Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy seem to be the rage today. Some women take them secretly; others wear the prescription as a badge of honor. These medications are being taken “off-label” for weight loss, but they catch attention like wildfire because of visible results. Pounds are being shed, and skinny clothing is once again being worn! The active drug in both of these brands is semaglutide. This class of prescription medications was FDA-approved for combatting Type 2 Diabetes to control blood sugar levels in patients who were resistant to other drug regimens. Semaglutide is injected and fights diabetes by increasing insulin production and lowering blood sugar. Appetite is reduced because it makes the stomach empty more slowly and gives the feeling of being “full.”

Along with its success in helping to control diabetes, it was found that people on the medicine lost weight – sometimes dramatically. Many diabetics are co-morbidly obese and have hypertension and high cholesterol. Ozempic and Wegovy effectively help these people and facilitate weight loss. Once Hollywood and influencers jumped on the bandwagon, these drugs became the rage, with non-diabetic yet overweight women (and men) all across the nation ordering their off-label doses to be able to inject themselves and take selfies in the mirror regularly. Once Oprah emerged from the Ozempic closet, the wildfire was set.

Unfortunately, the influencers and Hollywood personalities either don’t discuss or readily dismiss the many side effects of these drugs for weight loss. The fact of the matter is that much of Type-2 diabetes is related to poor nutritional habits and eating disorders in more than 20% of diabetic patients. Regular injections may resolve weight issues short-term, but the underlying physical, emotional, and mental causes of weight gain and eating disorders are not addressed or resolved at all. Ozempic use has escalated far beyond diabetics and has become a casual and go-to approach for losing weight and maintaining weight loss.

Both Wegovy and Ozempic have common immediate side effects such as constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting, and people taking these medications have found ways to lessen symptoms by slowly increasing the dose of medication, drinking plenty of fluids, avoiding foods that are high in fat, and by spacing out meals. But when people are anxious to lose weight quickly, and they purchase these medications online without proper medical supervision, a “more is better” attitude often prevails. Other side effects are more long-term and unknown. Pancreatitis and medullary thyroid cancer are two known conditions to be concerned with. Long-term unknown side effects may take years to be known.

So then, what is the big deal about using these meds to lose weight? Isn’t weight loss a good thing? The answer to the second question is – Yes! Weight loss is positive. But from my perspective, the bigger issue is the sustainability of weight loss in the long term and the potential side effects of using these drugs long-term. Obesity is a multifaceted issue. The psychological costs are high. It isn’t specifically the weight; it is all of the personal baggage surrounding the weight that is significant. Issues of inadequacy and failure are pushed aside, but they still reside despite any short-term weight loss from medications. Lifestyle changes are still required. The historical experience with gastric surgery for weight loss proves the point – where so many surgical patients experienced short-term weight loss and benefit only to relapse to former weight levels and without any improvement in health.

Sadly, American and Western cultures mistakenly taught us that medicine holds the answers and cures. And even sadder is the reality that American health has cascaded over the past 75 years. The country that espouses fat-free everything also houses the most numbers of obese people in the world, despite fat-free and sugar free everything. Longevity is low in relation to other countries in the world. Instead of changing lifestyle and nutritional choices, medicine becomes the answer. But the sad truth is that the “answer” really isn’t an answer. It is simply “lipstick on a pig” to make things look good momentarily on the outside and merely delay an inevitable negative outcome since true changes have not been made.

Hippocrates long ago said, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine thy food”. Food will nourish, prevent, heal, and cure. Nutrition and lifestyle changes incorporating proper nutrition, daily movement, and social harmony are the real medicine that prevents obesity and metabolic diseases like diabetes and promotes true health. So maybe, instead of investing in Ozemebic, invest in lifestyle changes that bring lasting results.