First appeared in DC Journal
By Aron Solomon
If you consume literally any media you’ve seen commercials for Ozempic. They’re intentionally vague, in that all we see is people doing things and looking happy. If you’re unfamiliar with what Ozempic is, the commercials really don’t help.
There’s a reason for this – Ozempic is a drug with multiple uses. It had an original use and now has a far more popular secondary use. The problem is that there are dangers in how Ozempic is being prescribed and used for that very popular secondary use.
Ozempic (semaglutide) is a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes. It belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which work by mimicking the activity of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) that is naturally produced in the body. GLP-1 helps to regulate blood sugar levels by stimulating insulin secretion and reducing the release of glucagon, a hormone that increases blood sugar.
In addition to its use in diabetes, Ozempic has also been approved by the FDA as a treatment for obesity – that new secondary use.
In clinical trials, patients who took Ozempic lost significantly more weight than those who received a placebo. It is thought that Ozempic works as a weight reduction drug by suppressing appetite, reducing food intake, and slowing down the emptying of the stomach, which leads to a feeling of fullness.
While Ozempic has been approved by the FDA as a treatment for obesity, there are potential risks and side effects associated with its use.
There are potential side effects, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Patients are, of course, counseled that it’s important to talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of Ozempic before starting treatment.
One potential danger of using Ozempic for weight reduction is the risk of low blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia), especially in individuals who do not have diabetes. This can occur if the medication is used in combination with other medications that also lower blood sugar levels or if it is used inappropriately or in too high a dose. Symptoms of low blood sugar include sweating, shaking, confusion, dizziness, and fainting.
Another potential danger of using Ozempic for weight reduction is the risk of pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas. This is a rare but serious condition that can lead to hospitalization and even death. Symptoms of pancreatitis include severe abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever.
Yet things can get much worse.
As Attorney Karen Berger observed:
“Not only is Ozempic not FDA-approved for weight loss, it isn’t a safe drug for everyone. Even for its original intended use, as a drug to help treat Type 2 diabetes, this prescription medication is not recommended for anyone with a family history of thyroid cancer, for example.”
Another drug, Wegovy, the same type of GLO-1 drug that can suppress appetite, is approved by the FDA for weight-loss use.
A recent Fortune piece noted that a 2022 study found that after people stopped taking Wegovy, they regained two-thirds of the weight they’d lost on the drug.
This highlights one of the most significant problems with how Ozempic is being used as a weight-loss drug:
It is being seen as a miracle drug to be used for weight-loss then stopped once the user’s goal is achieved. But Ozempic’s reality is that GLP-1 medications are long-term treatments for obesity.
Because Ozempic is a prescription medication, it should only be used under the supervision of a healthcare professional. Before starting treatment with Ozempic, individuals should discuss their medical history and any potential risks with their doctor. Regular monitoring of blood sugar levels and other health parameters may be necessary while using this medication for weight reduction.
They should also discuss an actual strategy for how they’re going to use Ozempic, and this is where we often see a disconnect between advertising, the patient, and the doctor.
If there is a lesson to be learned from this, it’s that people shouldn’t be making critically-important long-term health decisions based on an ad, they should be doing so based on the most sound medical practice, which some argue hasn’t been the case with Ozempic when used for obesity.
About Aron Solomon
A Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer, Aron Solomon, JD, is the Chief Legal Analyst for Esquire Digital and the Editor-in-Chief for Today’s Esquire. He has taught entrepreneurship at McGill University and the University of Pennsylvania, and was elected to Fastcase 50, recognizing the top 50 legal innovators in the world. Aron has been featured in Forbes, CBS News, CNBC, USA Today, ESPN, TechCrunch, The Hill, BuzzFeed, Fortune, Venture Beat, The Independent, Fortune China, Yahoo!, ABA Journal, Law.com, The Boston Globe, YouTube, NewsBreak, and many other leading publications.
A Pulitzer Prize-nominated writer, Aron Solomon, JD, is the Chief Strategy Officer for AMPLIFY. He has taught entrepreneurship at McGill University and the University of Pennsylvania, and was elected to Fastcase 50, recognizing the top 50 legal innovators in the world. Aron has been featured in Newsweek, The Hill, Fast Company, Fortune, Forbes, CBS News, CNBC, USA Today, ESPN, TechCrunch, BuzzFeed, Venture Beat, The Independent, Fortune China, Abogados, Today’s Esquire, Yahoo!, ABA Journal, Law.com, The Boston Globe, and many other leading publications across the globe.