In the past few months, the new diabetes medication, Ozempic, has been gaining quite a bit of attention. Celebrities, TikTok influencers, and even Elon Musk have described taking it to lose weight in short time frames.
The drug was originally approved as an injectable substance to treat diabetes in 2017, and then later went on to be approved to treat obesity in 2021, sold under the brand name Wegovy. Since then, the drug has been making the rounds on the internet.
Tech mogul Elon Musk even reported taking the drug on Twitter when asked how he looked so “fit, ripped, and healthy”. On TikTok, the hashtag #Ozempic has been viewed over 280 million times, with people sharing their experiences and shock about their sudden weight loss.
Although proven to aid weight loss and help maintain weight, experts warn those who aren’t diabetic or obese not to use the medication specifically for those reasons. The reason behind the warning is simple. In the same way that if you take medication to manage your cholesterol, once you stop taking the medication, your cholesterol will go back up again. The same can be applied to weight-loss medication.
At the end of the day, taking medication to lose weight is never the answer. The best approach to meeting your ideal weight will always be to try to maintain a balanced lifestyle that suits your specific needs and desires.
