It started as a drug to manage type II diabetes, but now Ozempic has become the center of a cultural reckoning revolving around weight loss and the ethics of using weight loss medication. Ozempic has taken the world by storm, the injectable medication has become a motivator, body transformer, and a controversial concept. While some people may look at it like a cheat, or the easy way out to lose weight, that’s not always the case. It can be a tool to help people who struggle to lose weight reach their weight goal, while also teaching them how to maintain their goals by integrating a healthier lifestyle.
Franny Murphy, a college student in Boston, detailed her experience with the semaglutide, which seemed to be an overall positive one due to the protocols her doctor took and how determined she was to be healthier. Murphy had a good experience with the GLP-1 after struggling to lose weight. She tried dieting and working out but still had issues with losing the amount of weight she wanted, part of which might have been because she had PCOS. PCOS is a hormonal disorder, that can cause excess hair growth and irregular periods, and in Murphy’s case, it impacted her ability to lose weight. Not only did the GLP-1 help her lose around twenty pounds from her start date last spring, but it also helped her to keep a healthier lifestyle.
“Overall I have to admit it was one of the best decisions to go on, it also really helped my mental health,” said Murphy. “I felt so much more motivated throughout the entire process and still feel more motivated, I tell everyone to get on it who asks.”
Since Ozempic’s approval by the FDA as a drug to manage type II diabetes, it has since become infamous not just for people with type II diabetes, but for its miracle weight loss abilities. This has since led to frequent misuse of the semaglutide and has made it difficult for people who may need it to obtain it. Through all the misuse and misinformation about Ozempic and other semeglutides, there is a growing effort by doctors prescribing the medication to follow certain protocols that ensure the health and safety of their patients. This effort has proven successful in improving patients’ experience with Ozempic and other semaglutides, a growing need with how popular Ozempic has become in society.
The semeglutide first started to appear around 2017. Novo Nordisk filed for approval from the FDA for the once-weekly semaglutide in 2016, only for it to be approved in 2017 and able to be on the market. It was being marketed as a management drug for type II diabetes, the drug appeared in commercials and was able to be prescribed by doctors to their patients. The way Ozempic works is by stimulating insulin production in the body, the once-weekly injection helps people with type II diabetes by improving their blood sugar levels. Ozempic copies a naturally occurring hormone in the body and slows digestion by increasing the time it takes for food to leave the body.
After the pandemic hit in 2020 people were stuck inside, unable to live their normal lives, so everyone lived online, stuck in the wormhole that is social media. From this people came out talking about how Ozempic, the type II diabetes management drug, had helped them lose weight. This resulted in Novo Nordisk bringing forth a semaglutide that was approved for weight loss but under a different name: Wegovy. While Ozempic and Wegovy are brand names for the same chemical, the dosage is different and so is the cost. Wegovy is priced at around $1,340 a month without insurance, while Ozempic is priced at $935. Due to the difficulty of getting insurance coverage on Wegovy and the higher cost, Ozempic became the prime weight loss drug, despite weight loss not being its intended use.
Ozempic has quickly become a household name in the media, it’s all over Instagram, TikTok, X, and has even shown up in TV shows such as South Park. The adult cartoon made fun of those using Ozempic for weight loss, and though it might have been funny, it also fed into the narrative of Ozempic tying into toxic weight-loss culture. There seemed to be a cloud of shame over people who used Ozempic for weight loss, but there are more and more people coming forward about their own experiences being on the semaglutide. Oprah Winfrey publicly discussed her experience using Ozempic and has become an advocate for addressing the negative stigma that surrounds weight loss treatments. More people coming forward opens up the concept that there needs to be conversations about the medication.
Chris Dobbs, a fifty-eight-year-old who has type II diabetes, has been on Ozempic and many other semaglutides, detailing his experiences on each one of them. His Ozempic prescription was originally covered by his insurance, but due to him being let go from his previous job, he lost his insurance coverage. This sent him searching for a semaglutide that would not only help him manage his type II diabetes but would work best for him. Ozempic and Wegovy are both semaglutides, but there are also Mounjaro and Zepbound which are types of tirzepatide. Tirzepatide is another type of GLP-1, but it also mimics another metabolic hormone called GIP.
“I’ve taken Wegovy, I’ve taken Ozempic, and I’ve taken Manjaro. Manjaro seemed to work the best,” said Dobbs. “They all have the same smart pens, but the solution in the pens mix differently.”
The injectable pens make it easy to take on the go and store, they also make it easy for the patients to monitor their injections while still working closely with their doctors. Dobbs found out he had type II diabetes in his 40s, his wife and doctor had him try everything from dieting to different pills before they finally settled on Ozempic. The semaglutide was the only thing that worked for him because of how easy it was to use, and it meant he didn’t have to use a libre sensor.
As popular as semaglutides are for weight loss and how constantly they show up in the media, there are still a lot of people against the use of them for weight loss. It’s understandable to be cautious or against the GLP-1 drugs, but they aren’t going away any time soon. For those worried about the side effects or long-term effects, there are other ways to lose weight, Anne Geiran, a clinical dietitian and wellness coach, spoke openly about her issues with using the semaglutide for weight loss, expressing her feelings about how there are different ways to lose weight that don’t rely on drugs.
“There are ideal body weights and people should constantly be looking at health. Slow, steady weight loss is very good for you, but I always feel like it’s a pendulum swinging. There’s an extreme,” said Geiran. “If you’re susceptible to it, it’s really dangerous because people are looking for good, healthy advice. And then they go down a clickbait of ideas and quick fixes.”
Geiran has been a clinical dietitian for more than twenty-five years, working closely with patients and at many different clinics. She expresses concern about Ozempic use leading to eating disorders due to providers not giving patients proper instructions on how to manage their protein and carb intake, which is a reasonable concern. Geiran makes good points about people going down the clickbait wormhole, we as a society are always looking for quick and easy fixes, and there is a concern about Ozempic being used as one of those quick fixes. Dieting might work for some to lose weight, but it, unfortunately, doesn’t work for everyone, that’s where something like Ozempic or Wegovy comes in.
Statistical data from the Kaiser Family Foundation showed what age groups of people are using Ozempic for weight loss the most. It demonstrated that people ages eighteen to twenty-nine are the ones using Ozempic the most for weight loss, with those over sixty-four using Ozempic for weight loss the least. Since its growth in popularity, GLP-1 drugs have become a want from many people looking to lose weight fast, but it shouldn’t be a quick fix. Doctors and Ozempic prescribers today are doing a better job at monitoring their patients, though it might make the weight loss process slower it also makes it safer for those taking the semaglutide.
Prescribing the semaglutide is just one step out of many when preparing someone to go on it, especially in the cases of weight loss. Blood work and labs are standard when making sure someone is the right candidate to go on a semaglutide, normally this work is only done in the beginning, but now there’s an increase in offices taking a more hands-on approach with their patients. Shannon Hildebrand, a registered nurse who works at a small health clinic in Sonora California, gave more insight into the details of prescribing Ozempic and how the clinic she works at makes sure to ensure their patients stay healthy throughout the whole process.
“Our office requires patients to check in at the beginning, so it’s a little bit complicated. I require them to check in weekly and it’s just managing any side effects that they’re having,” said Hildebrand. “We adjust dosages accordingly, so we start with a small amount, it’s almost like micro-dosing, then we kind of work our way up.”
There are a couple of different milligrams people can start with when going on Ozempic or any other GLP-1 drug, Normally dosages start at 0.25mg and go up to 1mg, or in rare cases, a patient can go up to 2mg. According to an article on the FDA website, “health care providers should be vigilant when prescribing compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide products and determining appropriate doses and titration and dosing schedules for patients.” By starting by having patients do micro-dosing, not only is Hildebrand’s clinic carefully watching how patients react to the drug, but also seeing how much to increase the dosage by, or if they need to increase it at all.
This hands-on approach is something all offices that prescribe the GLP-1 drug should be doing. But not all doctor’s offices may go through the depths that the clinic Hildebrand works through, maybe it’s because the office is smaller and has fewer patients, or it could just be because of how the clinic is run under Doctor Leslie Brocchini. The office is almost babysitting their patients, holding their hands through the process versus just handing them the injection, giving them a quick run down, and sending them on their way.
“With her integrative medicine degree, she goes a little bit further and has a lot more patient education, and does more follow-up labs then I think than mainstream doctors do,” said Hildebrand. “I think finding that perfect amount for people is where she sort of is ahead of the curve because our patients are experiencing fewer side effects and having more success and then they’re keeping their weight off too because her plan is more long-term.”
Doctor Brocchini runs her clinic with a holistic approach while being board-certified in integrative medicine, focusing on the patient experience rather than the quantity of patients. By doing this she’s connecting with her patients and watching their progress on Ozempic closely with her team of nurses. While Doctor Brocchini runs the office, Hildebrand is one of the nurses who works closely with the patients, making sure the patients are healthy and following the proper protocol when on Ozempic.
Going through blood work with patients and finding the right dosage is just one part of preparing someone to go on Ozempic or other semaglutides, there is also a discussion of diet and exercise. Since Ozempic convinces the user’s brain that they aren’t hungry they enter an almost starving state, which makes keeping up with protein and fiber extremely important. When it comes to something like Ozempic or other semaglutides it should be a long process to get the drug, with a lot of information being given to the patients. When Murphy talked about her experience it was clear that her doctor made sure to be extremely hands-on when walking her through the process of going on the semaglutide and everything that comes with it.
“I had to go to my doctor for multiple checkups,” said Murphy. “I called him probably every two weeks when I first started it, and now it’s much more calmed down but even just the process of me trying to get it was so difficult.”
To be on Ozempic or any other semaglutide, a patient has to get a prescription from a doctor, like any other drug. Data from the Kaiser Family Foundation showed the percentages of where people go to get Ozempic for weight loss, and the good news is the majority get it prescribed to them by doctors or specialists. This isn’t just to ensure the patient can take the semaglutide, but also to make sure they know what they need to do to stay healthy while on it, especially in the cases of using the semaglutide to lose weight. Meeting with her doctor helped Murphy gain an understanding of what she needed to do to keep her body and mind in good physical condition.
“I feel the goal would be learning how to maintain your ideal weight, and learning how to properly balance meals is a huge part of being on it,” said Murphy. “And that was something that I had to agree with my doctor and my parents about when I went on it. They said they weren’t going to pay for it unless I truly show that I’ve changed, that I’m working out, and that I’m eating better.”
While the semaglutide has had booming success, there also ended up being a shortage of Ozempic that made getting the drug into the consumer’s hands difficult for a short period. This isn’t uncommon when it comes to popular items, but it can cause issues in those who are purchasing Ozempic, especially when someone who needs it for type II diabetes management can’t get it. When buying the drug out of pocket without insurance coverage it can be frustrating, especially considering how expensive it can be.
As talked about previously Ozempic and other semaglutides are expensive, especially without insurance coverage. Without insurance, Ozempic can be around $1000 a month, however with insurance and depending on the plan of the patient it can be as low as $25 a month. Since Ozempic is cheaper than Wegovy, the semaglutide specifically for weight loss, more people tend to lean towards Ozempic. Which is also a reason there was a shortage of Ozempic. Murphy paid out of pocket for the semaglutide, and she also dealt with issues regarding getting it into her hands.
“The process of trying to get it was so difficult because it was sold out in so many places. A few times I couldn’t ever get in Boston so I’d have to get it shipped, sometimes my mom would have to go to Michigan and Indiana to get it,” said Murphy. “My family also has a place down in Miami, on a small little island called Key Biscayne and my dad had to ship it one time from Miami to me.”
Due to the success and profit of Ozempic and other semaglutide drugs for weight loss, more companies want to sell semaglutides, to profit the way big pharmacies have profited. And because people everywhere want to get their hands on weight loss medicine, it’s available online for purchase. A screenshot taken shows what pops up when searching for Ozempic online, many different websites show up with different prices on almost every site. While a lot of these sites still make the consumers fill out forms and might even have them submit their blood work, they aren’t getting that same experience and attention to detail when going in person to a clinic.
Murphy’s experience highlights just how far consumers are willing to go to access Ozempic, whether it is because they need it to manage type II diabetes or because they are using the semaglutide for weight loss. For many, finding and affording the medication can be just the beginning of challenges. A key aspect of having an understanding of Ozempic is looking into the side effects, which can be another wormhole of information especially if looking those side effects up online.
Like any other drug, Ozempic has a long list of side effects someone could experience, these side effects could make anyone nervous, but like everything else, it can affect people differently. Since Ozempic was originally for managing type II diabetes, but it’s now being used for weight loss as well, do the side effects differ due to the different reasons someone is using the drug?
“I ended up stopping at 1mg because I had really bad side effects with it. For a few months, I was incredibly nauseous, I was vomiting a lot, and really couldn’t eat much at all,” said Murphy. “But the longer that I was on it the better the side effects got, so I ended up staying on 1mg.”
Nausea and vomiting are two of the main and most common side effects, they are only supposed to last for a few days, but in more serious cases like Murphy’s, they can last for days if not weeks. Most of the time these side effects shouldn’t last for long and can be easily managed, but that’s not always the case. Like with other drugs, side effects can be long-lasting and can end up being more serious, which is something doctors warn patients about. Murphy struggled with the side effects for long periods after using her injections of the semaglutide, but those side effects slowly subsided the longer she was on the medication since her body started to adjust to it.
“I mean the side effects were tough,” said Murphy. “Maybe the reason why I felt so nauseous was because I wasn’t the perfect candidate.”
Even people who are considered the perfect candidate or those who are on Ozempic for type II diabetes management can suffer from the side effects. Dobbs also struggled with side effects no matter what type of semaglutide he was on, but the different medications all gave him the same side effects. While on the same type of semaglutide as Murphy, but using it for different reasons, their side effects were very similar. The only main difference was how long their side effects lasted, while Murphy experienced the side effects for a longer time, Dobbs was lucky and only had to deal with common side effects for a short time.
“The biggest side effect that was consistent with whatever of those drugs that I took was within 24 to 48 hours they made me nauseous. I’d have to go lay down, and if I ate too much, I might get sick,” said Dobbs. “And I know that’s a common side effect with a lot of people on those drugs, which makes sense because it’s affecting your gas system and your stomach.”
There is a lot of fear on social media about people abusing Ozempic and other semaglutides, concerns about the side effects, and how there are people who don’t need the drug being on it. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if people on social media think some people shouldn’t be on the semaglutide because it comes down to the labs. Lab work and blood work are what allows someone to get prescribed the medication, but there’s always going to be people who qualify but don’t stick with eating right or working out. This is why providers need to make sure patients not only meet the criteria but keep up with their health throughout the process of taking the medication.
“So our goal is for them to lose one to two pounds per week. I do all of the follow-ups, and most of it is by phone, some of it is in person and then I draw their labs every eight weeks through the course of the whole time that they’re on medication,” said Hildebrand. “So I’m doing their lab drawings and I teach them how to administer their injections at home.”
The fear of Ozempic and other semaglutides isn’t uncommon, the drugs are heavily talked about in the media and because of this, there is an overwhelming amount of misinformation like every other drug that comes out. It can make people hesitant to get behind the use of Ozempic for weight loss. It’s good to be cautious, and careful when considering getting on a drug like Ozempic, but when going down the online rabbit hole it can be hard to differentiate honest information from misinformation. Even with support from celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, the media doesn’t focus its attention on the potential upside of these drugs.
The biggest piece of misinformation about semaglutide drugs has to be that they are unhealthy or that patients will gain weight right back after stopping the drug. These are genuine concerns when thinking about starting Ozempic or other semaglutide, but they also aren’t the case when managing the drug properly. The horror stories people see and hear about on social media are scary, but that’s not going to happen to every single person who uses the drug for weight loss. Debunking these fears of semaglutide drugs sounds a lot easier than it is. In today’s age, it only takes one person having an awful experience to cause others to worry as well.
“People hear the horror stories, that it made them so sick, they ended up in the hospital, got pancreatitis,” said Hildebrand. “And we’re saying, no, it’s gonna be fine because you’re starting at a low dose. So the biggest thing is that they’re super worried and freaked out that it’s gonna make them sick.”
In severe cases, people can get sick from Ozempic, but isn’t this the case with every other drug on the market? If people focus on the bad parts of drugs, especially ones such as Ozempic, they will only see the bad and scary parts instead of looking at the health benefits. That’s why it’s so important to have a good relationship with the doctor or nurse who is monitoring a patient’s injections, not only are they there to help explain the process, but they are also there to ease any fears a patient might have. This is also why there might be a concern about the semaglutide being sold online, which can lead to patients not getting the proper care they would be getting if they went to a doctor’s office.
There is a huge potential in these drugs, there is so much still to learn about what Ozempic and other semaglutide drugs could do for us. This is why there should be caution, but there shouldn’t be fear. Ozempic has only been FDA-approved for eight years, so there is still so much to figure out about potential health benefits for those using Ozempic. Hildebrand was very vocal about how she thinks GLP-1 drugs will help people in the future.
“It’s not going to be just for obesity or diabetes. I think that it’s going to come with the reduction of inflammation and be indicated in helping cardiovascular disease,” said Hildebrand.
While there have been no studies about Ozempic being used to help with reducing inflammation, there have been signs of semaglutides showing potential benefits for cardiovascular health. There have also been studies revolving around Ozempic and alcohol use as well. One of the more positive side effects is that Ozempic can reduce the craving for alcohol, this ties into how the drug reduces appetite. This can be challenging for a college student considering how big the drinking culture is in a college environment, it also could lead to future health benefits for the individual.
“I’m a big going out person, I love going out. I go to school at Boston College so when I was living in Boston over the summer with my friends, I was drinking on it, but I had to consume much less amounts of alcohol than I usually could consume,” said Murphy.
With the lifestyle changes Murphy went through since starting the medication to now, almost a year after starting, she’s living not only healthier for her physical health but she’s also improved her mental health and body image. As the conversations around Ozempic and other weight loss drugs continue to grow, it’s clear the drug isn’t going anywhere, and we as a society need to understand that. While there are still concerns about side effects, ethical use, and availability, for many patients the benefits can be life-changing. Under a doctor’s supervision, the process of getting on the medication and being on the medication can be safer and healthier. Stories like Murphy’s serve to show that despite headlines detailing problems with the drugs and the controversies, there are real people who are taking weight loss and health seriously and finding solutions that work the best for them.
“I don’t want to be on it forever, and now I’m just on it to maintain weight,” said Murphy. “I was stressed about gaining the weight back, but I honestly haven’t experienced that. I don’t know, maybe it’s because my habits have truly changed.”