Ozempic: The New Frontier of Weight Loss Medicine

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Marvellous Olajide
Once reserved for managing diabetes, drugs like Ozempic are now at the center of a weight-loss revolution—fueling global demand, social media buzz, and even ethical debates. But is this just another fad, or a medical breakthrough changing how we fight obesity?

What Is Ozempic?
Ozempic (semaglutide) is a medication initially approved for Type 2 diabetes. It mimics a natural hormone called GLP-1, which helps regulate blood sugar and appetite. When patients using Ozempic started reporting significant weight loss, it did not go unnoticed.
Soon, the drug—and its sibling, Wegovy, which is specifically approved for weight loss—became household names. Celebrities hinted at using it. TikTok exploded with testimonials. Demand soared. Desperation increased.

How it works
Once ozempic is in the bloodstream, it activates the part of your brain that makes you feel full, reducing your appetite, it also stabilises the blood sugar, stopping sudden cravings. Then it slows down how quickly the stomach empties food making you feel full for longer after a meal. This causes the body to lose weight as less food is taken in.
While it may seem like a miracle weight loss potion that downplays the effort of people that sweat in the gym for hours trying to lose weight, it doesn’t seem like the miracle that it looks like as it has alot of potential side effects. The common and mild side effects including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, loss of appetite, fatigue, indigestion, gas or bloating. These occur most often when starting the medication or increasing the dose. The serious side effects includes
-Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas): Symptoms include severe stomach pain that may radiate to the back, nausea, and vomiting.
-Gallbladder issues: Such as gallstones or gallbladder inflammation.
-Thyroid tumors: Animal studies have shown a risk, especially medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). People with a family history of MTC or MEN 2 should avoid Ozempic.
-Kidney issues: Can cause or worsen dehydration-related kidney problems.
-Allergic reactions: Swelling, rash, itching, or difficulty breathing.
-Vision changes: Especially in patients with diabetic retinopathy. The cornea could also be severely damaged.
-Ozempic is also not recommended during pregnancy and should be used with caution in people with a history of pancreatic disease, thyroid cancer, or kidney disease.

Apart from all these side effects, there’s also the question of supply. With demand surging, shortages have made it harder for diabetic patients—who rely on these drugs—to access them. There has also been a recent public alert by NAFDAC on the circulation of fake Ozempic that was adulterated to look like the actual one. If this falls into the hands of someone who wants to lose weight, it could actually cause more harm than good.
Long-term use also raises questions: What happens if you stop taking it? For many, the weight returns. If it was easy to lose the weight in the first place, then it would be easier to gain it back. This could affect the lifestyle choices of the individual like eating patterns, the individual may not have to restrict their diet and may continue taking unhealthy food that leads to unhealthy weight gain causing damage to the health in the process.

However, once a regular visit to the gym is used as a means to achieve weight loss, the individual would remember how hard it was to lose the weight and would most likely not engage in unhealthy eating patterns and lifestyle choices that would make all that unhealthy fat come back.
All you need to maintain a healthy weight includes lifestyle choices like portion control, regular exercise, calorie deficit, staying hydrated, healthy diet etc. Taking Ozempic without the supervision and prescription of a doctor is dangerous.