Ozempic has caused quite a stir recently, with influencers like Remi Bader to major celebrities like Jimmy Kimmel and Elon Musk revering its weight loss benefits over the pond. And with a similar drug, Wegovy, recently being approved in the UK by the NHS, it’s clear that the “skinny jab” isn’t going anywhere soon.

But what if the drug isn’t all it’s hyped up to be? SCREENSHOT spoke with Rosslyn Duncan, who is five weeks into her course of medicine, to find out.

In a nutshell, Ozempic and Wegovy are weight loss drugs designed to help people shed fat by suppressing appetite. The active ingredient in both is semaglutide, which works by inducing satiety—the feeling of being full and satisfied with food.

“Semaglutide also helps the pancreas produce insulin, which is how it helps manage type 2 diabetes.” Emma Beckett, Senior Lecturer in Food and Nutrition at the University of Newcastle, wrote in The Conversation.

Beckett went on to note that the ingredient mimics “the role of a natural hormone called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), normally produced in response to detecting nutrients when we eat. GLP-1 is part of the signalling pathway that tells your body you have eaten, and prepares it to use the energy that comes from your food.”

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Like many, Duncan attributes her initial knowledge of Ozempic to the internet and social media—in particular, TikTok. “I was watching people taking it and describing their experience. I thought ‘well, why not try it myself?’”

She continued, “A year ago, we were living in the US, and my doctor recommended I try it. At first, I was a bit cautious about taking medicine you had to inject. However, once it started to become more popular, and I saw the results people were having [through TikTok and social media], I thought I’d give it a go.”

For Duncan, the major benefit of the weight loss drug is its ease of use. “It just switches off that need-to-eat feeling. You don’t have any desire to eat food while you’re on it, you sometimes even have to remember to eat. Throughout my five weeks on the drug, I’ve gradually built up my dose. The only side effect I’ve had has been nausea. You have to remember that, even if you’re not hungry, you have to eat. Other than that, it’s a game changer—for me at least.”

So far, Duncan reports that she’s lost between 10 and 11 pounds since starting her treatment. She also noted that her regular exercise has been “gentle” such as “regular walks” instead of “going to the gym.”

However, she does emphasise the importance for people to do their own research before using Ozempic and similar drugs like Wegovy. Despite TikTok typically not providing the most reliable source of information, Duncan stresses that she would look for nurses and other credible creators who would provide progress reports and “practical insight” into how it works.

For Duncan, one of the only downsides of taking the medicine is that it “stops her thinking about food—so you need to keep track of what you’re eating, and remind yourself to keep drinking and eating, even if they’re smaller portions, to avoid flatlining.” Although Duncan only reports experiencing nausea, other side effects of the drug are said to include diarrhoea, stomach pain, vomiting, and constipation.

Cost can also be another major drawback for many, as the drug is only prescribed through the NHS to individuals with a BMI of 30 or over. Duncan told SCREENSHOT that she’s currently forking out £250 per month for her Ozempic, and warns others to evaluate the long-term commitment such a scheme might have on their finances.

“I know some people who have started to pay for it themselves (only for around four or five months) but once they stop, they just put the weight back on again. People should be cautious about this medicine,” she added. “It’s a lot of money and is a long process. The finance aspect of it all, particularly not being able to get it through the NHS, is a drawback.”

The financial burden is even larger in the US, where around 70 per cent of Americans are considered to be obese. Over there, many healthcare plans don’t cover the weight loss drug: setting individuals wanting the treatment back thousands of dollars. “Even in the US, [the healthcare industry] is being very cagey,” Duncan adds.

“My daughter who lives there has had an ankle operation, impacting her mobility. She’s tried to get it but it’s not covered in her healthcare plan,” she further told me. “If she wants the drug, it would cost her around $1,200 per month.”

The hype around Ozempic and Wegovy has caused a surge in demand worldwide—with many in the US simply unable to access the drug.

A recent report by Insider found that Americans are now buying drugs abroad in the face of such high fees. “While buying medicines outside of the US to bring home can be risky, people’s willingness to do so underscores the failure of the US healthcare system to ensure Americans can afford effective treatments as they become available,” Shelby Livingston from Insider wrote.

“In many cases, only wealthy people will be able to get their hands on obesity treatments, even though the disease disproportionately affects people with lower incomes.”

Despite its benefits, the rise of injectable weight loss drugs has received backlash. Particularly from critics who see the new medicine as a means of replacing the conventional forms of weight loss, like eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly. Others also warn of the dangers of changing dieting culture as we know it, erasing the progress we’ve made in body positivity and fatphobia over recent years.

It was only in the 90s that women were glamourised by mainstream media for an unhealthy heroin chic aesthetic. And, in my living memory, pro-anorexia Tumblr blogs and websites would litter the internet, further reinforcing toxic body images, with young women particularly impacted.

“I get that,” Duncan replied when asked about this point of view, but hinted that looking at this medicine through a binary lens is counterproductive. “However, I’ve tried several diets, I’ve joined gyms for long periods of time, and I’ve had a personal trainer. I’ve always managed to [get my weight] down to a certain level, but it’s always crept back up again.”

For Duncan, the drug is purely utilitarian—a tool to help her lose weight, and in turn live a healthier and longer life.

“It’s not a fix for all. You have to take this medication in an intelligent and sensitive way,” Duncan continued. “As long as you do that, you shouldn’t gain your weight back once you get down to a certain level. I’m 60, and the chances of losing weight as you get older get reduced so, for me, this was a crucial step.”

Ultimately, people “should always go through a doctor when getting this medicine,” Duncan concluded. “You need guidance, especially if you’re a teenager. If a teenager is extremely overweight, it could be useful for them to use it, but only as a means of getting them to the gym, building body positivity and a different mindset while they’re still young.”

Like many things in life, the recent rise in popularity of Ozempic and Wegovy is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it provides the means of helping some lose weight who otherwise couldn’t. On the other, it’s not out of the question that the drug could cause diet culture and body positivity to take a darker, and more harmful turn.

However, as of now, the overarching issue is that the large majority of individuals don’t even have that choice. Due to its high price, the medicine remains out of reach for the working class and most vulnerable in our society: often the very people that need it most.

No matter the scale of claims that body positivity has had an impact on how people—women, in particular—perceive and love themselves, it’s also undeniable that recent years have led to more and more dangerous weight loss inventions flooding the market. From TikTok’s recent ‘salt water flush’ trend to Instagram trying to play its part by introducing a feature that lets users hide weight loss ads from their feeds, our relationship with our bodies remains constantly challenged, to say the least.

The latest proof of this comes in the form of a new drug called Ozempic, which, once injected into someone, leads to an incredibly fast loss of weight. How? By triggering a chemical repugnance to food itself.

As aptly explained by The Guardian, “After being injected with Ozempic, a user could try to imagine a moist slab of black forest gateau, or a calorically-dense, half-pound Baconator bacon cheeseburger from Wendy’s, and their body physically revolts, with spasms of nausea and waves of ill feeling.”

What’s worse is that the highly controversial drug is not only popular among Hollywood’s A-listers—on TikTok, videos documenting Ozempic-assisted weight loss have already racked up hundreds of millions of views. Elsewhere online, speculations that the drug has been one of the major factors in the drastic body transformations of celebrities continue to run wild.

And if you believe what a number of musicians and actors told The Guardian—although none of them would go on record—speculations have now transformed into facts. Heck, even Technoking Elon Musk has publicly and unabashedly praised Ozempic in the past.

In the meantime, semaglutide (aka Ozempic/Rybelsus) appears to be effective in appetite control with minor side effects

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 24, 2022

Considering the shocking impact Ozempic has on someone’s appetite, it might come as a surprise to some that the drug is regularly advertised on TV, with commercials often featuring various characters who, having stabilised their blood sugar levels, are living healthy, happy lives. “Oh!” they repeatedly exclaim on camera as the soundtrack—which is obviously based on the melody of ‘Magic’ by Pilot—crescendos into a catchy but cringeworthy “Oh! Oh! Oh! Ozeeeeempic!” Don’t believe me? See for yourself:

But here’s the thing: Ozempic is being marketed as a diabetes medication, with the ad mentioning weight loss only as an afterthought. In the final recitation of precautions and potential side effects, the voiceover can be heard saying: “You may lose weight!” to which a chipper character responds, “Oh!”

Oh, indeed. Regardless of the fact that it’s originally gained traction in the medical community for its ability to lower blood sugar, doctors are now increasingly prescribing the drug off-label, purely for its effect in helping people lose weight.

According to data from the Mayo Clinic, studies found that patients combining weekly injections of Semaglutide—the active ingredient in Ozempic—with healthy lifestyle changes (such as eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly) resulted in weight loss of about 33.7 pounds (15 kilograms) in a 68-week period.

The drug’s sudden rise in popularity has led to a massive run on supplies globally. The worry is that the off-label use of Ozempic for weight loss is creating shortages for people who rely on the drug in treating type 2 diabetes.

While some supporters of the drug have been quick to deny a potential Semaglutide shortage, The Guardian highlighted the fact that federal agencies seem to disagree. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) noted that “intermittent supply disruptions” of certain quantities of Semaglutide injectables are attributable to a “demand increase for the drug.” Online, some doctors say the drug is on backorder through the end of the year.

In May 2022, Ozempic’s manufacturer Novo Nordisk reported difficulty in keeping up with its skyrocketing demand. More recently, it responded to the uptick in off-label prescribing by introducing a new, rebranded drug, called Wegovy: a chemically identical Semaglutide injection, offered at higher doses, targeted specifically for obesity and weight management. And already, Wegovy itself is in short supply.

In Australia, recommendations were made to physicians who were instructed to prioritise the drug’s use in the on-label treatment of type 2 diabetes. Australian authorities noted, “The shortage is significantly affecting people using Ozempic for its approved use.” You get the idea.

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Speaking to The Guardian, LA nutritionist Matt Mahowald, whose clients include Chris Pine, Mandy Moore, and Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, said some patients taking GLP-1s—the hormone which Semaglutide stimulates and regulates blood sugar levels—report being nauseated by the very prospect of food itself.

“They’re telling me that food is gross,” he told the publication. Doctor Daniel Ghiyam, whose “medical spa” in Ventura county, California, offers injections of Semaglutide among other treatments, echoed Mahowald’s claims. “Patients complain to me,” he said. “‘I go to my favourite restaurant and order a steak and I take four bites and I don’t want to finish it.’ They have to run to the bathroom if they eat too much.”

While both Ozempic and Wegovy name nausea and vomiting as among their most common side effects, it’s important to consider the possibility that these may not be side effects at all, but the very cause of the weight loss.

In many ways, this type of chemical repugnance-based drug can be compared to Naltrexone, an opioid antagonist prescribed to treat alcoholism, which “reduces the palatability of alcohol,” essentially making booze taste bad. While the antidepressant Wellbutrin has also been recognised for its off-label ability to make cigarettes taste disgusting, the main difference lies in the fact that food should not be subjected to the same repugnance on the road to healthy weight loss.