Medicamenul Ozempic, which many people use to lose weight, although only recommended for diabetics, has become a topic on TikTok. But this medicine is being revived and from antidiabetic it has become a solution for weight loss. What worries, doctors warn!
They are known to be people they would do anything for lose weight. For several months, Ozempic, an anti-diabetic drug made by the Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, has been advertised as a weight loss aid. The drug is prescribed to people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes because it plays an important role in keeping blood sugar in check.
But nowadays it is used by many Hollywood stars to get rid of extra pounds, quickly becoming “a trend” on social networks.
Specifically, Ozempic would increase the feeling of satiety and would allow to reduce the amount of food ingested. An injection into the abdomen, thigh or arm once a week would be sufficient. The drug is released on prescription and is expensive: in France, for example, it costs 80 euros.
But doctors point out that this injectable drug, increasingly used for weight loss, has unwanted side effects that are ignored. Patients may experience nausea, vomiting, constipation or severe diarrhea.
In addition to these side effects, Ozempic’s social media frenzy has caused shortages, particularly in Australia and the United States.
What is Ozempic?
According to the EMA (European Medicines Agency)Ozempic is a medicine indicated for the treatment of adults with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes as an adjunct to diet and exercise.
It is a solution for injection, which is administered subcutaneously: it is injected subcutaneously, in the abdomen, thighs or upper arms.
According to the EMA, semaglutide, the active ingredient in the drug, lowers blood sugar. The blood glucose lowering mechanism also involves a slight slowing of gastric emptying in the early postprandial phase. Therefore, semaglutide reduces body weight and fat tissue mass through reduced energy intake, which implies a general reduced appetite. Also, semaglutide decreases the preference for high-fat foods.
Ozempic injections can be dangerous
It is a phenomenon that can harm people who really need this medicine. Faced with accelerated growth in demand, the US Food Drug Administration was forced to include Ozempic on the list of drugs at risk of shortage.
According to data from the World Health Organization, the number of people with diabetes rose from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014. Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and limb amputation lower.
Ozempic price
The director of ARPIM (Romanian Association of International Medicines Manufacturers), Dan Zaharescu, told Puterea.ro that this medicine is also prescribed in prediabetes, a situation in which it is still released on the recommendation of the doctor, but it is not compensated or free. of charge. The price for one month of ozempic treatment is around 500 lei.
Ozempic side effects
Ozempic is an expensive drug, but it is safe and is not associated with any severe and persistent adverse effects.
During clinical trials, the most commonly reported undesirable effects were: gastrointestinal disturbances, including nausea (very common), diarrhea (very common) and vomiting (common), changes in blood pressure.
How much weight is lost with Ozempic
I’ve talked to several people who’ve had an injection or two of Ozempic to lose weight. After the injection of Ozempic, they no longer had an appetite and lost between 5 and 15 kilograms in one month. Despite knowing the side effects of Ozempic, they still took the risk and received the injections, hoping to look better.
