By Heidi van Schie
TikTok influencers have been claiming Ozempic as the No.1 quick and easy weight-loss method, but is it?
The simple answer is no. By using it for a weight-loss hack, there’s a possibility that you could be endangering someone’s life.
Ozempic is an injection prescribed exclusively for diabetes in Australia. It works by lowering blood sugar and increasing insulin.
“It’s a very powerful drug to go around and prescribe,” said retired nurse Kate Whiffen. “It works for the people who need it, like people with Type 2 diabetes, but if there’s an option for something weaker, go with the safe choice. Ozempic can have very intense and uncomfortable side effects, especially if you’re not using it correctly.
“People have been trying to get prescribed for this stuff for a long time. Saxenda is another diabetes one, and all kinds of laxatives too. It’s not a new thing. It’s sad how it’s still going on.”
Due to a sudden rise in popularity, more and more people are finding ways to get their hands on it. Not all of them are legal.
An investigation with Norvo Nordisk and the TGA has uncovered multiple cases of vials claiming to be Ozempic illegally being shipped into Australia. According to the unlucky consumers, the advertisement for these vials has been showing up as pop-ups with enticing catchphrases such as “GET SKINNY QUICK” and “FREE OZEMPIC”.
Due to these shameless promotions and the spreading of medical misinformation, the people who need Ozempic have been unable to access it.
Some influencers are going as far as sharing tips on how to get your doctor to prescribe for you without actually having diabetes.
Others have taken to claiming Miralax, Ex-Lax, and Glycolax as a “budget Ozempic”, psychologists found according to the Walls Street Journal. This caused a major shortage in the United States.
According to the TGA, Ozempic shortages will last for the rest of the year and well into 2025. This will put people with diabetes with the possibility of some serious health risks, and even the potential to develop new health problems.
“Oh, it would make me so mad if It was me,” said Emma Stanford, Type 1 diabetic. “Getting an autoimmune disease is bad enough without your only life-saving treatment being used for a condition, i.e. obesity, that has many other treatments available.
“I know a load of people who should be taking it but aren’t or should be prescribed but aren’t. So the situations made me really think.”
Medical professionals and diabetics alike are imploring people to turn to alternative medicine before Ozempic, especially in its current state.
Featured image: Don’t be so eager to join the latest weigh-loss fad. Photo: CC/Pxhere