) is a medication that was originally developed to treat type-2 diabetes by Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceutical company. In recent years, its side effect of appetite suppression has shined a light on its potential as a weight loss drug. While the once a week injection has shown promising results in clinical trials for weight management, its emergence as a weight loss solution has sparked major controversy within the medical community and general public.
When used in conjunction with diet and exercise, the drug has been found to help patients lose substantial amounts of weight, as seen with A-list celebrities like Mindy Kaling, Tracy Morgan, Amy Schumer and Chelsea Handler. And it’s become so popular, doctors are stocking up to sell the drug as part of a “weight-loss treatment” in their private practices: both clinical and aesthetic.
So what’s the catch? Well, for one, Ozempic was initially approved by regulatory agencies as a diabetes medication. Using it off-label for weight loss purposes raises questions about its long-term safety and potential side effects. Many users of Ozempic say the nausea is unlike anything they’ve ever felt before. It suppresses your appetite so much, patients record eating one meal a day, if any, during their first few weeks on the drug. Some have even reported an inability to keep food down during their first few injections.
But the fastidious results are what makes the drug so appealing for those itching to lose the weight they can’t “work off”. This past May, the drug’s manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, announced patients treated with a daily semaglutide tablet lost 15.1% of their body weight over the course of 17 months. Their findings came from a study population of a whopping 700 people.
Again, it’s not the success of weight loss that’s being speculated here, it’s the long-term safety. Ozempic is proven to help its users lose weight, but the drug isn’t magic: it depletes our muscle as much as our fat when taken. Older patients on the drug reported severe changes in the skin of their face, such as sagging and gauntness. This side-effect coined the term “Ozempic Face” on the Internet not too long ago.
The rapid weight loss makes our bodies struggle to maintain the laxity and bounce-back effect of our skin. Plus, the drug is depleting not just fat, but a decent percentage of muscle too. The fix for us older folks? Facial Fillers to help restore the volume we stand to lose.
If you couple its side-effects with the fact that relying solely on medication for weight loss might not promote sustainable lifestyle changes, the criticisms of Ozempic far outweigh the praise. Yes, it can help you drop thirty pounds in the blink of an eye, but traditional weight loss lessons still ring true: Long-term weight management involves behavioral changes that need to be learned and practiced, rather than relying on a pill or injection.
