The Risky Use of Ozempic as a Weight Loss Drug
Currently, Ozempic is one of the most common drugs used when it comes to weight loss. Achieving a certain beauty standard is driven by changing societal expectations, and the newest global trend is to be thin. People achieve this with Ozempic, which is actually a drug meant for adults with type 2 diabetes. This begs the question of whether Ozempic use is safe and how far we should go as individuals to achieve modern societal beauty standards.
What is Ozempic, and how does it work?
Ozempic, formally known as semaglutide, is a prescription medication for individuals with diabetes which helps them lower blood sugar. Essentially, Ozempic is a synthetic hormone. It mimics the hormone GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) which is naturally released in our body after eating a meal. It helps with making us feel full after a meal as well as balancing the body's blood sugar levels. GLP-1 has this ability because of the way it works. It has the ability to increase the body's secretion of insulin. This ties in to the work of Ozempic as it binds to GLP-1 receptors helping with the release of insulin in our organism. This results in regulated blood sugar as well as a feeling of fullness which can all lead to weight loss.
Ozempic has a couple of other functions that are not just blood sugar regulation. It can help with prevention of disfunction in the kidneys as well as lowering the risks of heart attacks or strokes which makes it a useful medication for those suffering from diabetes and heart problems. It has been FDA approved for these uses, however there was a trial which showed it could also help for weight loss. This trial and some others boosted the use of Ozempic for weight loss. However, it is important to look deeper into what effects Ozempic has on those who don't have diabetes or heart problems.
- Gastrointestinal issues - In the US clinical trial for Ozempic 46% of participants reported having gastrointestinal issues which included nausea, diarrhea, constipation and fatigue. In another trial in the UK 74% reported gastrointestinal issues. In conclusion gastrointestinal issues represent one of the largest symptoms and risks which can be caused by use of Ozempic
- Fatigue - Although not as present as gastrointestinal issues over 6% of participants in clinical trials reported feeling fatigued during their use of Ozempic making this one of the bigger issues when it comes to the use of Ozempic
- Intolerance to Ozempic - Although not many, about 3% of participants in a US trial had to stop taking Ozempic due to the fact that their body could not tolerate the drug. Another 8% had to lower their dose again due to intolerante. Some participants in a different study had to completely stop taking the drug due to extremely severe gastrointestinal issues that they could not tolerate.
- Psychological side effects - Some side effects of the use of Ozempic include psychological side effects. A European study in 2024 on the use of Ozempic recorded 481 psychiatric events. Participants using Ozempic reported depression, anxiety and even suicidal ideation during the trial, making this another big side effect of the use of Ozempic.
- https://www.drugs.com/ozempic.html
- https://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/glucagon-like-peptide-1/#:~:text=Glucagon%2Dlike%20peptide%201%20is,and%20the%20release%20of%20insulin.
- https://public-health.uq.edu.au/article/2024/04/considering-taking-weight-loss-drug-ozempic-here-are-some-potential-risks-and-benefits
- https://www.healthline.com/health-news/why-experts-want-weight-loss-drugs-like-ozempic-to-be-available-for-everyone
- https://www.sciencehistory.org/stories/distillations-pod/is-ozempic-different/
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