Ozempic has become hugely popular among celebrities in the UK and the US but a doctor has now warned about the long-term impact of taking the injection for weight-loss purposes.
The likes of Jeremy Clarkson and Amy Schumer have spoken out about some of the brutal side effects of the drug, which is primarily designed as a medicine for those with type 2 diabetes.
Despite this, it has become regularly used for purely weight loss purposes, much to the despair of those who have consistently warned about the many side effects and long-term impact on our body.
A recent video from simulation pro Zack D Films has seemingly worked to put some people off, as showed the brutal way in which the drug works to reduce fat in the body.
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"Once Ozempic is in your bloodstream, it activates the parts of the brain that make you feel full, reducing your appetite," he said in the clip.
"It also stabilises your blood sugar, stopping sudden cravings. Then it slows down how fast your stomach empties food, which keeps you feeling full for longer after a meal.
"This causes you to lose weight as you eat less. But it can make some people feel sick and even give them diarrhoea."
And now, a doctor has given yet another reason why those looking to lose weight should stick to more common methods, rather than turning to Ozempic.
In a YouTube short, Dr Boz, a doctor and content creator with close to one million followers said: "Ozempic should not be allowed for weight loss. Mark my words, put them in a time capsule and open it in 15 years. Ozempic has a remarkable weight loss but what they didn't focus on is that when these people are losing weight, they are losing muscle mass at a way higher rate than they should.
"As you play this forward, especially in elder patients, when you lose that much muscle mass, you cannot gain it back without extreme measures.
"The chemistry behind how they are losing that weight is really a starvation weight loss. This is the kind of weight loss that will decrease their immune system, decrease their muscle mass, decrease their bone density and decrease their longevity."
So, if you're planning on taking Ozempic to lose weight, be wary that you might be doing some significant long-term damage which involves losing muscle mass as well.
Novo Nordisk, Ozempic's manufacturer, told LADbible Group: "Wegovy®▼ (semaglutide injection) and Ozempic® (semaglutide injection) are prescription only medicines and require a healthcare professional to prescribe under strict supervision. Treatment decisions should be made together with a healthcare provider who can evaluate the appropriateness of using a GLP-1 based on assessment of a patient’s individual medical profile.
"Patient safety is of the utmost importance to Novo Nordisk. We continuously collect safety data on our marketed GLP-1 RA medicines and work closely with the authorities to ensure patient safety. As part of this work we continue to monitor reports of adverse drug reactions through routine pharmacovigilance. Regarding safety, the most common adverse events among people treated with Ozempic® (semaglutide injection) for its indicated use, are gastrointestinal events including nausea, diarrhoea and vomiting. Most events were transient, and mild or moderate in severity and resolved without permanent treatment discontinuation.
"We recommend that any patients experiencing side effects while taking GLP receptor agonists including Wegovy® or Ozempic® report them to their healthcare provider and via the MHRA Yellow Card scheme: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/."
James Moorhouse