Watch Insight's episode “The Ozempic Game” as we explore whether popular weight loss drugs are a long-term solution and how they might change our relationship with weight.
Janet Wilczak sees Hollywood stars losing weight in the media and wonders if the drug Ozempic is the key to losing weight, which has become harder to lose with age. That's what I thought.
“I think there's still a lot of stigma around being overweight. People are seen as less valuable,” Janet told Insight.
“I thought this was the path for me because I used to go to the gym and work out really hard to lose weight.”
Her health care provider prescribed Ozempic off-label, but she had a severe reaction six hours after taking it.
“I started having vomiting and diarrhea, and when I was vomiting, there was a really bad sulfur smell, like rotten egg gas, and I had shocking pain in my stomach,” she said. Ta.
Janet wanted to try it again and her doctor suggested lowering the dose, but she had the same extreme reaction.
“It was a quicker response, and I felt really bad,” she said.
“It was scary. The smell coming out was shocking.”
A ban on replicas of popular weight loss drugs such as Ozempic came into effect on October 1st. sauce: moment RF / Yulia Burmystrova/Getty Images
“I've been sick all the time.”
Singer Shawna Jensen said she always felt pressure to lose weight since she was a child, and being a performer on stage only fueled her desire to lose some weight.
Jensen, who is in her late 60s, told her doctor that she was dieting too much but still wanted to lose weight.
Her doctor suggested she try Ozempic, so she weighed the risks and benefits and decided to give it an off-label prescription.
Singer Shona turned to Ozempic when she struggled to lose weight and suffered from chronic side effects. sauce: Supplied / John McRae
“I was taking it for weight loss and lost about 100 pounds in about 10 to 11 months before my knee surgery,” Shauna told Insight.
“But I was always feeling unwell. I had nausea, and if I didn't have nausea, I had constipation. If I didn't have constipation, I had diarrhea, and the nausea was unrelenting.
“It wasn't fun, but it definitely suppressed my appetite,” she says.
“Magic bullet” for weight loss
Ozempic is a brand-name drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, but it is often prescribed “off-label” as a weight loss drug.
It contains the active ingredient semaglutide, which helps reduce appetite by targeting areas of the body such as the brain, pancreas, and digestive system.
It reduces the brain's appetite, slows down the rate at which the stomach empties, and causes a “feeling of fullness.”
It also helps the pancreas produce insulin, which helps manage type 2 diabetes.
Wigovy, another drug that also contains semaglutide, was developed purely as a weight loss treatment. It was released in Australia in August.
It is only prescribed to people who live with obesity or are overweight with at least one weight-related comorbidity such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol.
Increased demand for Ozempic creates a shortage
Ozempic's “off-label” prescriptions for weight loss include:
The average price of Ozempic ranges from $130 to $200 for a one-month supply when prescribed off-label for weight loss purposes, so many people are dispensing drugs to obtain a replica of this drug at a lower price. People are starting to use pharmacies.
It is estimated that at least 20,000 Australian patients have injected replicas of compounded weight loss drugs, with the majority using them to manage weight loss.
However, compounded products do not meet the safety, quality, and efficacy standards required for mass-produced drugs.
In May,To protect Australians from serious side effects, the drug will ban the use of semaglutide replicas.
The ban took effect on October 1st.
Side effects are “manageable”
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners' Obesity Management Chair, Dr Terry Lynn South, says side effects from taking these drugs are common but can often be managed with medical guidance.
“There is wide variation in whether someone suffers side effects, what those side effects are, and their severity,” South told Insight.
“However, in general, side effects such as nausea and intestinal changes are common, usually mild, and usually not long-term. However, some people have symptoms that are quite extreme of the average.”
South said patients using these drugs for weight loss do not have to endure side effects.
Dr. Terrilyn South is a metabolic health expert. sauce: Supplied
“Based on my experience, I think the side effects are quite manageable.”
“We manage side effects not just by looking at doses, but by changing what people eat and drink and being proactive about bowel management.”
However, South said she has had patients in the past who were unable to cope with side effects and had to stop taking the drug.
She says patients should not view weight loss drugs as “magic pills” and should also consider necessary lifestyle changes.
“In my experience, it's important to take it slow and get good holistic advice, not just about taking the medication, but how to eat properly to manage side effects,” she said.
“I didn't want to be a slave to drugs.”
Janet said she is aware that some people have had more positive experiences, but she plans to stay away from injectables that may help with weight loss.
“There are no quick fixes. I will never go down that path again,” she said.
“I think we need to get back to the basics of eating better and exercising and not relying on these drugs.”
As for Shauna, she decided to give Ozempic another try after her scheduled knee surgery.
I didn't lose much weight the second time, so I decided to stop because of the expense.
Shona said that even though she was no longer taking Ozempic, the drug had helped her change the way she thought about food. sauce: Supplied
She tried it one last time, but after a few months decided it wasn't worth it given the cost and side effects of nausea. Despite deciding that semaglutide wasn't for her, Shona says it has changed her attitude towards food.
“Being on that medication has changed the way I eat. I think differently now. If I have three tacos on my plate, I know that three tacos won't taste good, so I'll eat two.” ” she said.
“But I stopped using this drug in part because I had the revelation that I was a slave to it. I was in control of what was going on in my brain and of myself and my future. It means being a slave to how you see things.
“I have come to the decision that I am no longer willing to be a slave to it and instead accept that this is who I am.”
*A previous version of this story was published in September 2024.
For more stories, see here hosted by Kumi Taguchi. From sex and relationships to health, wealth and grief, Insightful offers a deeper dive into the lives and first-person stories of former guests on the acclaimed TV show Insight.
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