This is definitely one of the more sinister Ozempic-related stories if this is true. Though Ozempic is intended to treat diabetes, it’s also used for weight loss and it’s also approved for chronic weight management. But like most things that seem too good to be true, it has side effects, including but not limited to a more rapidly aged appearance. However, Chelsea Handler says that her doctor prescribed it to counteract just that. She claims she didn’t know she was taking it though and stopped when she figured it out. Uh, what?
Chelsea Handler said she was unknowingly taking Ozempic, the Type 2 diabetes drug that many are using to lose weight, after her doctor prescribed it.
On the Call Her Daddy podcast, the comedian told host Alex Cooper that her “anti-aging doctor just hands it out to anybody.”
“I didn’t even know I was on it,” Handler said.
Ozempic is a brand name for semaglutide, an injectable medication that the FDA approved in 2017 to treat and manage Type 2 diabetes and heart complications that people with it face.
The FDA approved the drug for chronic weight management under the brand name Wegovy in 2021. But the rise in people taking the drug, regardless of whether they need it, has led to a shortage for people with Type 2 diabetes.
While joking about being a doctor, Handler said she has prescribed Ozempic to four to five of her friends. She then said she didn’t want to use the drug because she didn’t need it.
“Can you believe the amount of people in LA who are using it?” Cooper said.
“It’s going to backfire,” Handler responded. “Something bad is going to happen.”
Handler added that because it’s a miracle drug for people who have struggled their whole lives to lose weight, she thinks it’s “too irresponsible” for her to take it.
“I’m an irresponsible drug user, but I’m not going to take a diabetic drug,” she said.
Apparently Chelsea’s doctor just hands out those injections like gum or mints, huh? No, but that’s the part that makes me doubt Chelsea’s story. I can certainly understand not Googling every little thing that your doctor says or prescribes. I didn’t Google my new allergy medicine for awhile and when I did I learned it makes some people feel suicidal. (I feel fine so I still take it.) But that was just a pill. If someone whipped out a needle and tried to stick me with it I would definitely ask questions. Chelsea called her doctor an “anti-aging” doctor… What does that mean? Was it a dermatologist? Did she think it was Botox? A B12 shot? An adrenaline shot to return her to the energy of her youth? So many questions about how this happened. I do buy the idea that Chelsea balked once she found out what it was, if she didn’t, in fact, know already. She lives to overshare and shock. If she was fine with it, she’d let us know.
photos credit: Getty and JPI Studios/Avalon
Isn’t this the same person who said until recently she thought the moon was just the sun at night?
Like- zero understanding of basic science taught to children?
“Anti-aging” doctor?
These people are ghouls.
The only cure for “aging” is death.
I came here to say this exact thing. This woman is a mess, I mean we knew that but come on!
Not a fun comment, but wow, can everyone please ADVOCATE for their own health? Read your visit notes on your doctor’s online portal, or ask for them. When you get scans or test results, READ them. When you are prescribed medication, read up on it. Doctors and medical staff are not infallible and make mistakes. I recently was almost sent home after a follow up mammogram until I reminded them I also needed an ultrasound- and now I need a biopsy. We need to look out for ourselves here.
YES!!! This is how people end up with prescriptions from one doctor that compete with or exacerbate effects of prescriptions from another doctor too. I know everybody doesn’t have a medical education, but when a doctor gives you ANYTHING you can at least ask what it does and why you need it.
Exactly! Take responsibility for your our healthcare… even just the basics like reading the information that comes with any medication – prescription or over the counter.
Late last year I went to a dermatologist appointment, a follow up to an annual skin exam. The tech sat me down and said chirpily “okay, I see you’re here for a follow up. I’m just going to look at where we froze stuff off to see how it’s healing, then you’ll be on your way”
Me: 🫤
Me: what about thing the doctor biopsied a piece of, that was found to be squamous cell carcinoma in-situ? I was told that would be treated today. I was nervous enough waiting until today instead of coming right in. I’m not going to put it off more
Tech: hmm, I don’t see that in the appointment notes
Me: go ask the NP or doctor
NP: (10 minutes later) so sorry about the confusion! Of course we’ll be treating that today
You’ve got to pay attention and advocate for yourself. People are imperfect. Healthcare systems are strained and/or discombobulated at the moment; even good people trying to do their best can make mistakes and not everyone is a good person trying to do their best (anti-aging specialists would raise an eyebrow for me no matter how recommended they were)
I was about to write the same thing. If you can, do your research! If you get a diagnosis, read up on it. If you’re prescriped anything, read the leaflet that’s in the box (I’m in Germany, I don’t know how detailed those are in other countries but here, even ibuprofen has a LONG ass leaflet). My father was prescribed so many medications and sometimes the leaflet said “Don’t take this if you’re taking xyz” and if he hadn’t paid attention… well. I’m someone who listens to her doctors (mostly) but they will never care about your health as much as you do. And they’re human. They make mistakes.
If your “anti-aging doctor” (wtf?) gives you weekly shots, ask them what they are!!! This makes her sound ridiculous and I suspect her goal in telling this story was to look like one of the smart ones or whatever.
Totally agree—in addition, some side effects aren’t known when someone first gets the prescription (that allergy drug—I was on it for a long time before the findings about suicidality came out). A good idea to check the paperwork every year or so even after being on a drug for a while.
Eh, I doubt this. Is she saying that her doctor told her that this drug was something else completely? More likely, the doctor said it was a weight loss injection (Wegovy), and Chelsea didn’t know that that was the same thing as Ozempic (the diabetes drug).
I’m having a hard time believing she was getting injected with it and didn’t know she was taking it lol. wtf did she think it was?
Completely agree. This explanation smells.
Boy, I don’t get these stories about Ozempic being everywhere. I’m a type 2 diabetic and was prescribed Ozempic to help control my blood sugar and, as a bonus, hopefully help with my IBS (my body is a lemon). I have never been so sick! I was on it for about a month and there was a handful of days where I didn’t throw up. I was nauseous and exhausted constantly. I literally couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without stopping to rest. It was awful.
Maybe she’s not being judgmental but it seems judgmental. Even if she did take it, what is so shameful about it. Some people need help losing weight if that is their goal. A doctor was supervising her care. It sounds more like she just was not paying attention.
She only needed to lose 5 pounds. This isn’t a vanity drug. It’s for obese people in danger of getting diabetes if they don’t lose the weight. It’s for people who have tried everything else and are insulin resistant.
I think that there’s something really wrong with giving medical treatments to a completely healthy person because of Hollywood impossible standards.
If that means I am judgemental I’ll take it.
I take it to manage blood sugar AND to help with weight loss. My starting BMI was 38. It’s for people with BMI of 30+. People who are taking this to lose a few pounds or because they want to be faster marathon runners by losing that last pesky 10 lbs – and yes, I have actually read comments from people like that – those people are out of their minds. This drug changes your metabolic hormones and how they impact the gut signaling to your brain. A lot of people are showing such poor judgment when it comes to using this drug.
It’s hard to believe the doctor did not tell her. I was on Trulicity for months ( another type 2 injectable med) and the doc explained to me before injecting me the first dose what it was. It helped me lower my sugar levels, I became pre diabetic. After it did just that, I got off from it and started working out and walking and just eating better to keep my weight down. Hard to do with thyroid issues. Anyhow, very much doubt she did not know.
It’s dangerous to take a sugar regulating med when you have no issues. There are side effects.
Anyhow, glad I am off from it and working really hard to loose the weight safely.
Ozempic needles are tiny. Teeny weeny tiny. Like a hair. Really. Tiny. If you’re used to being injected, having to poke yourself at home with this one won’t phase you.
The needle says Ozempic on it. Chelsea Handler is lying.
You taper up on this drug when taken for weight loss. First .25 mg for a few weeks, then .5 and then 1.0. I read that the nausea is possibly the result of tapering up too quickly.
Everybody is different, obviously. Ozempic is a game-changer for many.
She was probably not taking the actual brand name in the injector pen. TONS of doctors, “med spas” and other places are using compounded Semaglutide (the generic name of the drug). If it’s compounded properly, it can be very effective, but it is in violation of Novo’s IP and it’s not FDA-approved so it isn’t subject to the same regulatory scrutiny when it comes to things like best manufacturing processes. I know A LOT of people taking the compounded version.
Only in Hollywood! Wtf is an anti-aging doctor? Seems like if someone had the magic formula to prevent aging, we would have heard about it by now. A lot.
“Something bad is going to happen.” Ya think?
I think the average person would be shocked and disgusted to learn what rich celebs just get from their various doctors.
I am on ozempic and metformin for a medically monitored weight loss program because I have struggled with obesity my entire life and was successful losing weight with diet and exercise alone before but gained a lot during the pandemic and was struggling to lose again despite diet and exercise so I sought a medical program to help its working. You have to I qualify for the program which requires you to be a non-diabetic obese individual and have a second medical condition like hypertension or high cholesterol signs of insulin resistance on your labs etc. so the goal of the program is to help you lose weight to also help you manage a chronic medical condition. I don’t have ozempic face because the program also incorporates behavior (sleep mindfulness) exercise and diet changes so you lose weight slowly at a healthy rate.
So for someone like her to say I didn’t know what it was for is a joke. Also you have to inject yourself apply a clean needle dial the pen clean your skin in a area that has more subcutaneous fat like injecting insulin (back of the arm, thigh, lower abdomen) and hold it into the skin for about 30 seconds to make sure it infuses…..I’m sorry but there’s no way she didn’t know what it was for.
Total lies. Sorry not sorry.
She’s telling us she was attaching needles, prepping her skin w alcohol, reading the pen enumeration and dialing the dosage amount (it’s not a prefilled specified dose) and didn’t know at least the name of the drug that is clearly displayed on the box it comes in? Nope Nope Nope.
Yeah her mouth is moving and lies come out
Actually, a lot of them say semiglutide or something like that on them. You wouldn’t necessarily put 2 and 2 together.
Yeah I read her comments on instagram and her doctor gave it to her after returning from vacation said she could lose a few pounds on it. She went to lunch w a friend saying she was nauseous from ozempic and handler said she was nauseous too and wasn’t on ozempic but semiglutide and her friend was like yeah girl that’s ozempic. Slightly more believable with the additional context the excerpt above didn’t include
There is no excuse to not know what you are putting in your body. I don’t do any meds (including Tylenol) unless I absolutely need too. When my doctor prescribed blood pressure meds, before I even began taking it I Googled it. Be proactive and not a follower.
There is no excuse to not know what you are putting in your body. I don’t do any meds (including Tylenol) unless I absolutely need too. When my doctor prescribed blood pressure meds, before I even began taking it I Googled it. Be proactive and not a follower. Be aware of what you can tolerate and not tolerate. Luckily I have high pain tolerance. I can’t do strong pain medication because it puts me in a stupor.
I know a lot of women who see a dr for age related hormone issues and take injectable hormones among other things, so her calling him an anti-aging dr and him prescribing one more injectable and her not questioning it doesn’t surprise me.
Her acting like there’s a drug out there that should be used for a 5 pound weight loss but just not the one for diabetics is what’s funny to me.
On the “anti aging doctor”. Those are Chelsea’s words to disparage him. He’s probably an endocrinologist. She talks about how she’s trying to lose weight frequently. He tried to help her and just lies about it. Because she thinks it’s funny? Or because she thinks she’s too good for Ozempic? Her BMI may be greater than 30 if she just got back from vacation and eating and drinking whatever she wants. She’s being a jerk. Nothing new.
Yes, when I first started having endocrine issues when I lived in NYC and was looking for a doctor I accidentally wound up at an “anti-aging doctor” without knowing that was a thing. He just seemed to be to be a holistic doctor who could help with adrenal fatigue and would help me feel better with a variety of methods and I was wary of seeing an endocrinologist who would only prescribe the one standard medicine that may or may not work for me.
He prescribed 1 or 2 pills and a handful of supplements and while I initially felt great, when I talked to an endocrinologist friend about it she told me that these “anti-aging” doctors pretty much sell you everything under the sun and that I was feeling more energetic because he had over-dosed me with hormones. She was like these doctors think you can actually “reverse aging” which is ridiculous and they are essentially snake-oil salesmen.
I’m diabetic. Ozempic comes in pen form and you give yourself a shot once a week, using the entire contents of the pen. Each box contains 4 pens so you get a new prescription each month. Each pen shows, in huge letters, Ozempic.
I tried to correct my comment but couldn’t. I confused Ozempic with Mounjauro, which is 4 pens for a month.
I was on Ozempic for a month for diabetes and had minor nausea. The pen contents measurement confused me at first. Ozempic comes in needle form and you inject it yourself, at home. I don’t know how you couldn’t know you were taking this.
I call utter bullshit on her claim to not know she was using Ozempic. She may not have known that the approved indication for Ozempic was T2DM but her claiming she knew she was taking semaglutide (generic name) and not Ozempic is utter hogwash. The brand name is printed boldly in much larger font than the generic on the box that contains the pens of meds and the box the dosing pens come in. Very few people pay attention to the generic name of a drug unless that drug is available under the generic name.
She and most people using to lose a small amount of weight knew damn well that they were using a drug to give them quick weight loss that was not meant to lose 20 pounds or less (it’s mean to be used for patients who are obese). I’d be willing to bet that many of them also knew the drug was not meant for what they could lose in a reasonable amount of time with diet & exercise and probably knew it was to treat diabetes because I bet they’d still use Ozempic instead of Wegovy now that the supply chain issues with Wegovy are resolving because if they were found to be using Wegovy they have less ability to deny what they’re doing.
Ozempic can have side effects impacting your mental health, too.
She’s an idiot if she’s injecting herself or having herself injected and doesn’t know what is being injected. Or she’s lying and wants us to think she’s an idiot. That’s all. That’s my comment.
Really? I got covid vaccines and have no idea what’s in them. In fact every single person who said they were doing their research before taking the vaccines was lambasted here as foolish or worse. I also just recently got two injections for my back. No idea what’s in them either. You people crack me up with how you (people in general) flip flop to fit whatever side you want to be on.
She is so shady and reckless. Really cannot stand this person.
💯💯
I am a diabetic and have been using Ozempic since last year. It is taken by injection only, which begs the question: how can someone inject themselves with a medication being completely unaware of (a) its name; (b) its properties; and (c) its medical uses? This makes zero sense to me. There is no way I am ever going to start injecting myself weekly with a drug without discussing it fully with my doctor and pharmacist. Are people in Hollywood so naive?
Doctor here, Ozempic is a wonderful weight loss drug. Although any drug is not without side effects it is often prescribed to people looking for a (relatively) safe way to lose weight. Of course every patient is different and tolerates it differently. Using diabetic drugs for weight loss is not new. Depending on someone’s health status it is often used to prevent the onset of diabetes or prevent complications of obesity. Lots of success stories of people taking Ozempic who have tried and failed other weight loss programs. Just thought I would give my 2 cents since there’s a lot of people who seem to side eye Wegovy/this doctor. Unfortunately this drug when used solely for weight loss (no diabetes diagnosis) is not affordable for most.
This is quite a window into the Hollywood/LA obsession with appearance. I actually believe these people take whatever is prescribed to them to hang onto their own perception youth/beauty as long as possible, side effects be damned.
It’s a sick, toxic way to live your life, but must be hard to see the water they’re swimming in.
For how liberal/left Hollywood purports to be, this is objectification of men and women alike on a very narrow set of standards.
I’m just so glad I don’t have the money to chase that, or to be in the circles where it’s normalized.