Ozempic was originally created as a medication for the pre-diabetic. Now it’s become a weight loss strategy for the rich and famous.
If you spend any time on social media, you’ve likely seen your fair share of weight-loss ads. From flat tummy tea to metabolism-boosting pills, marketing schemes promising a thinner physique have been floating around the internet for as long as the internet has existed. Now, there’s a new “miracle” weight-loss treatment called Ozempic that promises to help users shed pounds via regular injections. The only minor problem is that it’s not a miracle at all, and it wasn’t meant for weight loss to begin with. And now, the people who actually need it are having trouble finding it.
Ozempic is an injectable drug originally meant for people who are pre-diabetic, but has since become an “off-label” prescription for weight loss. It’s Danish in origin, and comes from a company called Novo Nordisk. Over the last several years, it has become a growing topic of conversation among the wealthy. Now, thanks to some robust publicity and a trending hashtag on TikTok, Ozempic has been exposed as the new handy weight-loss trick for the rich and famous. (In comment boards across the web, the peanut gallery has accused everyone from Adele to Oprah to Kim Kardashian of being on Ozempic, with zero evidence to back up those claims.)
Here’s the lowdown on what Ozempic costs (hint: it’s a lot), whether there are any symptoms besides weight loss (hint: there are), and why this newfound obsession with injection-induced slimming is causing a not-so-small problem for the pre-diabetic.
The cost of ‘miracle’ weight loss drug Ozempic is staggering
The cost of a month’s worth of Ozempic is only a little bit less than what some people pay for housing: $1,000 to $1,500 a pop — and that’s if you can find a doctor who’s willing to prescribe it to you.
Ozempic causes some people to lose weight for the same reason it helps people who are pre-diabetic: It boosts insulin sensitivity and suppresses appetite. And now, there are fears of a shortage for the people who actually need it to regulate their blood sugar levels.
Hollywood nutritionist Matt Mahowald told Variety that the newfound fascination with this handy weight loss shortcut has led to a widespread shortage across the country. “It’s become a huge problem, everyone jumping on this bandwagon,” Mahowald explained. “The insurance companies are refusing to cover this for anyone who is not diabetic. It’s led to panic. Pharmacies have units on back order through December.”
Other doctors have warned that the long-term side effects of this drug are unknown, and that many other medical questions about it remain unanswered. However, it’s worth noting the results of one study that has already occurred: In a clinical trial run by Novo Nordisk in which patients took a version of Ozempic as a weight loss strategy, those who were switched to a placebo gained back most of the weight they had lost after about 20 weeks.
In other words, Ozempic might make you lose weight, but you would likely have to keep taking it indefinitely in order to keep the weight off. And at upwards of $1,500 a pop, those who aren’t swimming in cash may go broke in pursuit of the body of their dreams.
Katie and others share their thoughts about Ozempic
In a recent interview with Vogue, Katie talked about her own lifelong battle against disordered eating. She also shared her opinions on “weight loss miracle drugs” like Ozempic.
“The social media influence on our self-perception is ubiquitous,” Katie said. “I’ve seen women on Instagram that I’m pretty convinced are all taking that Hollywood [drug] Ozempic because their weight loss is so dramatic in a short period of time. I’m almost 66 years old,” Katie went on, “so I feel like I have enough life experience that I can observe it all but not have it infiltrate my psyche. But for a lot of younger women, that’s really hard, and the pressure to look a certain way and be a certain weight is really powerful and very destructive.”
Other celebrities have spoken out in recent months about their personal experience taking Ozempic — and the news isn’t great.
Remi Bader, a 27-year-old content creator and model, recently appeared as a guest on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, where she shared that she had taken Ozempic for a period of time. Specifically, Bader said she was prescribed the drug by a doctor because she was pre-diabetic, insulin-resistant, and was gaining weight.
“They said I need this,” she said, “and I had a lot of mixed feelings.”
Like many others, Bader lost weight while she was on Ozempic. But then, a few months later, she went off the drug and began “bad binging,” a type of disordered eating she had struggled with prior to taking the medication.
“It was making me think I wasn’t hungry for so long, I lost some weight. I didn’t wanna be obsessed with being on it long term. I was like, I bet the second I got off I’m gonna get starving again,” Bader said. “I did, and my binging got so much worse. So then I kind of blamed Ozempic.”
Bader says she has since gained “double the weight back” after stopping the drug.
