Dangers of taking Ozempic to prepare 'beach body' revealed

Tis the season for emergency room visits after inappropriately using Ozempic for weight loss over the summer.

“Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy should only be used by people who are prescribed them for obesity or diabetes,” Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, the country’s public health system, insisted this week last at a conference in Manchester.

“I worry about reports that people are overusing them – they are not intended to be a quick fix for people trying to prepare their bodies for the beach,” Powis added, according to the Times of London.

Do not use Ozempic or Wegovy to obtain "beach body ready," Stephen Powis – the national medical director of NHS England, the state-funded health system – implored at a conference in Manchester last week. — Don’t use Ozempic or Wegovy to prepare your body for the beach, implored Stephen Powis – the national medical director of NHS England, the country’s state-funded health system – at a conference in Manchester last week . Natalia – stock.adobe.com

Semaglutide – sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy – mimics GLP-1, the hormone the body produces naturally after eating. Users feel fuller for longer.

In a July 2023 survey, 4% of American adults admitted to using a prescription medication for weight loss, while one in ten admitted to stopping taking this type of medication.

"Medications like Ozempic and Wegovy should only be used by people who have been prescribed them for obesity or diabetes," Powis said. — “Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy should only be used by people who are prescribed them for obesity or diabetes,” Powis said. Mr. Skin/peopleimages.com – stock.adobe.com

A doctor has warned that “young, beautiful girls” are landing in UK emergency rooms “almost every shift” after lying about their weight when buying Ozempic online.

Most of these retailers do not require an in-person exam, noted medical experts, who warned of the dangerous potential side effects of obtaining Ozempic illegitimately.

“Unfortunately, we are seeing serious, life-threatening complications, including inflammation of the pancreas and alterations in blood salt levels in these patients, who were not aware of the risk they were taking,” said Dr Vicky Price, consultant in acute medicine. and president-elect of the Society for Acute Medicine.

“There is an urgent need to regulate and control access to weight loss drugs online to prevent more patients from falling ill,” Price continued.

In one case, a girl who was “not at all” overweight, but was able to purchase Wegovy online, arrived at the emergency room.

She “didn’t feel well, like she was going to faint and couldn’t get up. She had a really hard time eating,” a doctor described.

She was treated for starvation ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition in which the body breaks down muscle to use as fuel after running out of fat.