Ozempic may need to be taken for life

Originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes, Ozempic has been widely used for three years due to its effects on weight loss. However, we are beginning to appreciate the long-term negative consequences of such misuse.

Semaglutide, sold under the name Ozempic or Wegovy, is a medicine intended to treat type 2 diabetes. It is also called non-insulin-dependent diabetes and is the most common form of the disease. Although Canada did not issue prescriptions for obesity treatment, 61,000 people nonetheless received a prescription for Ozempic for weight loss in 2023 that was therefore not reimbursed by health insurance, according to a Canadian Press article. Thus, these patients must finance treatment out of their own pockets. In addition, the survey Press published in early April, demonstrated the ease of obtaining Ozempic online.

Indeed, several stars such as Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk or Quebec’s Nathalie Simard, as well as many social media users, have achieved the popularity of the drug by praising its benefits for our waistlines. Today, the hashtag #ozempic appears nearly 180,000 times on Instagram and 86,600 times on TikTok. A search for “Ozempic before and after results” generates millions of results, including videos showing people injecting the product.

The problem is that many people do not continue taking this medication for more than a year, which is what a recent journal report addresses. Nature.

Weight restoration

Two clinical studies mentioned in this report indicate weight restoration after discontinuation of semaglutide. In one of them, published in Journal of the American Medical Association800 participants were given the drug for four months and also made changes to their diet, exercise and advice. They lost an average of 10.6% of their original weight. A third of the participants then received a placebo. Eleven months later, they had gained an average of 7% of their weight, while participants taking semaglutide continued to lose weight.

Another clinical study, the results of which were published in the journal Diabetes, obesity and metabolism, found that participants regained two-thirds of the weight they had lost in the year after stopping semaglutide injections. Previously, they had lost an average of 17.3% of their original weight after a year of treatment and lifestyle changes.

Risks of stopping

In addition to weight gain, participants regained abdominal fat and developed underlying health conditions. Indeed, several diseases are associated with excess belly fat, including heart disease or insulin resistance. When you stop taking semaglutide, your risks will return to the same levels as before the study, along with your blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

Reasons for shutdown

There are many factors that lead to treatment discontinuation, but one of them is lack of reimbursement. In fact, the highest dose of Ozempic costs $400 CAD per month. Other reasons people have stopped taking it include side effects including gastrointestinal distress, shortages caused by rising global demand, and weight stabilization that makes patients think the drug is no longer working.