Women with ‘Ozempic face’ from rapid weight loss are getting fillers


So it turns out women are getting the effects of buccal fat removal without actually undergoing the procedure. Ozempic, the diabetes injection that many are using off-label to lose weight, is causing women to lose so much weight that their faces become gaunt. And so they’re turning to facial fillers to counteract the weight loss. Well that’s a bit circular, isn’t it — doing something and then doing something else to undo the side effects of the first thing.

Medications intended for type 2 diabetes and clinical obesity — like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro — are trending on social media as drugs for quick weight loss.

However, some have reported the drugs cause an aged appearance, a side effect that is dubbed “Ozempic face.” One of those people is Jennifer Berger, who told The New York Times that she used Mounjaro (tirzepatide) to lose weight following her pregnancy.

Mounjaro, at higher doses, has been proven to be highly effective for weight loss similar to Wegovy.

Berger explained that although using the drug — taken weekly by injection in the thigh, stomach or arm — allowed her to lose 20 lbs. and she loved her results, the 41-year-old said her face started to look very gaunt.

“I remember looking in the mirror, and it was almost like I didn’t even recognize myself,” she told the outlet. “My body looked great, but my face looked exhausted and old.”

Dr. Oren Tepper, a New York-based plastic surgeon, explained to the Times that it’s common for weight loss to deflate key areas of the face, which can result in a person looking more aged.

“When it comes to facial aging, fat is typically more friend than foe,” he said. “Weight loss may turn back your biological age, but it tends to turn your facial clock forward.”

Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, a dermatologist in New York, coined the term “Ozempic face” to describe this side effect, noting that it’s typically people in their 40s or 50s who are concerned about the sagging that occurs as a result of the weight loss in their face.

“I see it every day in my office,” Frank said. “A 50-year-old patient will come in, and suddenly, she’s super-skinny and needs filler, which she never needed before. I look at her and say, ‘How long have you been on Ozempic?’ And I’m right 100 percent of the time. It’s the drug of choice these days for the 1 percent.”

[From People]

Honestly, this sounds exhausting and also, of course this is what’s happening. I think someone even predicted it on my buccal fat story. It sounds like all the people cited in these stories are using these drugs to lose dramatic amounts of weight in a short period of time, so much so that it’s pulling fat from their faces. The phrase “it tends to turn your facial clock forward” really paints a picture for the effects. But also, I don’t necessarily agree with the statement that weight loss may turn back your biological age. In this context — just injecting an unnecessary drug instead of physical movement and healthy eating — I don’t really think that’s true. Who was it that said as you get older you have to choose between your ass and your face? That’s incredibly reductive, but if you agree with the premise it’s pretty obvious that face is the correct choice because at least you cover you butt in everyday life. There’s no hiding a sunken face and that’s why people are resorting to unnecessary filler injections after the unnecessary weight loss drug injections. Oh well, at least this is reversible, unlike buccal fat removal. All this effort to look a certain way and it causes a more aged-appearance, which is exactly what people don’t want.


Photos credit: Restylane USA and Dr Cat on Instagram and Lucas Guimarães Bueno on Pexels

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88 Responses to “Women with ‘Ozempic face’ from rapid weight loss are getting fillers”

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  1. teehee says:

    Uhm… that looks over filled in those pics…. WHY people just LEAVE things ALONE…. you gonna be 75 one day (with luck) so just let it go (I will struggle too by then, but what am I gonna do?!?)

    • Chaine says:

      They have the patient’s face photographed at odd angles too, which must be to disguise how unnatural her fillers look?

    • Normades says:

      Agreed it looks like her skin is stretched out at every angle. Really not a good look.

  2. Lurker25 says:

    “the drug of choice for the 1 percent”
    😡
    Eat the rich.
    I mean
    Tax. TAX.
    We need 1950s tax rates.
    Everything wrong with the world IS the fault of the 1%. I will die on this hill.

    • Erin says:

      I will die with you and throw in capitalism as well.

    • Chanteloup says:

      I’m right there with ya because we’re already dying. From persecution of minorities, starvation, climate change, lack of medical care … the list goes on and on

    • salmonpuff says:

      Amen.

    • Soporificat says:

      Couldn’t agree more. It’s gotten beyond ridiculous and embarrassing, and it’s pretty much ruining everything

      Also, it’s clearly not good for the rich people, either, because they are obviously out of control and hurting themselves, too, with dumb ass stuff like this.

    • The Recluse says:

      Yep, bring back the Eisenhower rates: 95% for everyone making over a certain amount, aim it at corporations and rich people together.
      Those tax dollars would fun a new golden age.

    • Aunt Augusta says:

      Yes.

      ‘In 1966 The Beatles released their song Taxman as a protest against the 95% “supertax” rate introduced by Harold Wilson’s Labour government, which the band had to pay.’

      https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26327114

    • Abbie says:

      The rich 1% pay for drugs and surgery to stay thin while the poor around the world starve and dream of living long enough to get old.
      Welcome to capitalism.

  3. Myeh says:

    I’m still waiting on the delayed news coverage from faster weight loss leads to gall bladder attacks and ER visits.

    • NG_76 says:

      I lost weight super fast a few years ago and ended up in the hospital with a gallbladder attack which caused me to become jaundiced and caused pancreatitis. It was probably the most painful thing I had been through and I had to have my gallbladder removed as my doctors did not want this happen again.

    • lucy2 says:

      I know several people who have had weight loss surgery, and every single one of them had to have their gall bladder removed later.

      I’m really sad for the woman who turned to this after her pregnancy. You’re supposed to gain weight with pregnancy, and there shouldn’t be this incredible pressure to immediately lose it afterwards. Our society is pretty f’ed up.

  4. Anna says:

    We should loose weight not faster than 0,5 per week. I get it, it’s slow and may be discouraging when you work out and eat healthy and don’t see immediate results but damn, to use diabetes medicines for weight loss is really a sigh of out idiotic times.

    I worked as a pharmacist and those are the kind of patients who question every drug prescribed by legitimate doctor for a legitimate disease, will cure pneumonia with onion syrup and will buy half of pharmacy supplements as long as the manufacturer slapped “organic/natural/vegan/99% more glow” on the packaging and then use diabetes medicine instead of working out. I hate this. Medicines are for disease. If you cannot loose weight, go to your doctor, do the test, find out why and listen to doctor’s recommendations. Because they might inject stuff in their faces all they and but the burden of treating any complications, which can be serious (messing with blood sugar levels is dangerous) will be on taxpayers and national health systems (in EU).

    • agirlandherdogs says:

      Not to mention, this misuse of a drug, which is medically necessary for millions of people, is causing a shortage, so the people who actually NEED medication to control their diabetes can’t get it. I’m not sure if I’m more disgusted by the people who take it for cosmetic weight loss or the doctors who prescribe it to them.

      • Anna says:

        This is actually called drug abuse and should be reported as per drug safety regulations…

        I am just surprised doctors prescribing it with no indication aren’t afraid that sth will happen to the patient, that they could be reckless with the medication and there would be legal consequences

  5. Mabs A'Mabbin says:

    I’m fine with gaunt.

  6. DeltaJuliet says:

    Good lord. I guess I’ll sit here with my extra 20 pounds and just try to be happy with myself. This all sounds exhausting. I’m almost glad I can’t afford it.

    • Skyblue says:

      I’m going to recommend everyone check out either The Obesity Code or The Diabetes Code by Dr Jason Fung. Absolutely fascinating and honestly the first information and recommendations that have made any sense to me related to prediabetes/diabetes and regulating hormones through fasting and diet.

  7. HeyKay says:

    Lurker 25, agree with your post.

    Tax the Rich. Fix the true problems.
    Shallow people with more money than brains, all about me, me,

  8. Chantal says:

    My sister was just telling me about this and she said that diabetics who need these drugs can’t get them bc of price, shortage due to demand, or both. Not to mention the probable side effects that taking a drug for a medical disease you don’t have will do to your organs. Many diabetic drugs tout possible weight loss in their ads. I guess Ozempic is the new cocaine as the weight loss drug of choice for the rich…

  9. blue says:

    Someone said long ago, “After a certain age, I had to choose between my face and my ass.” It’s true. Catherine Deneuve & Candace Bergen chose their faces & look great.

    • Molly says:

      Yes! I was just coming to invoke that quote myself!

    • AnneL says:

      I chose my face. One of my cousins chose her ass and now she looks so gaunt. She’s a very pretty woman who was petite but had a biggish behind, and she was obsessed with getting rid of it. She looked so much better before! And yes, she has a lot of money.

    • The Recluse says:

      Yep, Deneuve said it: Once you reach a certain age you have to choose between your face and your figure. Choose wisely.

  10. Emmi says:

    So your body just made a whole human and you reward it by having a drug injected that – shock and horror – has side effects and doesn’t deliver the results you wanted without f*cking up another part of your body. That seems healthy and like a great idea.

    I’m so over it. Where are my cookies ….

  11. ariel says:

    We all have insecurities and fears- and i don’t mean to minimize. But for the love of god- stop looking in the mirror all day and look at the world. There is so much more going on than your weight and the shape of your face.

    Of course, fillers are creepy, as is a lot of plastic surgery- though some people have some really good work. Absolutely, if something has always bothered you- and you have means and you do research and due diligence- nothing wrong with that.

    Additionally, aging is a gift. The only way to stop it is death.

    • Scurryalongnow says:

      As someone who gets Botox and fillers I totally agree actually. Its worth it for me, I’ve had a very pronounced set of wrinkles on my forehead since I was 16 (I’m 39 now) that I’ve always hated and I love the Botox effect. After my kiddos I started getting a small amount of filler in my tear trough that took years off, and that’s about it, but it’s an expense and I actually don’t think I’ll be continuing anymore, just isn’t worth the money (apparently I metabolize or whatever the fillers pretty fast, so instead of 7-9 months mine are dissolved by 3). Quite honestly the best thing I ever did for my skin was microneedling. Resurfaced everything, scarring from cystic acne reduced beyond anything I knew possible, also reduced emerging wrinkles and plumped me up quite nicely. That combined with really good skin care products and the right sunscreen and a lot of youth can be restored. The whole goal, in my opinion, is to look like nothing has happened. I can still raise my eyebrows, and I just look more rested. I’ll never understand the trend of looking swollen and puckered, it feels like the exact opposite of what cosmetic procedures are intended for. Like if someone can point out your procedures hasn’t that now sent you from looking youthful to looking worked on?

  12. Normades says:

    JFC these people have the time and money to get a trainer, a nutritionist, eat well and work out. These drugs are really for people who just want to be magically thin and do zero work for it.

    • Normades says:

      To be clear I’m talking about the 1%ers who are not overweight per se but just want to be Hollywood thin.

  13. Summer says:

    The thing that most stands out to me about these stories is how unethical and irresponsible it is for doctors to prescribe drugs like Ozempic this way. I read a thing yesterday about how Chelsea Handler was on Ozempic without knowing it (the doctor used the drug name, semaglutide, not the brand name, Ozempic). Her doctor had put her on it to lose five pounds!! Five pounds!! She went off when she realized what it was. Shockingly irresponsible.

    • Josephine says:

      So she just took a drug and didn’t ask questions or know anything about it? Sorry, but if my doctor is prescribing any drug I ask questions, and if she were to tell me it was for weight loss, I would ask even more questions since past weight loss drugs have been so problematic. I don’t buy Chelsea’s story at all.

      • Summer says:

        @Josephine, Obviously I agree with you. Who doesn’t ask questions when being prescribed something, and a drug prescribed for weight loss sounds particularly sketchy. However, I’m still mostly stunned by the doctor’s ethics on this one. I don’t know what the definition of malpractice is, but this type of behaviour seems to edge close?

    • Barb Mill says:

      I’m on a Weight Watchers and lots of people on a group I’m on are taking this. Apparently you can go to some website, fill out a form, pay for the consultation and get a prescription. Most of these people have coupons for a monthly prescription for Ozempic for $25 per month. Some are pre-diabetic and get a prescription from their doctor. It’s hard for me to keep from judging these people because I know most the them have been overweight and yo-yo dieted for most since they were teens. I lost a little over 50 lbs in about 18 months following the program and have kept it off for 5 years, but it doesn’t really matter if you lose fast or slow when you lose that much your face wrinkles will be very apparent and you will look older. I feel really bad about diabetics not getting what they need. Diabetic prescriptions in the US are already to expensive for lots of people.

  14. Mood:Gudetama says:

    Called it! How about people start trying to be a little accepting of themselves and their natural beauty instead of changing every da*n thing they can?
    We all know that is not the root cause of the problem and for all the surgeries and fillers/botox, they’re always going to find something in the mirror to be unhappy about. Nothing will ever be enough

    • Mabs A'Mabbin says:

      Diet and exercise is simply too much work. Everyone wants quick fixes. There are consequences.

  15. ElleE says:

    Guys, the gov’t decided that it’s preferable to have pre-diabetic Americans with high BMI’s and high blood pressure to lose weight before they actually become diabetic.

    Wegovy, a synthetic hormone that regulates insulin production, is really working for me. Again, this is FDA approved. I was fit energetic and honestly think I never looked better than I did after 44 when I had my last child but, you hit 50 and weight only goes in one direction.

    I’ve been frustrated for years and embarrassed to see clients that haven’t seen me since my weight gain and I haven’t made an in person meeting appointment since December 2021.

    This hormone must not be made by my body naturally, because it’s actually working.

    A lot of people take it don’t respond at all because they probably have plenty of the hormone already (must be heartbreaking). The clinical trial data is on Wegovy.com

    Patients that don’t make the hormone at all are “hyper responders” and they end up losing so much weight that the weight loss itself becomes a medical issue and they have to titrate back on their dose.

    Novo Nordisc website states that they will be able to keep up production in 2023 with the patients that are newly approved to take their drugs.

    I can’t understand women that are taking the drug to lose 10 pounds or so because the side effects are real! At 60 pounds overweight, I’m finally feeling hope.

    • Mle428 says:

      I’m starting Ozempic for type II diabetes and am kind of nervous about it. I have high blood sugar, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure, but I’m not at a high enough BMI for my insurance to cover it, so I’ll have to order it from Canada. It’s super frustrating that my insurance won’t cover it even with all my risk factors. I’ve been steadily gaining weight due to insulin resistance. 20lbs in the last 2 years.

    • Old_Crone says:

      I’m on ozempic for type2 diabetes and still have to work hard to lose weight. There are other diabetes drugs that made me lose weight much faster like jardiance. But constant yeast infections and uti’s were not worth it.

    • TOM says:

      A lot of people criticizing what they don’t understand.

      A family member is on medically-supervised Ozempic for weight loss. She has high blood pressure and fatty liver. Her doctor is a specialist at a large SoCal university hospital. In other words: it’s legit.

      Please know that you do not have her medical history. Never assume you know why someone is fat because you don’t.

      Her doctor would prefer to put her on Wegovy. Apparently it is more effective? Wegovy is in such short supply here that it’s almost impossible to obtain.

      Ozempic is difficult to obtain here but not impossible. You get on a wait list at the pharmacy each month. My family member should be on a larger weekly dose but that IS virtually unobtainable. So, doc will increase dose when possible.

      She is not losing quickly. From August to now, she has lost 28 pounds. She says that Ozempic levels the playing field.

      • Josephine says:

        “A lot of people criticizing what they don’t understand.” — I think people are criticizing people who take the drug off label because they want to lose 5-10 pounds so they can be underweight. I don’t think anyone is criticizing people who are severly overweight and at a risk of diabetes or who actually have diabetes.

      • Emmi says:

        What? No, people are saying that it’s a terrible idea to take it for vanity reasons and to go from a normal weight to thin with these drugs.

        Also, this sounds like the new weight loss surgery. It comes with risks but people with severe health issues do it because it’s better than the alternative. I’m not a doctor so if this is fine medically, I’m not qualified to judge. I do wonder if you can take this long term. Because even people who have had surgery can gain weight back once they go back to their former lifestyle. So if you stop taking these drugs, what happens?

    • Betsy says:

      I’m kind of in your boat. I can lose weight when I’m pregnant, end of list. My doctor has talked to me about possibly using something prescription to actually lose weight. I am significantly overweight and have been for a long time and diet and exercise don’t move my weight. As I do not have diabetes, it would just be a weight loss drug for me, but gee I’d sure like to lose that hundred pounds.

    • FeatherDuk says:

      My mom just started taking it, she started at 36%BMI, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, extremely low energy. People don’t understand that once you reach middle to late middle age, your body changes. It’s like a second puberty. The visceral fat that naturally grows after hormone production slows causes a horrible spiral of weight gain and dysregulated hormone production. Anyway, she is getting more energy now, and it’s helping her make healthier food choices, her lab work is improving. She did worry at the beginning about eventually getting a saggy face, but there’s always a trade off. Energy, and health saggy face. I prefer my mom get healthy and continue to live.

    • OriginalLaLa says:

      I’m on ozempic because it’s used off-label for women with PCOS to help with insulin resistance. All my numbers on blood tests have improved since I started taking it (insulin, A1C, FSH/LH etc) I’ve lost weight but it’s not a drug that should be prescribed for funsies or to lose a little weight, it’s a necessary drug to help some of us!

    • Kebbie says:

      I don’t think anyone here is criticizing it to treat pre-diabetes or when you’ve got other complications from your weight like high blood pressure. It annoys people that otherwise young and healthy people with a normal BMI are taking it so they can get closer to an underweight BMI. They seem to be prescribing it to people in Hollywood for no reason at all. It creates a shortage for people like you that actually have a medical reason for it.

    • JustVisiting says:

      Enjoy your thyroid and pancreatic cancer, I guess?

  16. Tee says:

    This is the same thing Lainey calls “LA face”, when you have to choose between guide body and your face.

    Very recently unused to work for an MD who prescribed these for her diabetic patients and those who either only had insulin resistance or just wanted to lose weight. The manufacturer is still having difficulty keeping up with the demand; the shortages last year were ridiculous. But one major district manager/VP got fired for screwing up the Wegovy (the one purely for weight loss) production just as it launched which caused a major backorder. A quarter of my work was getting these injections approved

  17. Thelma says:

    I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic. I lost 50 pounds using Noom and walking using videos. I’ve kept it off for 18 months. Wasn’t easy but I feel good. I definitely didn’t want to go on diabetic medication so I was motivated. A friend went on Ozempic for diabetes and is now dealing with serious cataract issues that she was told was a side effect. If they hadn’t caught it her sight would have been irreversibly compromised. So side effects of all these drugs cannot be minimized.

    • Bellah says:

      @Thelma, how long did it take you to lose the 50lbs?

      My hubby just passed the pre-diabetic cusp and we’re researching medication options for optimal benefits with fewest side effects to get him back down to pre-diabetic levels.

      • Thelma says:

        Bellah: it took me 14 months. I did a diabetes education program, which was helpful. I really have a sweet tooth and love to bake so that was the biggest shift and challenge.

      • Bellah says:

        Thanks @Thelma for your response

    • Roast says:

      I’d LOVE to see a commentary on possible side effects of these drugs. Cataracts??? I don’t think I’d risk my eyesight for the possibility of rapid weight loss.

      • Betsy says:

        Not to say that it doesn’t cause that, but from a quick poke around the internet it seems to worsen eye problems if you already had eye problems and diabetes is notorious for causing eye problems, especially if your blood sugar is consistently high.

  18. Kebbie says:

    I know a few people who had bariatric surgery and every one of them lost a bunch of weight and aged their faces probably 15 years. Half of them gained the weight back eventually but still look older.

    I’m guessing Ozempic will be the same, maybe to a lesser degree of weight loss but with actual side effects when taken without medical necessity.

    It sounds like a great medication for people that are diabetic, pre-diabetic or obese though and I hope they can find affordable access.

  19. Laura says:

    “Just eat healthy and exercise”
    Yeah, no.
    I am not from USA, in fact I am from what you would call “a third world country”, and I can’t believe all theses news and comments blaming people for wanting to lose weight when you should be blaming your terrible health care system. It took me several years and especialized health care until onde doctor finally said: you have a disease. Just as you wouldn’t judge a cancer patient for taking medication, don’t judge yourself for needing medication for weight loss. I felt like a failure and ashamed of myself because what kind of person can’t simply eat well and exercise enough? But:
    1. It is absolutely NOT just eat healthy and exercise. I am obese and pre-diabetic. I have tried every single diet and I never loose more then 3 kg, more often then not I actually gained weight while on diets.
    2. Needing medication for weight loss is no more wrong and shameful than needing medication for other diseases.
    3. My so called third world country gives me several options for weight loss medication without compromising diabetic people. I am fortune to be able to pay for Ozempic without using my free health care system and my using it does not make an impact on other users because guess what??? Every citizen has the right to medication.
    Stop blaming people for wanting to loose weight and needing help for it. This type of narrative is hurtful and it actually makes people who need medication delay or avoid treatment.
    Start blaming your government for not providing basic need items for everyone.

    • TOM says:

      I love every word of this. Thanks for your perspective, Laura.

    • Hippityhoppity says:

      This!! Exactly. Well said, Laura!

    • Ginger says:

      I wish this comment could be pinned.

    • Kitten says:

      I mean, the American healthcare system is absolute garbage but that’s not the root cause of the widespread obesity in our country. Subsidized crops, food deserts and yes, too much food and too little exercise ARE the driving factors. That doesn’t mean overweight people seeking help through medication should be shamed, but throwing meds at the problem is just another bandaid that doesn’t address what brought our country to this point AT ALL.

      • Betsy says:

        It’s part of it. Early and appropriate access to good medical care, preventative care, would catch a ton of medical problems in their nascency and some of them, like pre-diabetes, can be turned around. Our total shambles of a medical system is 100% part and parcel of the obesity crisis.

        Especially when you overlay doctors approving the removal of dietary fat from our diets with a chart of when Americans got fatter. High carb, high sugar diets lit fires in millions of people with genetic susceptibility to weight gain and metabolic disorders but doctors tended to say anything was good so long as it was low fat.

    • JustVisiting says:

      This drug literally causes cancer tho.

  20. Erin says:

    I have to say I think these people probably over do it. I did one round of semaglutide in addition to exercising and a change in eating. I had already lost 15lbs and this helped me get the last 10lb I was really struggling to lose to be at a healthy weight. And this face thing didn’t happen to me at all. Just happy healthy and more active.

  21. Jaded says:

    The Kardashianization of women continues. It’s a crime against female humanity.

    • ElleE says:

      PSA:
      Anyone getting Ozempic / semaglutide from a med spa doctor is getting the drug from a compounding pharmacy, not the drug manufacturer. I suspect “lose 15 lbs” ppl are not under the care of a PCP.

      So if you are going back to the med spa for weekly shots from a vial, ask questions because efficacy & side effects from compounded product are different than the marketed hormone.

      Wegovy is like an epipen and has the brand name right on it. Not used at med spas.

      As for gaining the weight back, some people from the clinical trials will take a lifetime weekly dose of .25 (down from 2.7?) just like people do for cholesterol. some ppl continued to lose weight on the lowest dose so they had to be taken off of it , and I don’t know what’s going on there. All on the novo nordisk website.

      Best of luck to anyone who is struggling.

  22. teecee says:

    People SAY they’re only criticizing those who take this drug to lose 10-15 pounds to become super skinny, not the ones who are doing it for medically-advised weight loss, but I don’t think that’s true. The “skinny celeb” angle is camouflage to have a go at fat people, AKA the internet’s favorite pastime. The “skinny celeb” percentage of users is very very small, and is not what’s causing any of the shortages. Take a look at how many people are obese and have tried everything to lose weight, see the positive results some have had with the drug, and it becomes obvious why it’s so hard to get now. The manufacturers are adjusting production and hopefully the shortages will be corrected soon. What I dread is what happens when greedy drug companies raise the price, and YET AGAIN the internet goes after people who are struggling to lose weight for medical reasons, inevitably leading some of them to stop trying out of shame. STOP IT. Leave fat people alone FOR ONCE.

    • Betsy says:

      Yep. I have read people absolutely losing their marbles that fat people might be able to lose weight and be thin. It makes a certain segment of the internet irate that a drug might help people eat better and lose weight because for one thing it suggests that some degree of obesity has always been out of people’s control and for another, who are they going to beat up on as lazy, irresponsible people?

      Maybe we’ll have to move on to worrying about the skinny fat people who present far worse health problems as they look thin but are metabolically very unhealthy.

  23. one of the marys says:

    When I read these kinds of articles I feel like we’re in the capital of The Hunger Games while people all over the globe are struggling with food, housing, crime, education, health care, reproductive health care etc etc Boggles my mind

    • Kitten says:

      “All over the world”. No, it’s actually happening in your backyard. If you don’t think that Americans are struggling with everything you just described, then you must not live here because the quality of life is pretty fucking shitty compared to most western countries.

      • one of the marys says:

        I’m in Canada actually and there are problems here too of course. But when I hear about people using a diabetes medication to *lose weight* there’s a cognitive dissonance that’s shocking.

  24. Colleen says:

    I’m on Ozempic for diabetes and the people using it for weight loss quick fix (not say, doctor-supervised weight loss) makes me furious.

    First, the hoops and delays with my insurance to prove it wasn’t for weight loss, and then the constant shortages make me afraid of missing doses when I go to refill. It’s frustrating the people who use it recreationally make it harder for those of us who actually need it.

    • Joan says:

      I’m so sorry. We live in a country where nothing, including a human life, is valuable unless it is profitable.

      • Coco says:

        @Joan

        You do know this is worldwide right ? Their is a supply issue worldwide not just the US because people are abusing it .

  25. Frippery says:

    Would I like to be more in shape? Sure. I don’t take care of myself like I should. My weight is sort of my lowest priority, even though it shouldn’t be. There are also people who genuinely need to lose weight for medical reasons, or people who want to lose a significant amount of weight for their health. I am not criticizing a desire to change.

    But damn, we get 90 years of we’re lucky. We only go around once. Stop injecting shit into your body that doesn’t go in there just to wear smaller jeans. Eat some fucking cheesecake and love yourself. You deserve it.

  26. Emily_C says:

    Weight loss does not turn back your biological age. Nothing does. The weight loss industry sure likes to lie a lot though, and has plenty of doctors onside helping them.

    There are tons of studies on this, but here is one paper — “What’s Wrong With the ‘War on Obesity'” — https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244018772888

  27. Onomo says:

    Are men clambering for this med or just women? If when you stop the drug you were to gain back twice the weight (happened to some people, google it) is it still worth it?

    • Onomo says:

      I just want to make it clear I’m talking about the people taking this for vanity, not those for whom this is the only drug that worked to control their blood sugar and may have to stay on this drug for the rest of their life.

      If men aren’t clambering to get on this drug for vanity, doesn’t that smack of sexism /the patriarchy?

      I saw a body neutrality activist say once that it makes sense to her women don’t want to look like her, because your perceived feeling of being safe as a woman goes missing. But then, she said, do you really only want a partner or friends or doctors who care for you only if you are thin?

      So I’m not crapping on the women reaching for this drug but more saying f the patriarchy /kyriarchy that makes women feel like they have no choice but to lose that last 15/20 lbs with this drug to have love and respect from society.

      If men aren’t also reaching for this drug in record numbers, then it just feels like another vise clamped around women.

    • Betsy says:

      You think this vise wasn’t already clamped around women? It’s just a tool.

    • Barb Mill says:

      Not as twice the rate but any weight they have lost is likely to be regained. Loss of appetite is the big reason for the loss and if you stop the drug your appetite will return.

  28. Izzy says:

    I take Ozempic to control blood sugar but I have also lost 50 lbs with it. The only issue I have is some loose neck skin and I’m getting some laser skin tightening at my dermatologist’s office. Other than that, my face actually looks younger.

  29. Aradia says:

    I use ozempic to treat my diabetes and it’s really been helpful (when I can get it) the pharmacy is often on back order. It’s annoying AF to find out why my medication is on back order.

  30. DeeSea says:

    Meanwhile, the guy in front of me at the pharmacy yesterday was almost in tears because the pharmacy was experiencing supply-chain issues and therefore couldn’t fill his diabetes Rx. They offered him a more expensive alternative, but he said he couldn’t afford it. It probably wasn’t the same drug that the celebs are using for weight loss, but it really highlighted the broad divide between the haves and the have-nots when it comes to healthcare. (Epilogue: The pharmacist assured the guy that they would help him find a solution. Thank goodness for kind, solution-focused humans.)

  31. DogMom says:

    People using a medication they shouldn’t be using in the first place to achieve weight loss results, only to turn around and get a procedure to counteract one of the effects of the asinine weight loss treatment … I’m sorry (not sorry), but this is hilarious to me.

    What’s not hilarious is that people who need the medication can’t get it because some bored house wife with low esteem is wrecking her body when really she just needs to go to therapy. Bring back the guillotine.

  32. JustVisiting says:

    Considering one of the side effects **ON THE BOX** of this drug is “thyroid cancer” and now indications are that pancreatic cancer is caused as well? Darwin is somewhere, laughing his head off.

    • Betsy says:

      So you’ve said, in various degrees of rudeness. What Medline Plus, a .gov website says is “Semaglutide injection may increase the risk that you will develop tumors of the thyroid gland, including medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC; a type of thyroid cancer). Laboratory animals who were given semaglutide developed tumors, but it is not known if this medication increases the risk of tumors in humans.”

      If you think this is bad, read the warnings and side effects for any drug. It’ll blow your hair back.

  33. Jessica says:

    When you lose weight slowly and properly this isn’t as bad. I’m so sad about what’s happening here, they tell us we’re supposed to be super thin then sell 90 percent garbage food that people get addicted to easily and gain weight, but wait there’s a drug you can take to fix it, oh now your face look gaunt here pay for these injections!! It’s out of gd control.

  34. Jill says:

    As some one who was legitimately prescribed these medications for diabetes management and can’t get them filled due to the demand from people wanting to use it for weight loss… this makes me furious!