WITH all the buzz around the so-called ‘miracle’ weight-loss jabs Ozempic, you could easily mistake it for a cure for all.
Although created to help manage type 2 diabetes the injections have now become a popular go-to solution for tackling obesity.
Lottie Moss has admitted to taking Ozempic[/caption]
It contains semaglutide, an ingredient that promotes weight loss by mimicking the actions of GLP-1, a hormone released in the gut after eating, which helps you feel full and satisfied.
Many celebrities, suddenly sporting more defined cheekbones and chiselled chins, swear by them to maintain their slim, glamorous appearance.
Some new studies even suggest the medicines, sometimes nicknamed “fat jabs” boost heart health, and ward off an early grave.
And ever newer research suggests they might help curb addictive habits like gambling, smoking, and drinking too much.
But, as with any drug, there is a flip side
The most common known side effects are nausea or an upset stomach, bloating and gas.
Users might also get a gaunt “Ozempic face” if rapid weight loss leads to volume loss in the cheeks, experts have warned.
Model Lottie Moss was rushed to hospital and suffered a seizure after she took high doses of Ozempic.
The 26-year-old sister of supermodel Kate has since warned others against using the weight loss jab that left her violently ill.
“This is a warning to everyone. Please, if you’re thinking of taking it, do not take it, it’s so not worth it,” she said.
The former Celebs Go Dating star opened up about the intense side effects she faced from the drug, including vomiting, looking pale, and a big drop in weight.
After she was rushed to A&E, Lottie had a seizure due to her dehydration, recalling the “horrible’”experience which saw her close friend hold down her feet as she contorted on the hospital floor.
“I didn’t know what was going on, my face was clenching up, my whole body was tense, my hands, it was so weird, your hands clench up and you can’t move them and it feels like you’re going to break your hand,” she said.
“It was honestly horrible.”
On her podcast, Dream On, she shared that she began at about 60 kilos, dropped to 57 kilos after her first dose, and hit a low of 53 kilos—just over eight stone.
While at the hospital, Lottie had a seizure on the floor.
She said: “I would rather die any day than take it again. It made me feel so nauseous.”
Here are some other celebs who opened up about taking weight-loss jabs:
1. Sharon Osbourne: “I felt nauseous the whole time”
In 2023, the Celebrity Big Brother star Sharon Osbourne admitted to using the drug in order to shed 42 pounds.
While speaking to Piers Morgan, the 71-year-old described some side effects of the drug.
She said: “At first, I mean, you feel nauseous.
“You don’t throw up physically, but you’ve got that feeling. It was about two, or three weeks where I felt nauseous the whole time.
“You get very thirsty and you don’t want to eat.
“That’s why I keep saying you’ve got to keep this stuff away from younger people because they will go berserk on it, and it’s not right.”
She also said that she no longer uses the drug, and added: “It’s just time to stop, I didn’t actually want to go this thin but it just happened.”
Reflecting further on her experience on Good Morning Britain in November 2023, Sharon confessed she “could do with putting on a few pounds” as she issued a warning about Ozempic.
Speaking to GMB hosts Ben Shephard and Kate Garraway she said: “I fear for teenagers, I’m scared for those aged 16 to 20 as it’s so easy to take it and think ‘I can eat what I want’.
“It needs to be in the hands of only people who totally understand it.”
2. Elon Musk: Smelly burps
Elon Musk has credited fat jabs for helping him achieve a “fit, ripped, and healthy” physique.
The 53-year-old CEO of Tesla and X, formally Twitter, revealed that he lost nearly 30 pounds (13.6 kg) while taking the medication.
His journey began last November when a fan on X asked about his trim new figure.
Elon initially said it was due to “fasting,” then added, “and Wegovy” along with having “no tasty food near [him]”.
Wegovy, like Ozempic, contains semaglutide and works by suppressing hunger, helping to reduce appetite.
He claimed to have been motivated to lose weight after seeing unflattering photos of himself on a yacht.
However, he also addressed a rather vile side effect.
When someone asked if the drug caused “nasty burps” that tasted “like rotten eggs,” he responded, “Yeah, next-level”.
3. Stephen Fry: “I was throwing up four, five times a day”
Stephen Fry has previously shared his harrowing experience with Ozempic.
He said the “fat jab” caused him to vomit up to five times a day.
The 66-year-old QI presenter admitted that he was an “early adopter” of the jab and was initially thrilled that Ozempic curbed all his food and alcohol cravings.
But he had to stop the injections after becoming violently ill.
“I was throwing up four, five times a day and I thought, ‘I can’t do this.’ So that’s it,” the TV star recently admitted.
“The new variant Tirzepatide Mounjaro it’s called makes it even worse apparently,” the Mirror reports.
4. Boris Johnson: Vomiting
The former British prime minister also gave the jabs a shot.
Boris Johnson admitted the drug after it worked wonders for a colleague.
“Effortlessly, I pushed aside the puddings and the second helpings. I must have been losing four or five pounds a week – maybe more,” he wrote his collum for the Daily Mail.
However, it wasn’t long until Boris started to “dread” the injections because they were making him feel unwell.
“One minute I would be fine, and the next minute I would be talking to Ralph on the big white phone; and I am afraid that I decided that I couldn’t go on,” he explained.
For now, he is “back to exercise and willpower”.
5. Amy Schumer: “I couldn’t play with my son”
In 2023, Amy Schumer confirmed that she had tried Ozempic “about a year ago” but stopped shortly after due to the side effects.
“I was one of the people that felt like sick, I couldn’t like play with my son,” she said during an episode of Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
Despite seeing results, the American actor and stand-up comedian said it wasn’t worth it.
“You’re like, ‘OK, this isn’t livable for me,’ but I immediately invested because I’m like, ‘Everyone and their mom is going to try it,’” she said.
The comedian also encouraged other celebrities to be more honest if they are using Ozempic or similar medications.
“Everybody (is) lying, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, smaller portions,’ like shut the f— up, you’re on Ozempic or one of those things,” she said. “Just be real with the people.”
THE FULL LIST OF CELEBRITIES WHO HAVE ADMITTED TO TAKING OZEMPIC
As weight-loss drugs gained popularity this year, the public has speculated about which celebrities are using Ozempic.
Here are the celebrities who’ve admitted to taking the drug:
- Lottie Moss
- Kelly Clarkson
- Tracy Morgan
- Stephen Fry
- Boris Johnson
- Jeremy Clarkson
- Rebel Wilson
- Amy Schumer
- Oprah Winfrey
- Elon Musk
- Sharon Osbourne
- Robbie Williams
- Remi Bader
- Heather Gay
- Chelsea Handler
- Claudia Oshry
- Patti Stanger
- Emily Simpson
- Dolores Catania
- Lauren Manzo
- Golnesa ‘GG’ Gharachedaghi
- Charles Barkley
- Billie Jean King
6. Remi Bader: Came off it and binging got worse
US TikTok star Remi Bader was pre-diabetic when she was told to take Ozempic in 2020.
“They said I need this. And I had a lot of mixed feelings,” the now 28-year-old told podcast host Amanda Hirsch on an episode of Skinny Not Skinny Not Fat.
“A few months later, I went off it and got into the bad binging.”
“It was making me think I wasn’t hungry for so long, I lost some weight,” she explained.
“I was like, I bet the second I got off I’m going get starving again. I did, and my binging got so much worse.”
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS JABS
What are they?
Weight loss jabs are a hot media topic at the moment, with hundreds of success stories sharing how they helped them shed the pounds.
In March, the NHS announced it would make Wegovy, a drug made by Danish firm Novo Nordisk, available on prescription to thousands of obese Brits.
It contains the drug semaglutide, which is said to have helped reality star Kim Kardashian and Twitter boss Elon Musk lose weight.
Wegovy, which helped a third of people reduce their weight by 20 per cent in trials, will also be available from pharmacies like Boots.
Meanwhile, pharma company Eli Lilly last month announced results for its own weight loss drug tirzepatide.
The weekly injection helped overweight people drop more than two stone in 18 months.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less calories and therefore lose weight.
To do this, an ingredient found in the fat-busting drug, known as Semaglutide, mimics the role of a natural hormone, called GLP-1.
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.
London GP and founder of wellgoodwellbeing.com, Dr Zoe Watson, said: “Your body naturally produces an appetite regulating hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1.
“These jabs work by regulating your appetite, which can lead to eating fewer calories and losing weight.”
Aren’t they diabetes drugs?
Both Wegovy and tirzepatide stem from drugs originally designed to treat diabetes.
Semaglutide, the active drug in Wegovy, was originally sold under the name Ozempic specifically for diabetes patients.
But they started noticing it helped suppress their appetites, stopping them eating as much and helping them shed the pounds.
So Novo Nordisk developed Wegovy, which contains the same chemical but at higher doses specifically to aid weight loss.
Wegovy is not prescribed for diabetes patients.
Tirzepatide is sold under the name Mounjaro for diabetes.
Can I get them?
Wegovy is offered on prescription to obese adults given specialist weight loss treatment.
The NHS currently also offers a similar drug called Saxenda, or liraglutide.
Both are only available on Tier 3 and Tier 4 weight management services, which means you have to be referred to weight management clinics led by experts.
GPs can’t prescribe them on their own either, Dr Watson said.
The jabs have to be taken as part of an overall programme to help with lifestyle changes and psychological support to get the best effect from the medication prescribed.
But despite being approved for use, the supply of Wegovy on the NHS has been postponed indefinitely because of a surge in worldwide demand.
Supply was also halved in the US because of the skyrocketing demand.
Eli Lilly said it will apply for a UK licence for tirzepatide soon, which could make it available to the NHS.
Are there any risks?
Like all medicines, the jabs do not come without side effects.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, thyroid tumours, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
