The TikTok trend that caused the shortage of diabetes medicine

Nov 29, 2022 – Weight loss advice is everywhere on social media, but one trend sweeping TikTok leaves a critical diabetes drug in short supply.

Ozempic, a weekly injection that helps increase insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes, also suppresses appetite and leads to weight loss. And now diabetics – people whose lives could be saved by medicine – are struggling to find diabetes.

Kim Kardashian and Elon Musk

In the spring, Kim Kardashian underwent a dramatic weight loss to match a Marilyn Monroe dress for the Met Gala. used ozempic to do it. Just this week, new Twitter owner Elon Her Mask tweeted: his own use Ozempic and its sibling drug Wegovy.

variety Ozempic is “Hollywood’s best kept secret and worst product, especially considering its most enthusiastic users are not pre-diabetic and do not require medication”. has spent $1,500 to access.

The FDA approved Ozempic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in 2017. Four years later, Novo Nordisk received approval for a high-dose version specifically for obese patients. Wegovy is only approved for use if you have a BMI of 27 or higher and have one or more weight-related medical conditions, or if you have a BMI of 30 or higher and do not have any.

“These drugs are so effective that they dominate my practice,” says Amanda Velázquez, M.D., chief of obesity medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. “The vast majority of patients are good candidates” because it is believed that .

more demand than supply

As rumors spread about the effects of Ozempic and Wegovy, social media posts prompted more people to seek out the drug. Demand is currently outstripping supply. Ozempic’s starter dose will have limited availability until January, according to the FDA.

“In Hollywood, people are losing 10 pounds and getting it for $1,500 a month, and are starving stores for people who are so obese that they have congestive heart failure and diabetes,” says Apovian. says Mr. “These are people who are dying and you’re getting rid of it just for the look of weight loss. It’s deplorable.”

Taking Wegovy for 3 months and losing weight does not mean you can expect it to stay that way. Medication requires a real, potentially lifelong commitment. This is because appetite returns when semaglutide is excreted from the body. In one study, people regained two-thirds of the weight they lost within a year.

Many see double standards in insurance companies’ refusal to cover medicines that may prevent serious illness or death.

“They say it’s not cost effective to give Wegovy to 42% of Americans with a BMI over 30. Did they say this when statins came out?” Apobian says. “Why are they doing this with anti-obesity drugs? It’s the culture. The culture is not ready to accept obesity as a disease.”

unpleasant side effects

Let’s say you are one of the lucky ones. Your insurance covers Wegovy and you can actually find it. You may find that using it is not a walk in the park. Common side effects include gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

After all, it’s too much and too fast. Apovian and Velazquez say that with careful monitoring, patients are losing about two pounds each week.

By early December, Davenport’s side effects were increasing. Online programs were unable to adjust her quickly because her low dose was lacking, she felt nauseous all the time, vomiting when brushing her teeth, so bad that she had to force herself to eat. It was something. For several weeks, she could manage less than her 500 calories a day. Her sleep patterns became irregular. And her depression, which had been kept under control for years by her medication, worsened.

“I remember sitting on the bathroom floor crying and thinking I should carry the extra weight,” she says. “I used to get a lot of enjoyment from food, but it wasn’t there anymore. At that point, it was such a joyless experience.”

Eventually, her dose was reduced and her symptoms subsided, but her doctor advised her to stop. By the time she did, in March she had lost 55 pounds.

More than just weight loss

Davenport’s experience wasn’t a good one, but with better oversight she’d be happy to try again. By watching it, I was able to undo the embarrassment of many years.

“Our culture treats obesity like a lack of morals. I realized that doctors and programs made me feel like I wasn’t doing enough,” she says. “This drug made me realize that there is a legitimate physiological phenomenon going on in my body that is often left out of the conversation.”

Apovian and Velazquez say their patients regularly find the same.

“Obesity is not a willpower disease. Medication is not an easy fix,” says Velázquez. “This is a chronic, relapsing medical condition, and as such, should be treated like diabetes, hypertension, or any other condition.” We never direct or withhold qualified medications.”