Ozempic helped Elon Musk lose weight but how safe is it? Doctors weigh in

Ozempic, a prescription drug that is used to treat Type 2 Diabetes in adults has been gaining popularity on social media as a quick way to lose weight. Celebrities and TikTok influencers (who are non-diabetic) are resorting to this medication to induce weight loss in a short duration of time.

Elon Musk has been quite supportive of the drug.

What is Ozempic?

• Ozempic is a brand name for the drug called semaglutide. Semaglutide is the active compound in Ozempic.
• Ozempic is an FDA approved (it was approved in 2017) medication to treat Type 2 Diabetes in adults.
• It helps manage sugar levels in adults who have Type 2 diabetes along with proper diet and exercise.
• It lowers certain risks, including heart attack and stroke in adults who have both heart disease and diabetes. 
• This drug is in a class of medications called "GLP-1 agonists".
• Ozempic is taken in the form of a pre-filled pen injector that is used once weekly.

How Ozempic helps in weight loss

• Ozempic is not labeled as a weight-loss drug, neither has it been approved by the FDA for weight loss or weight management.
• The brand 'Wegovy', which is also semaglutide, was approved by FDA in 2021 to treat obesity. 
• Studies, that were sponsored by the company that manufactures Ozempic - Novo Nordisk - found out that people who have been consuming semglutide (which is the active ingredient in Ozempic) has led to weight loss.
• Ozempic helps decrease appetite, thereby leading you to eat less food and lose more weight.
• Ozempic slows the gastric emptying, which is it slows down how fast the stomach empties food, and so you feel full for a longer time and this makes you feel less hungry.
• "Patients who take the medication, for them foods that used to be really exciting are no longer exciting," said Dr Janice Jin Hwang, chief of the division of endocrinology and metabolism at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, to The New York Times.

What are the side-effects of Ozempic?

These are some of the common side-effects of Ozempic when it's consumed for blood sugar control:

• Nausea
• vomiting
• headache
• diarrhea
• stomach pain
• constipation
• upset stomach

What do the experts have to say?

Dr Sundeep Khandelwal, a physician based in Delhi-NCR, told dailyO that Ozempic or any other diabetic drug that leads to fat loss should only be taken when a doctor prescribes this drug.

"Ozempic or semiglutide drugs are specially recommended for diabetic patients who suffer from obesity. Although, such drugs are good in treating diabetes they have severe side-effects as well," he said.

Would you ever want to resort to such kind of way to lose or manage your weight?

ALSO READ: Ozempic, a weight-loss drug, makes you hate food. Elon Musk seems impressed by it