Is TikTok’s newest obsession really a weight loss wonder drug?

The drug is called Ozempic and was made for people with type 2 diabetes. But according to a California doctor interviewed, Guardian Earlier this week, everyone in Hollywood is on board.

A video about weight loss with this drug that lowers sugar levels and appetite has been viewed millions of times on social media giant TikTok, with some users claiming they’ve lost more than 6 stones on the drug. . Billionaire Elon Musk has given the drug lip service, and outlets report it played a role in Kim Kardashian’s recent weight loss.

Many Irish users of this site claim that they were prescribed a weight loss drug by an Irish GP, even though it is not licensed for use as a weight loss drug in the country.

In fact, HSE should have recently issued a letter to GPs “reminding them that current reimbursements are for approved diabetes indications only.”

So what exactly does Ozempic do, and why are Irish GPs prescribing Hollywood-approved weight loss pills?

What is Ozempic?

Ozempic is the brand name for a drug called semaglutide, approved by HSE in 2018 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Semaglutide can help lower blood sugar levels in patients, but the patient leaflet advises that it should only be used if blood sugar levels are too high to start.

This self-administered treatment comes in a pen with 4 doses. The price is around 150 euros. Patients use the drug once a week.

does it work?

According to Mayo Clinic data, a study of patients who combined weekly semaglutide injections with healthy lifestyle changes saw a weight loss of approximately 33.7 pounds (15 kg) over 68 weeks.

Another study published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine found that obese adolescents who took drugs and made healthy lifestyle changes experienced a 16% reduction in body mass index (BMI) within 68 weeks. did.

Is it available in Ireland?

Dr Dennis Macquarie, chairman of the Irish Medical Institution’s GP Committee, said the drug is currently “not licensed as a weight loss drug” in Ireland and “should not be prescribed as such to non-diabetic populations”. said.

However, he added, “it is likely that the same drug will soon be introduced to the Irish market under a different name to treat obesity.”

For now, HSE advises that the drug should only be used “as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes”.

can it work for me?

According to Professor Carel le Roux, an obesity specialist at the University Hospital of St. Vincent, using Ozempic and other drugs that use semaglutide to treat obesity are “innovative,” but taking the drug for weight loss is not recommended. Shouldn’t.

“It’s very important to focus this treatment on the disease of obesity and not on weight loss,” he said.

“There is a disease called obesity, and there is something called the cultural desire to be thin.

“If you touch people [with Ozempic] With obesity disease, the disease can be controlled, but that means they will have to undergo this treatment for the rest of their lives.

“For people who have a cultural desire to be thin, when they take this treatment, they lose some weight initially, but when they stop the treatment, they put it back on and actually weigh more than before. , it’s a really, really bad idea [use this drug] for weight loss. ”

To define obesity, Prof le Roux points to the World Health Organization’s definition of “abnormal or excessive adiposity that poses a health risk”.

“Your BMI isn’t that important. What matters is whether excess adipose tissue or excess fat cells are making your current health worse. For example, if you have excess fat that causes diabetes. a disease called obesity.”

“We don’t treat people to lose weight, we treat people to improve their health.”

Notes

As a final piece of advice, Professor Le Roux says he advises Irish citizens not to take Ozempic unless they have a disease of obesity and are prepared to take it for the rest of their lives.

“Interestingly, even people who really want to lose weight. When you say to them, ‘Are you sick with obesity and are you ready to do this for the rest of your life?’ 9 out of 10 people would say this number.'”