Ozempic: The Dark Side of the Diabetes Drug

Ozempic, or the weight loss drug, as you might have heard, has taken everyone by storm! The brand name for semaglutide, is all over social media and is currently the talk of town. The drug was originally developed as a treatment for Type 2 Diabetes. However, its side effect of weight loss has garnered more attention than its actual use. The tiktokers, influencers and pop culture are raving about Ozempic without completely understanding it! Is it really the miracle it claims to be or are we missing the wider picture? Let’s have a closer look at it and decode everything you need to know about Ozempic.

Basics First 

Ozempic is the brand name for the drug ‘semaglutide’. It belongs to the class of GLP-1 (glucagon- like- peptide-1) drugs. Ozempic is an injection that needs to be taken on a weekly basis for managing diabetes. It helps to lower the blood sugar levels by helping the pancreas to make more insulin. However, this is not the only effect it has. Like most of the drugs, Ozempic also has side effects. The one that is being masked as a use of this drug is ‘weight loss’. When a person is on Ozempic, their appetite decreases and the process of digestion slows down. This is because Ozempic works by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone in our body. 

The most common misconception people have about this drug is that they think getting on Ozempic is all that they need. People report significant weight loss with little effort. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?? But, there is more to it than that.

A Much Needed Reality Check

The weight loss effects of Ozempic are not permanent. Once you stop taking Ozempic, the weight loss stops. Moreover, the lost weight is gained back and in some cases, more quickly than it was lost. Ozempic is just a short term fix for obesity. This does more harm than good. The user starts relying on the medicine. Once the drug is stopped, the user finds it very difficult to maintain the weight since it requires major lifestyle changes. Now, since the person is dependent on Ozempic, it is more likely that they won’t follow the required lifestyle changes for maintaining weight. This has more to do with the user’s psychology. The medicine makes the process of weight loss look very simple when it is actually not. 

The Side Effects

Not many people are aware of the fact that Ozempic comes with a boxed warning in the USA. A boxed warning, also known as, Black Box Warning, is the strictest warning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can issue. A boxed warning implies that the medicine might have serious side effects. This itself tells a lot about the seriousness of adverse effects that the drug might have. The most important fact is that Ozempic is not approved for weight loss by the FDA. 

Apart from the milder side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, Ozempic has potential serious side effects like pancreatitis, diabetic retinopathy, gall bladder disease, hypoglycemia, thyroid cancer and kidney problems. While these side effects are not universal, it demands serious consideration before starting the drug, especially the ones with pre-existing health conditions. The boxed warning on the drug is regarding the risk of thyroid cancer, raising concern about its long term use.

Quick-Fix Mentality

Ozempic and other weight loss medications have given rise to a quick fix mentality. People have started seeing treatment of obesity as a quick fix rather than a lasting lifestyle change. This is concerning on many levels since it completely ignores addressing the root cause of obesity and metabolic diseases. Treatment of a complex disease like obesity cannot be done solely by a drug. With a continuous rise in obesity across the globe, people are getting into this short-cut trap. A pill can never be the answer for any disease, let alone a highly complex problem like obesity. 

The fact that people are now referring to Ozempic as a weight loss drug and not a Diabetes drug is a reflection of people’s inclination towards rapid results, which is definitely not a healthy choice.

An Expensive Affair

As many other conventional treatments, Ozempic is not for a common man. Since the generic versions of this drug are not available at the moment, the cost is much higher. The drug can cost anywhere around $800 to $1000 per month. Keeping in mind that it is required to take these medicines for a long period of time, it is not an affordable option. Moreover, since the effects last only as long as the person is on the drug, it can hardly be counted as an investment into better health. The danger of side effects makes Ozempic an expensive affair, not only money wise but health wise as well. 

Ozempic is just the tip of iceberg

Ozempic is just a very small part of the ‘weight loss quick fix’ picture. There are other such drugs that have now started attracting a lot of eyeballs. People are convincing their healthcare providers to prescribe them the ‘magic weight loss’ pills. It is just a matter of time that the patent for these branded drugs will expire and the medicines will be available at reduced costs. Having said that, the price that people will pay in the long term needs to be assessed before opting for these medicines. 

The Long-Term Unknowns

One of the most concerning things about Ozempic is the lack of data on long term use of these drugs. While they may show quick results, research on when to stop the medicines is insufficient, especially for the people that are consuming these drugs solely for cosmetic purposes. The healthcare professionals say that these weight loss drugs alone are not enough for losing weight. The user has to consider lifestyle changes as well. However, since the pills show quick effects, people are under the impression that it is only due to medicines. When such users stop taking medicines, they gain the lost weight because they get so used to the pills that the body does not respond to lifestyle changes as quickly as they want them to. This effect is known as the Ozempic rebound and it still needs to be researched. 

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Given the high-profile nature of the drug, more research is definitely in the pipeline. However, until the long-term effects of the drug are better understood, the users are in a way subjecting themselves for a large-scale clinical trial. For all the people that are blatantly using Ozempic and other such drugs, the risk may not be worth it, especially when there are more long lasting and safer ways to manage weight.

The Bigger Picture

While Ozempic may offer rapid results, it can never match a well rounded holistic approach. It is important to know that working on a highly complex  chronic disease like weight loss, or any other chronic disease for that matter is a marathon and not a sprint. Medicines can never be a replacement to a well rounded holistic approach supported with right guidance and lifestyle changes. As the popularity of quick fixes continues to grow, one should always remember that no drug can solve any chronic disease without addressing its root causes.

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