9 Concerns I Have With Ozempic for Weight Loss
Let’s talk about the hottest new weight loss drug out there…..Ozempic, and all it’s friends (Wegovy, Rybelsus, Trulicity, Mounjaro, etc).
First, my usual disclaimer: I am making broad strokes as this is social media and not individualized nutrition therapy. I cannot represent each lived experience, and as a result this content may not speak directly to your experience. This content is not medical advice and cannot replace the guidance of your health care provider.
Next, before I go through the list of 9 reasons why I have concerns with taking these drugs for weight loss, I completely understand why someone would choose to take them. I would never judge anyone who chooses to do so because the pressure from diet culture to look as thin as possible is REAL and for some, this might seem like their only option.
It is also important to note that I am coming from the perspective of helping folks with eating disorders and disordered eating heal their relationship with food and their bodies, so if your primary goal is weight loss and you already have a good relationship with food and your body, this blog might not be for you, so I invite you to keep scrolling the interwebs. 🙃
But first, what the heck even is Ozempic? And how does it work? (1)
The brand name drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Trulicity, and Mounjaro fall under the medication class of GLP-1 agonists, with the generic names of semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy), dulaglutide (Trulicity), and tirzepatide (Mounjaro). They are typically injectables and are given daily or once weekly.
Ozempic is currently the brand name that is most well known.
So then what is GLP-1? (3)
GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide 1) is a hormone that is released from the gut after a meal and helps to regulate blood sugar levels.
GLP-1 agonists were created to help folks with diabetes control blood sugar, and it works wonders for these patients.
Health providers and patients began to notice that they were also working well for weight loss, thus the idea of this new "miracle drug" for weight loss was born.
GLP-1’s assist with weight loss in 2 ways: (2)
They affect the hunger centers in the brain (specifically in the hypothalamus), reducing hunger, appetite and cravings.
They slow the rate of stomach emptying, effectively prolonging fullness and satiety after meals.
If you aren't hungry generally, and if you become full quickly upon eating, it only makes sense you will lose weight. (It is important to note that not ALL individuals experience weight loss upon taking these medications.)
Now, let’s get into those downsides…..
9 Concerns I Have With Ozempic for Weight Loss
1. There is no "magic pill" to become healthy.
….as much as we might want there to be one. And although yep, this drug can indeed help with weight loss, weight loss by itself will not automatically make someone healthier because weight is not a valid indicator of health. You can become skinny without actually becoming healthier.
2. The side effects can be a huge bummer.
Diarrhea, nausea, constipation, vomiting, fatigue, bloating, and stomach cramps are very common (up to 75% of folks experience these). There is also a slight increased risk of pancreatitis, hypoglycemia and thyroid cancer.
I have personally talked to many individuals taking these meds who constantly feel nauseous while eating food, or just around food in general, or have chronic indigestion or diarrhea. If you can no longer enjoy food or find eating generally uncomfortable, these side effects can greatly impact your quality of life.
3. You have to stay on it for the rest of your life.
…if you want to keep the weight off, that is.
If you decide to go off of the medication because the side effects suck and you hate not being able to enjoy food due to your loss of appetite and early satiety, you will more than likely gain the weight back quickly. And, there is also an increased chance you will end up weighing MORE after getting off the medication than when you started.
You must be prepared to give yourself a shot in your stomach or thigh or arm for the rest of your life and you must be prepared to tolerate whatever side effects you experience for the rest of your life if you want to keep the weight off.
4. It contributes to diet culture.
It perpetuates the idea that in order to be healthy, we must be thin, which simply isn’t true. It also perpetuates the idea that to be beautiful and happy and successful, we must be thin, which also simply isn’t true.
A person is beautiful and has value because of the simple fact that they exist.
And, you can’t tell the health of someone by looking at them.
5. It suppresses your appetite.
Although marketed as a positive benefit of the GLP-1’s, a loss of appetite ain't a good thing folks. A healthy and robust appetite indicates good health. A low appetite signifies that there is something wrong.
The risk here is that folks will not be able to eat enough for their bodies to thrive. So ok, you might be losing weight, but if you feel like crap and can't meet your nutrition requirements for optimal health, this isn't a good thing.
And nope, a pricey greens powder won't make up for the loss of nutrition from the inability to eat enough whole foods.
6. It offers an unrealistic “ideal body type”.
Many celebrities and influencers have started taking these drugs because they can afford them and the pressure to be skinny in the public eye is very demanding. This is a problem because these are the folks we see and look up to each and every day.
If we see the most “elite” members of our society looking skinny AF, this sets a very unrealistic and harmful precedent of what bodies are considered acceptable and valuable by society.
7. The demand has created a shortage of these drugs for those who really need them.
There is currently a shortage of GLP-1’s because of the intense demand generated (mainly) by social media (specifically TikTok) and celebrities. So people with diabetes may not be able to access these meds when they need them, which is a huge health concern.
8. They perpetuate our obsession with thinness.
In the US, we are absolutely and completely obsessed with finding the “miracle cure” for being at a higher weight than society deems acceptable (aka very skinny with the necessary thigh gap if you are a woman, or cut with a low body fat percentage if you are a male).
This is what every single new diet and weight loss medication claims to do and fails.
And because the evidence now shows that weight is NOT a good indicator of health, we are now prescribing these drugs for a "health condition" that isn't actually a “health condition” at all.
You can exist in a larger body and be perfectly happy and healthy, contrary to popular opinion.
9. The physical and cultural effects of these drugs will surely harm those with disordered eating and eating disorders.
If a person with an eating disorder (specifically anorexia) or disordered eating starts taking these medications, it will be easier to maintain those harmful eating disorder tendencies if hunger simply isn’t there.
The high risk of abuse of these readily-prescribed drugs could cause great harm to many, many people currently in, or not in, recovery.
Not to mention if a person’s eating disorder stems from the pressure to be thin, millions of people becoming thin seemingly overnight will only fan the flames of poor body image and eating disorders.
So to summarize, if you decide to take these medications for whatever personal reason you choose, and they work for you, I am genuinely happy for you. I fully support anything you need to do that helps you thrive.
And, just a friendly reminder that being in a thin body does not guarantee happiness and fulfillment. That is an inside job….one that a weight loss drug can never achieve.
References:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/expert-answers/byetta/faq-20057955#:~:text=These%20drugs%20mimic%20the%20action,for%20controlling%20type%202%20diabetes.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26371721/
https://diabetesjournals.org/diabetes/article/51/suppl_3/S434/13124/The-Multiple-Actions-of-GLP-1-on-the-Process-of
