Diabetes Drug Ozempic Trends On TikTok As Weight-Loss Drug

Later these days it's the talk of tick tock I just start dropping pounds left and right the topic ozempic has over 300 million views being on this medication has helped me tremendously with my health with scores of users crediting the drug for their weight loss success ozampic is a drug you inject that's meant to improve blood sugar and help.

Manage type 2 diabetes but because one of the side effects is weight loss many are using it off label a trend that may have started in Hollywood talk show host Andy Cohen even recently tweeting everyone is suddenly showing up 25 pounds lighter what happens when they stop taking ozempic since those epics gone viral on social media some doctors.

Like Nancy ranama say they've been flooded with inquiries it's become something very hot and heavy in Los Angeles Beverly Hills ozempic's active ingredients the meglatide works by making you feel feel full longer doctors say it's similar to wagovi which has been approved for weight loss by the FDA and is produced by the same manufacturer.

Novo Nordisk when we asked the company about people using ozempic to lose weight it responded in a statement writing in part we do not promote suggest or encourage off-label use of our medicines the company adding ozempic and wogovi are not interchangeable however the FDA tells NBC News Healthcare professionals can choose to.

Prescribe drugs off label when medically appropriate Anna McKenna has documented her 45-pound weight loss Journey with ozempic on YouTube interestingly enough it has been my easiest weight loss attempt and my most successful she agrees that ozempic isn't a magic pill adding her side effects have included headaches and fatigue a price some may.

Be willing to pay for weight loss and speaking of price according to the drug Maker's website ozempic can cost about 900 a month that wouldn't be covered by insurance if you're using it for off-label uses the company also admits that because of the demand and supply chain issues they are having trouble in some cases and some diabetics.

Have not been able to get those prescriptions guys all right Kristen thank you and join us now with more insight NBC News medical contributor Dr Natalie Azar Dr Azar good morning so a lot of people talking about it on social media is it safe is there any downside assuming you can afford it to taking something like this so first of all.

Let's just set the framework again off off of Kristen's piece this is for type 2 Diet we'll talk about ozempin for type 2 diabetes it regulates your blood sugar but it also targets that area in the brain that extends the signal of feeling full or not right so it's definitely helpful for weight loss and importantly for type 2 diabetics it can also reduce.

The risk of cardiovascular muscular events but here's the thing it's expensive right we said 900 a month experts say that you would need to take the medicine kind of indefinitely because once you stop it you theoretically can regain all of that weight that's key you mentioned side effects there are side effects that can.

Be associated with it they include nausea vomiting but also more serious things like pancreatitis acute kidney injury gallbladder problems so it's not without potential risk so do you think I mean if you had a friend who said look I'm thinking about using this I just want to drop 25 pounds do you think it's safe enough to say well that's it's not.

Going to harm you you can go ahead and do it well here's the thing it it can potentially harm you right and and this gets into the whole topic of using a drug off label right the FDA studied this drug and its sister drug wagovi there's another drug it's the same you know active ingredient but what Gobi is marketed actually for weight loss for.

People who are obese or overweight who have one health related condition like hypertension or high cholesterol but the FDA studies the drug in that population the FDA hasn't studied the drug and people who aren't diabetic or or overweight thing like that is for weight loss but is it is it the notion that well whatever risks that you.

Mentioned are outweighed by the risks of obesity and those kind of health issues exactly and of course like any time you know the big issue here is how how are folks getting this drug right I mean if if you're not diabetic and you're not obese how are you actually accessing this and that's important because how are they yes well I mean you were just.

Talking about this there's like there's websites and you know and and obviously some people are obtaining prescriptions um you know inappropriately anytime you you prescribe and we do this I do this in Rheumatology we do prescribe medications off label but there has to be shared decision making and the patient you know has to understand that.

Potential risks can happen that's a discretion and I think your point about how it only lasts for as long as you take it it's kind of a big thing like once you stop it you put the weight back on potentially and then experts say even you could gain even more because remember it's regulating insulin secretion and it's affecting hormones.

It's not necessarily something that's going to reset you for life and remember with ozempic I think the average weight loss was about 14 pounds with the Govi it's it's higher it's about like 15 of your body weight but again for people who need this medically managed weight loss it is a wonderful tool in the toolbox but the shortages are real.

Partially Supply but how much of of this is playing into it the FDA has both agovi and ozempic on the list of in short supply drugs at the moment okay all right good information Dr Azar thank you so much hey thanks for watching our YouTube channel find your favorite recipes celebrity interviews uplifting stories.

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