– Odds are if you've been on TikTok or Twitter as of late, you've seen this new drug,
Ozempic, be mentioned. I've actually seen Elon
Musk tweet about it. It's been covered in the New York Times. It's literally everywhere. So it's about time that we talk about the truth when it comes to Ozempic. For those who don't know,
Ozempic is a medication that's been FDA approved to be used in patients who have diabetes to help control blood sugar and as an added effect,
decrease the likelihood of major cardiovascular events and have increases in weight loss. Because of this added effect of weight loss, many people started using
the medication off-label for just weight loss. The pharmaceutical company decided to take the same generic medication found within Ozempic called
semaglutide, increase its dosage and repackage it under a
different brand name called Wegovy and seek FDA approval as
a weight loss medication to be used in conjunction
with lifestyle changes for individuals who are
either obese or overweight but also, who have one
weight-related diagnosis like hypertension, high
cholesterol, et cetera.
And after so many people started
getting Ozempic prescribed for this off-label use for
weight loss, it exploded in popularity mostly on
television and on TikTok, with people claiming that
they've lost huge amounts of weight, talking about their successes. And as a result of all this publicity, there was literally a run to doctors to prescribe this
medication for them off-label in order to help them
with their weight loss which unfortunately, ended
up creating a shortage which puts people at risk who desperately need the medication because they have a true
diagnosis of diabetes and are not using it for off-label uses. There is a huge rise of
misinformation happening at this very moment that
we have to fact check. (upbeat music) This claim is patently untrue and anyone saying this has
a terrible understanding of how Ozempic,
semaglutide, actually works. This medicine actually works
as an appetite suppressant that slows or delays gastric emptying, therefore you feel full and
you have less of an appetite. So it's more of an appetite
modulator, leading you to consume less calories,
therefore losing weight, not, "Oh, I can eat 10 pizzas and take this medication and
not absorb the calories." You see how there's a very
important difference here, because if you eat a lot of food and take this medication that slows your gastric emptying, it's gonna make you feel worse and you're gonna have more
side effects, more nausea, more vomiting, more potential
diarrhea and constipation.
People are actually talking about these side effects who are eating their normal portions or even eating reduced portions. So imagine if you were to
overeat, thinking you can while taking this medication, that's a cause for concern. (upbeat music) This claim is starting
to spiral out of control because it initially started with some simple observations that doctors made of their
patients who were losing weight on Ozempic or Wegovy and they were seeing that those patients were losing body fat but they were also
losing lean muscle mass. This is not surprising, because the way these medications work is by suppressing appetite, therefore having the patient
consume less calories. Anytime you're gonna be
consuming less calories, you will both lose
muscle mass and body fat.
This is obviously not ideal but with this type of medication,
that control is limited but we do have control. Any good doctor should
not be just prescribing this medication and
forgetting about the patient. A, you're supposed to be
getting the medication and having the doses
slowly increase, based on the effects and side
effects that we're seeing. Also, it should come with a plan for nutrition, possibly meeting with a nutritionist who
can help guide you as to how much protein you should
be taking in despite the fact that you're consuming less calories and a plan for exercise
that includes resistance and weight training to
help keep on some of that lean muscle mass.
(upbeat music) This is the one where I'm
seeing the most examples of on TikTok. Someone saying, "Oh, I took Ozempic for a wedding and I lost 10 pounds. Look how great I look." This is not what the
medicine was intended for. In fact, people who are already of a healthy weight, looking to get skinnier were not the ones that were studied when we
were checking the safety and effectiveness of this medication. So maybe, taking it while you're already at
a healthy weight can lead to worse side effects. And the worst part of all of it, once you stop taking it, the
weight will come right back. This type of yo-yo dieting
has been associated with numerous health
risks, including returning to your normal weight
and then going past it and gaining even more weight after you stop a medication like this. Anytime you have a rapid
type of weight loss, what can happen is you
lose the subcutaneous fat that's present in your
skin, especially if you're in your thirties or forties, and as a result, you can develop this hollowed-out
appearance to your face.
Now, if you're taking Ozempic or Wegovy the correct way,
this shouldn't be happening. My suspicion is the people
who are experiencing this quote-unquote, "Ozempic face," or this hollowed-out look are
individuals who are rushing to lose weight, using it in a way that is not being prescribed to them. Because when doctors prescribe
these medicines, they do it with a titration mindset,
meaning they start low and they slowly increase your dose while monitoring how much
weight you're losing, how many side effects you're experiencing. Ideally, what doctors are looking for is for a continued one to two
pound weight loss per week. Obviously, that varies depending on your own individual situation, but certainly not the
10, 15 pounds in one week that people are claiming they've
lost on these medications when they're using them in a non-prescribed, uncontrolled way. (upbeat music) I don't think GLP-1 medications should be first-line
treatments for those who need to lose weight. Anytime you're prescribing
a medication, there needs to be a risk/benefit ratio done for the individual sitting in front of you and ultimately, the individual needs to decide if the medication
is right for them.
And while these medications
have shown promise for individuals to lose 10 to 20% of their weight if they are overweight or obese, it's still
important to factor in that there are legitimate risks
to taking these medications. There are side effects. People have GI issues, nausea, vomiting diarrhea, constipation,
pancreatitis, kidney issues. There is a potential issue of increases in thyroid cancer long-term
with these medications. And these are not reasons
to not take the medicine. These are reasons to think
about this medicine as a tool in our arsenal, to help patients
reach their desired weight. And when we talk about
their desired weight, that talks about a healthy weight. To me, I feel like this whole
conversation has caused us to lose sight of the big picture.
With the exception of an individual who's facing
harsh socioeconomic standing, someone who has a
legitimate medical condition like diabetes or a thyroid condition among the many others that cause increased weight, weight loss or weight gain is under our control. There are things that we can do and I could recommend as a doctor to help someone lose weight when it comes to a nutrition standpoint, a fitness standpoint, sleep,
mental health, et cetera. When I think about my patient's health, I don't just think about their weight. Weight is not the sole
determinant of one's health. And when it comes to
improving someone's lifestyle, we're not only lowering the weight, we're also improving their
quality of life, decreasing risks of certain cancers, other diseases and ultimately, extending
and prolonging their lives.
That's what being a doctor is about, not just focusing on the scale. I actually had a patient
whose doctors said all of their symptoms were due to their weight and I actually found, that
wasn't the case at all. Click here to check that out and as always, stay happy and healthy. (upbeat music).