The anti-diabetic medication Ozempic has been in the news lately because celebrities and other public figures seem to be using it for weight loss, leading to a shortage in this drug that is important for those with type 2 diabetes.
Annette Choi and Han Vu of CNN state that, “Ozempic holds the largest share in the type 2 diabetes drug market.” This means that this is the medication most patients use creating a huge problem.
Ozempic works by using an ingredient called semaglutide that makes the user feel “full” and suppresses appetite, according to NBC.
Since it has gained popularity for being a tool for weight loss, Ozempic has gone into a shortage which makes it hard to get. This is because Ozempic seems to be a magic trick for becoming skinny. Now, diabetics are unable to get a medicine that is essential to their well-being. This also puts stress on the doctors who are scrambling trying to find alternatives for their diabetic patients.
Many influencers are open about their use of Ozempic for weight loss instead of its intended purpose. Dolores Catania, a TV personality best known for being a main cast member of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” has admitted to using Ozempic, says People Magazine.
Catania said that a lot of housewives take Ozempic for weight loss and said “I wasn’t going to come to [the] reunion looking bigger than anyone else, so I got on the bandwagon.”
Golnesa Gharachedaghi, an influencer with almost 900,000 followers on Instagram, is also openly on Ozempic. According to Page Six, she shared that she has lost more than 10 pounds on the diabetes medicine and showed her followers how to inject themselves with the drug.
“I’m just not going to lie about it,” said Gharachedaghi, “because I always keep it real about what is fake.”
People using this important diabetes medicine as a weight loss drug is absurd. There are so many other alternatives that can be used to lose weight, and people with diabetes do not always get that choice.
Female bodies are always naturally changing, and instead of making a damaging, unnatural trend out of it, women need to embrace it.
While some celebrities on social media are promoting their weight loss journey with Ozempic, others may be leaving out crucial information and the truth about how they got to the finish line. There’s no way to tell if an influencer’s sudden weight loss is due to Ozempic or not, especially if they are not open about it like Catania and Gharachedaghi.
This is toxic in so many ways, but especially for people who have trouble losing weight, as it messes with their mental health. With users of Ozempic varying from those using it for their health or for weight loss, there simply isn’t enough of it to go around.
Not only does this “trend” cause the shortage of the medicine, but it also has unknown side effects. The New Yorker stated that “Initial side effects (diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness, nausea) can be gnarly enough to send people to the E.R.” Following a toxic trend is not worth taking essential medication away from people that need it and putting yourself at risk.
Some people on Ozempic, or its off-brand variants, realize that it is taking important medicine away from those who need it. When comedian Chelsea Handler realized the weight loss drug she was taking was a form of Ozempic, she stopped taking it.
“I’m an irresponsible drug user, but I’m not gonna take a diabetic drug. I tried it, and I’m not gonna do that,” said Handler, according to Page Six.
The “ideal” female body has recently changed from what it once was. Now the new trend is to be thinner, and even the Kardashians are following it. Many have noticed that some of the sisters have lost some weight and look slimmer. According to The New Yorker, “Kim dropped twenty-one pounds before the Met Gala, where she wore a dress made famous by Marilyn Monroe; Khloé, who has spoken in the past about struggling with her weight, posted fortieth-birthday photos in which she looked as slim and blond as a Barbie.” Even though many sources state that the sisters have been using Ozempic, they deny using the medication.
Following weight loss trends can be dangerous for some women, especially when the weight loss is due to a drug. In addition, not everyone can afford drugs like Ozempic, and the current shortage of the medicine makes it harder for diabetics to get the treatment they need.
Female bodies are always naturally changing, and instead of making a damaging, unnatural trend out of it, women need to embrace it.
lkelyman@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of Nataliya Vaitkevich, Pexels
