The Ozempic Problem 

As a diabetic (type 2) who has been prescribed this to control my sugars i find it more than irritating that i am rarely able to get my prescription filled due to it being 'prescribed' for weight loss.

Doctors prescribing Meth for weight loss is an all-time classic

I didnt take ozempic but mounjaro. I was 311 pounds. I used it for a year, got to a healthy weight and have been able to maintain with a healthy life style. I was warned about the muscle loss so i started lifting regularly. I have been off for a year and have no issues. It was life changing and helped me teach myself about my own health. And i never once regained the weight. I am so grateful for it at the time i needed it.

Worked at a drug insurance company for retirees. I remember there was a time when we got a lot of calls asking for help to locate them a pharmacy with Ozempic in stock cause their local pharmacy is out. This whole situation is so sad.

What people need to understand is celebs would never reveal something private until and unless they are promoting it for economic gains

I love these longer form videos of yours. You're really good at making them entertaining while remaining educational

I wholeheartedly agree with your last sentiment. We need to share the same enthusiasm, if not more, for regulating processed food industries that irregulate our appetites as we do with pharmaceutical appetite suppressors. We need prevention, not just symptom erasure!

I am so humbled by this video. I'm struggling with antipsychotic related weight gain but it's so important to remember what truly matters. I'm physically active, I try to eat pure foods, my only vice is smoking and once I quit that, I believe I will feel so healthy and powerful. The feeling one gets from engaging in healthy habits for your mind and body is so satisfying no matter your body shape 😊 Before I was on meds, not gonna lie, I was a reasonably hot chick. But on the inside, I was suffering a debilitating mental illness. This was compounded by the fact that on an emotional level, I had been suffering narcissistic abuse. So I had no peace. My young and attractive physical appearance, at the time, did not bring me any happiness. Now, 7 years on meds, can't say the meds have cured me but they're helping me cope. Some good days, some better days, some very hard days. It's a process. But the whole process has taken its toll on me and I'm often mentally and physically tired. My point is, when you're in a state like this, it doesn't really matter if some dude doesn't think you're attractive because you do not look like an Instagram model. Today, when my mental state got bad and I was crying at the beach, one kind woman approached me and at the end of her consoling words she told me, "You matter.". You matter. You're worth being more than a dumping ground for risky chemicals if you're not ill and you don't really need them. May the peace of the Lord be upon whoever can relate to this comment 🙏

That loss of muscle mass side effect is no joke. The medicine was effectively treating my relative's diabetes, but his strength vanished and muscles "turned to mush". He had to be taken off.

Dude I have so much respect for this man. He works as a surgeon, a shorts creator, he has a podcast, and sometimes even makes full length videos Edit: some people reminded me off some stuff so I added/replaced them :)

Great video. I started IF 4 yrs ago losing 150 lbs and have maintained a healthy weight for 3 yrs now. While ozempic may help people lose weight , like you said , lifestyle change is necessary to keep it off. IF is the same way.

A friend has been on it for a year. She was confident she could go on holiday for a month without taking it. She gained 8kg in that one month because she doesn't know how to control her appetite anymore.

I have to say that I was very sceptical when my diabetic nurse mentioned this injection. I have never been one to believe in quick fixes and this sounded too good to be true. However once i started it the very first thing that got me was how I felt free! I wasn't thinking of food all the time anymore! I'm learning to develop a healthier relationship with food and can make much healthier choices now. Yes, we don't know what kind of long term side effects it has but it's not meant to be long term. This drug can help people like myself that have relied on food since children to deal with their traumas, to finally learn to see food as something essential and enjoyable without feeling like they can't cope without all those unhealthy things they craved all day long.

I appreciate that you mentioned the risks of both GLP-1 agonists and bariatric surgery. I’ve seen a few cases of anastomotic fistula, including one that (combined with other comorbidities) resulted in death. And yet, even knowing the risks, I was still considering getting bariatric surgery at some point in the future because my metabolic syndrome was getting steadily worse. Then ozempic came along. I lost 25% of my body weight in 10 months, better glycaemia, way better mental health, less knee and back pain (from pre-existing issues), much easier to exercise. A few minor gastrointestinal side effects, but only during the first few months. I feel like my metabolism is 15 years younger. I’m so glad they invented this drug during my lifetime. Like any drug (or procedure), of course it’s not for everyone. But in many cases it can hugely improve QOL. All the best!

I grew up being very overweight, at my highest weighing around 430lbs. It was quite a shock when I saw the scale display that number, because I had always told myself that I would never be over 400lbs. Yet here I was at 430! I immediately threw away the fast food that I had ordered early that night (working nightshift). I studied chemistry and nutrition for about 2 years and lost a total of 248lbs, through my personally designed formula. At first I could only do 3 sit-ups a day. THREE! But eventually as time went on I lost weight and found myself doing 500 a day! Going from a 60 in waist size, to a 32/34. I've said it before and I'll always say it. There is only one way to permanently lose weight. Which is to make a complete transition from an unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy one. Where exercise and good food is your daily routine, and not part of some 'diet'. Diets DO NOT work! A lifestyle switch will.

I have Type 2 Diabetes & need a hip replacement ASAP but my BMI is too high. Ozempic along with intermittent fasting (begun 4 months before taking Ozempic) is allowing me to lose weight a lot slower than Bariatric surgery by addressing why I overate in the first place. I have a friend who got Bariatric surgery this past January, a hernia surgery a month ago. She basically lectures me on how great she feels after losing 65lbs, and about the nutritional content of every single morsel of food she puts in her mouth. I’m happy for her but a little annoyed that my taking my medical prescription is considered “cheating” instead of just having my stomach surgically reduced to the size of an egg. My A1c has dropped to below 6.0 and my tastebuds have changed to crave cooked green vegetables rather than creamy pastas. I’ve also lost girth from a 3x-4x down to a 2x with 50lbs to go before I’ll be at an acceptable BMI. I’m grateful that this choice was available so I had time to address my food issues. Weight loss is a custom tailored process: one size doesn’t fit er’rybody! It’s important to make permanent lifestyle changes too because the daily pain I feel from my hip is only exacerbated by my excess weight. Once it comes off, I’ll make sure it doesn’t creep up again. Oh, and I do like this longer video format 😊

ive struggled for as long as i can remember with eating, specifically not feeling hungry/not being able to eat very much. im 25, and have started to feel so hopeless. when you started talking about being able to stimulate appetite, i got goosebumps. thank you for that hope

Been trying to lose weight for 15 years with some limited success. Ozempic has allowed me to change my relationship with food and now I feel free from the bondage of food. It’s not for everyone but it worked for me

I’m trying to get my BMI down to 21 so I can get a kidney transplant. I am physically disabled. No exercise. I have lost 33 lbs already and have changed my eating habits. Lots of berries, tofu, almond milk, rice cereal. No red meat, etc. I am so grateful that Ozempic has gotten me over the hump of changing my eating habits. Now, with or without Ozempic, my diet has changed forever. I’m hoping to lose all of the weight I need now and plateau. The alternative is death. I won’t go on dialysis. I can’t. So I’m grateful for it.

Same thing happened with ADHD meds. Far too many people got it because they’re ‘quirky’ who don’t have any actual disability, while us with ADHD are forced to go without meds due to shortage.

Kaiser only prescribes that if you enroll in their medical weight loss program. You have to pay and it’s like 12 months of therapy, meal planning/dietician consults, you have to show them your work out plans and show them you’re following it. There’s doctors behind you every step behind you. That’s how it should be done. Not handing a prescription and saying good luck

My diabetic nurse put me on this last autumn. I was prepared for initial nausea because I’ve been through that with metformin. The first week on ozempic was surprisingly fine. The second week was a little rougher. By the third week I was getting very ill. During week four I almost stopped eating entirely, just feeling pukey constantly. I was drained of energy even on top of my already debilitating long Covid. I became depressed and could barely get out of bed. I had just done the fifth shot and was sliding downhill fast when the diabetic nurse told me to stop. My blood sugars had gone higher and higher throughout, even when I barely ate anything (I barely keep down one slice of toast per day and wanted to barf at the thought of all other food). I lost no weight. My IBS was aggravated. After I stopped taking it, it took over six weeks to recover enough to eat meals again but honestly my gut troubles remained worsened for months. Ozempic is no miracle for everyone. Approach with caution!!

You hit a nail on the head with "other related conditions". So few doctors seem to take the entirety of the person into consideration. We're treated like pieces and parts, when so often at least part of the answer can be found by looking at the whole person, and their whole history.

I’m a registered dietitian and I’m so tired of my clients asking me to write a recommendation for Ozempic. I don’t believe any medications like this should be used unless someone is super morbidly obese.

I know I'm just one person, but I strongly prefer your long form content, I feel like I'm actually retaining information and am learning something useful rather than 60 short seconds of "this person is wrong about science." Love it!

I love the effort to put this message out there and the moral code you're conveying. Keep it up please!

Thank you for including the history lesson regarding weight loss medications or treatments. This ozempic craze reminds me of the oxycontin push from the early '00. Touted as a miracle cure for chronic pain it was prescribed to everyone and their Grandma! While ozempic may not be a narcotic we should be wary of anything being pushed to this extent.

I would also love to see a much stronger push towards community-wide changes vs. individual responsibility. I realize that other countries might not have this problem as much as we do in the US, but our public transit system is awful / non-existent. We don't have a lot of sidewalks. The air quality outside has consistently been poor. The "healthy food" (that's a whole other can of worms) that people tell us to eat are out of our budget. A lot of weight stigma and diet culture shames us for not doing enough on our own to make these changes in our lives, but we have an entire tangle of systems in our communities that actively fight to keep us fat so that we can keep spending money on their weight loss drugs, diet plans, super foods, and so much more.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism after gaining 20kg for no reason. Ozempic helped me with getting back to the “healthy weight” but I was able to get only the low doses. It also helped with my insulin resistance from PCOS. I am ok with switching back to metformine if this means that diabetic people have better access to Ozempic… But I really hope Ozempic will get also officially approved as PCOS treatment so in the future I don’t have to take metformine pills twice a day.

To help add to the nuance in the conversation, I work for a clinic that utilizes this medication often, and it had absolutely been a game changer for our patients. Some do experience side effects, to which our provider actually does something about them or is happy to try other options, but most have been very successful and reversed many negative health conditions associated with obesity. I completely agree that the trend of this as a fad for the elites to be super skinny is appalling and that in reality, this is just the best bandaid we have for a messed up healthcare and food system. For rural areas that deal with the worst of these issues, however, it’s been the first medical intervention that has worked for many of these patients. I’m hopeful that we can conquer these systemic issues, but I’m not optimistic until I see it happen on the micro scale. I hope after getting my medical education, I might do that in my small town. We can only hope.

Thank you for bringing this up it's a really important subject to look at. I used Ozempic until it was no longer available here in Sweden to regulate my diabetes.

My biggest worry about this, as a diabetic who already is well informed of the side effects of these medications since I use them to simply stay alive, its use is being glamorized as a weight loss miracle shot. This can cause some really bad things to people who don't need them. Then for those of us who need them, there's also the risk of not being able to get our medications in the proper dose. I've already gone through that with my dosage of Trulicity being on backorder.

Poor ole Dr Karan, he always looks knackered, yet he still makes time to make informative content. Good on ya Doc.

I'm really excited about Ozempic possibly being available to me. I live with schizophrenia and I have to take Zyprexa every day. The average weight gain with Zyprexa is 60 lbs. I'm 4 foot 11 inches. I gained a little over 60 lbs. I used to be 110 but now I'm almost 180. I have a lot of hope for drugs like this. Zyprexa basically induces a state of diabetes, increasing blood pressure and sugar. I just really want to lose weight and hopefully a drug like this could reverse the effects I'm having. Hopefully it becomes more available!!!

GF was taking ozempic for type 2. She works for the state, so insurance pays for almost anything. Her ozempic was about $30/month on her insurance, so imagine her shock when she went to fill her prescription one month and it was over $1,000. She had to quit ozempic that she had been on for about three months cold turkey. Now she's stuck taking the metformin which makes her feel sick all the time no matter the dose. There are no alternatives so people who are taking it strictly for weight loss are basically stealing from those who actually need it for much more serious medical issues.

I have type 2 diabetes, and my doctor said that in my country (Israel) you can only get a prescription for Ozempic if your A1c levels are above a certain number. I think it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

When I started with Ozempic, my BMI was 32.6, and I had fatty liver, and my blood pressure was very close to needing medication. Now my BMI is 27.8, and going down. My blood pressure levels are very good, and liver is almost back to being healthy. I also eat much healthier, sleep better, and feel better. I have been exercising too, so I don't think I've lost lean muscle. For me, Ozempic is great, especially as I'm lucky in that I don't seem to have any unwanted side effects. I'm looking forward to dropping back to a normal weight, and being fully healthy.

I have a large ethical concern over the rise of telemedicine clinics for weight loss and reverse aging (TRT clinics). While both of these medications are crucial of those who need them, it’s scary to see how easily one can get a prescription from someone over the phone without getting an actual MSE in person. I’m excited to see how this changes over my time in the medical field.

This is such a long shot, but I'm really interested in an outsider view of my ongoing GI issues. I was diagnosed with "ibs" and it's caused me so much anguish. It's a topic that needs to be addressed and I'm willing to discuss my 10 year journey to help me, and others, get some sort of answer.

The long term implications of bariatric surgery aren't wonderful either - I declined it, after discovering the NHS couldn't give me data on the 5+ years effects, and couldn't answer questions about malabsorbtion, vit/mineral deficiences and gut bacteria. They also could not explain why it was safer for me to have a potentially 4 hour combined gastric bypass AND gallbadder removal op, vs just the gallbladder op. (Conclusion. It isn't, but if I die of bariatric surgery, thats ok. If I die of gallbladder surgery, that buggers the stats for some poor surgeon.)

I had it prescribed for both sugar control and weight loss (type 2). Works great for both, but leaves me with VERY uncomfortable gut issues. Upset stomach, gas 24/7, always full AND always hungry (I don’t understand either), diarrhea every morning… I was better off with victoza. I am reminded that it’s only once a week, rather than daily for victoza; which is spectacular. But the side effects are intolerable for me. Next time I talk to my provider we’re going to fix it somehow, but I’m definitely getting off ozempic. Update 12/7/2023: my doc talked me into trying a half dose of ozempic, .5 ml. So far the side effects are more manageable, it remains to be seen if I still lose weight. (Everyone seems to think that lowering my diabetes numbers is a forgone conclusion.) Update 12/15/2023: went down to 0.5 ml instead of the normal 1.0 ml. Seems to be just the thing; side effects still present but definitely manageable. More importantly, I am still losing weight! So unless something else crops up, I think I’ve found the happy medium. Good luck all with your weight loss/diabetes journey! 😊😊

Doc we really need more long format videos like this

Both my wife and I tried it, Ozempic, and it was absolutely the WORST experience ever. We’re both type 2 diabetics and it destroyed us. Not going into details but the heartburn and indigestion were atrocious 🤢

This drug changed my life. If you have been overweight by 75 pounds, obsessed with food constantly, exhausted, unable to do your favorite activities, suffered society’s and your own scorn, been uncomfortable and have been successful in every other area of your life, then found the one thing that finally freed you, you would not be negative about this medication.

I love how you break down the pros and the cons of everything, I learn something new everyday. Thank you 🥰

I didn’t hear ANY mentions of the severe downsides of bariatric surgeries such as the rate of transfer addiction, malnutrition, and osteoporosis. Bariatric surgery can be just as risky as GLPs. And unlike GLPs, surgery is permanent.

It’s really cool to hear you talk about this health epidemic as a consequence of the food and health industries trying to make a profit. You don’t focus on shaming people or advocating for individual responsibility of health, you get to the source of the issue with down to earth honesty and it’s cool to see ❤ Edit: Individual Responsibility is important, but it’s not as important as focusing our attention on holding exploitative industries accountable for the health epidemics they’ve created. A comparison I’d like to make this to is climate change; where for the past several years we have been focusing and discussing individual responsibility, in this case for our carbon footprint, but we are realizing now that individual responsibility is not enough. Instead we need to hold the industries and systems that are hurting us and our planet accountable.

This is why I like weight loss programs that focus on changing your food and exercise habits, they don't work quickly but do help you keep the weight off once you lose it. Currently on the Optavia program and it's working great for me!

Karan this is a phenomenal format for educating and spreading awareness. Thank you for all the work you do, keep it up man.

I found it fantastic, lost 2 stone over 6m and I stoped after 5 months, I’ve continued to keep the weight off as my stomach has shrunk a lot! I also work out 3 times a week and eat a balanced diet x

Its frustrating because I am certain there are a lot of people who could really use something like this for weight-loss in order to make building healthy habits easier. I knew a woman who was over 400lbs after she became immobilized due to a car accident and while she eventually recovered, her ability to walk without pain was immense and her diet became increasingly worse while her mobility levels remained at nearly zero. She eventually managed to lose the majority of the weight but it was almost all through diet until she was under 300lbs because she was almost unable to walk with her high weight and atrophied muscles. Having a way to lose weight in order to reach a point where you can start exercising, start building healthy relationships with food and drink, and just generally get to a point that you aren't starting from a massive deficit would be so helpful. Its understandable that Ozempic isn't the answer and it's frustrating that people who need it for other things can't get it; but the response to it is indicative of problems that need to be addressed. And I know people say "well, fat people just have low willpower" but willpower is literally just chemical signaling. If someone has more sensitive chemical responses than someone else, that isn't their fault. One person might be able to go a full day without food and just feel a little peckish but to others that might be torture.

This has been very helpful to inform my decision about whether I should take medication or not as a method for weight loss. I’m already prescribed one of the medications you mentioned for reasons unrelated to weight loss. over the past 12 months because of shortages, I’ve had to ration said medication and take breaks. But I’ve also gained a lot of weight. I didn’t realise the link until now. I just thought I was depressed / stressed. And eating was just a coping mechanism

Yo'ure the first real doctor I ever subscribed too and I've got to say how much I respect you. Your content is extremely educational and you usually talk in length about social or psychological aspects of medicine that aren't talked a lot. I wish you even more success that you have today. PS: you actually made me throw my cigarette away while I was watching

It's nice to see a doctor. That's an actual doctor. Thank you for your service and using your voice to help people 🧡

i wouldnt call our society skinny obsessed. considering that the US has a massive obesity crisis with almost halve its citizens being morbidly obese to an absurd degree.

Dr. Karan! I'm so happy to see you on RU-vid doing longer content! Definitely a direction worth pursuing, given your knowledge, misinformation online, and super engaging yet informative content! Science communicator all the way!

Currently have a family member struggling with gastroparesis that clears up as the Ozempic wears off.

One thing that concerns me when listening to this drug's mechanism, is the possibility of 'up regulation' with continued use. We might find people who have used to drug habitually are completely unable to regulate their appetites when they stop taking the drug. This means they have to stay on it or become total gluttons

Good info Doc, thanks. As someone who was obese and who's number 1 hobby was eating, i can say that i never waited till i was hungry to eat, food was a drug and like all addicts i had zero control when i saw it. Living in a world where food was everywhere, i'd walk/drive past it on the street, i'd see pictures and videos of it everywhere, i was constantly being triggered to indulge. To remove that desire for food would leave a very large hole i'd think, and just like any emotional void, i'd have to fill it with something in order to feel complete/whole. Ha! i'd have to fill the hole to feel whole. So i imagine most food addicts would be the same, this on we might fix one bad habit, but what bad habit do we gain to replace it is my question. At my work i've seen near 50 people get gastric banding surgery, and all but a couple have returned to their original size over a year or two, why, because they live on sugar to get their high. They sit all day, so fat just piles back on. Some have had the surgery multiple times because they have no idea how their bodies work. So its education they need, not a silver bullet. They also need to know that will power is like a muscle, the more they use it, the stronger it gets. Most obese people, or people with any addiction for that matter, have zero will power so the problem continues until something breaks.

I work at a pharmacy, and the number of times I've seen Ozempic/Mounjaro/Wegovy out of stock is INSANE. It's especially crazy how often I've had to tell patients that we don't have it in stock who need it. Heck, back like 7 or 8 months ago, it was all on backorder because the manufacturers couldn't make enough of it. Between that and the shortage on amphetamines for ADHD it drives me nuts because they're supposed to be going to people who absolutely need it but can't get it, and especially the issue with amphetamines has caused me to reevaluate whether my kids (who all have ADHD) should take it or if there's alternatives for their conditions.

I was diagnosed with insulin resistance, which was really a surprise since I'm not that much overweight. I went to two different doctors, one prescribed Metformin, the other Ozempic, but I did not want to take any meds and now I'm on keto diet which seems to help a lot with my insulin levels, my lab results are better and I've even lost some weight, without having any side effects. I'm not saying nobody needs meds, but sometimes a change in lifestyle is much more preferred.

An amazing video doc! Really appreciate you uploading more content lately ❤

I had this drug for a while (type2). I did lose weight because I felt sick all the time and couldn't eat much. I kept having disgusting rotten egg smelling burps that came without warning. In the end, I had to stop using it.

Is that a fake library?

I'm on Ozempic, alongside insulin, as an insulin resistant, insulin dependent, type 2 diabetic. It lets me reduce the amount of insulin I use, meaning I can eat fruit/complex carbs - without it I have to eat a reallllllllllly limited diet (I also have ARFID). It does help me not feel hungry, but tbh that wasn't the issue - the issue is I use SO much insulin to eat a healthy diet, im putting on weight - and I have no capacity for any more weight!

I know this is not who is being talked about for most of the video, but a friend of mine was prescribed Ozempic for weight loss, and he seemed so ashamed that he couldn’t lose the weight himself. He’s in his mid twenties and has constant chronic pain, and sometimes needs mobility aids, and a lot of that could be more manageable at a lower weight. In the back of my mind I was a little skeptical about a drug being a good solution to that, but just knowing a little bit about it has me letting go of some anxiety. I’ll look up possible signs of dangerous side effects and keep an eye out.

Ozempic, from what I would see in patients that were prescribed it for obesity seemed like fiends when the insurance wouldn't approve it, or we ran out samples, patients were even Disappointed when their blood work came back negative for diabetes or pre diabetes. The same with mounjaro and tujeo patients

You forgot the Ephedra craze of the early 2000s.

I am ready to bet that years later studies show that in one way or another this thing (in particular, abuse of that) creates severe risks of cancer. Probably in an indirect way yet you cant mess with something so poorly studied so much w/o expecting severe side effects.

If you’re trying to lose weight go outside for walks, drink your water, fast, and eat ya fruits and veggies. Cut sugar and carbs, heal your relationship with food and enjoy, there’s no real short cuts that don’t come with consequences. Everyone wants instant gratification but real weight loss takes time, requires you to be in touch with your body, dedication and focus.

I take it for my T2 diabetes and it’s a game changer in helping to regulate my blood sugar. The weight loss is an added bonus but that’s not why I got put on it.

i tried it and it made me nauseous, but it also made me so tired. i am obese and i was prescribed the medication. i got home one time and just sat in the car feeling too tired to get out.

As someone who used to be 350lbs when he was 13-14, tracked by his pediatrician, and now I'm 30~ at 180lbs at max, I have extra abdominal skin that has tightened up over time but some of it can never be resolved, I need to gain enough muscle to fill it in, or get it removed. I am eligible for this treatment and to have it funded as I'm in Canada/Ontario, the main reason why I can is because there is an actual professional tracking my weight through my younger years, and I have seen doctors sporadically since which can be referenced which shows **I maintained the weight loss**, which is the problem Ozempic will cause. People on Ozempic will have no coverage for vanity related skin issues because they cannot show they have maintained the weight loss, and theres also a good chance a large amount of doctors WON'T work on them at all, as there is a large risk of complications with a person with no actual control of their weight and who simply takes pharmaceuticals to shed fat. This is the biggest issue that Ozempic will offer. Also, natural weight loss will always trump any shortcut, especially a shortcut that may end up consuming essential fats necessary for development. Is it breaking down all fat based vitamins like vitamin D? That would SEVERELLY cripple the immune system. Is it breaking down stores of fat in the heart and other fatty tissue localized in the area? Is it breaking down cholesterols in the brain which make up 20% of the brain? The real weight loss master is effort + HMB (hydroxymethylbutryate in calcium salt form), which has been proven to actually be super beneficial for noobs/people restarting exercising after not exercising for a long time/etc. It also helps with actual arterial cholesterol levels as well. TL;DR: The actual effort put into losing weight needs to be there, the mind changes with the body with natural progression, with Ozempic, this is a dangerous road with soo many unknowns. It reminds me of the endocrine disorder medication that became a norm for bodybuilders to abuse, SARM's. Hell, bodybuilders are taking stem cells, humiston has a video on it. TL;DR: I used to be 350lbs at 4'11 at 14 YO, I'm basically half of that now for the last decade and can prove it. People losing weight on Ozempic can't prove they maintained the weight loss and are not going to have any type of health coverage and will pay entirely out of pocket, and its not guaranteed that they can maintain the loss if they aren't changing the way they live, increasing energy output, etc. Exercising on Ozempic also sounds horrible as hell, probably burn fat based vitamins as I said earlier.

I feel bad for the people who legitimately need the drug for Diabetes, having to deal with prescription shortages. Those drugs are for people with real ailments, yet doctors fill prescriptions regardless. My asthma drugs got banned because people abused them for weight loss, now I can barely get a script filled because legal options are out of stock. Crazy.

I really appreciate this information. I get pressure from doctors about my weight, and I recently found out I have neurological issues that likely played a part. Had I been the type to follow the diet craze path, I'd probably be dead already.... but if be skinny 😅. I rather be fat n happy 😊 and alive a lip longer

In my country there is starting to be an Ozempic shortage and they recently decided that only people who have the highest needs (diabetic) will still be allowed to purchase it. It's also rather aphetic how my country never addressed the problematic use of it in the news and media and now they suddenly ban it for all people that don't have a medical condition that requires them to take it. This is a part of the problem, cause I did not know what ozempic was or what the ban was for until I saw some things on youtube about it

Literally everyone at my company (the upper management with money) are all suddenly extremely thin and all have this same sucked in face - apparently this is “ozempic face” The speed at which they all got so thin was astounding

Thank you for making this video and for touching on all the things you did in this video, focusing on the problems and how to fix them and not fixating on things that are only proximate or adjacent to the problem like most people are inclined to do. My best friend had type 2 diabetes and he wasn’t able to get his medicine for a few weeks, and he died of diabetic ketoacidosis as a result. It makes me angry to think that my best friend is dead today because there are people who think their being inconveniently fatter than they wish is more important than the actual survival of my best friend, particularly when this drug won’t even permanently do anything for those people’s benefit (and especially since being fat only increases your odds of suffering from things that are only sometimes life threatening vs. my friend’s diabetes being something that, if left untreated for too long, will kill you 100% of the time). I’m angry and I want this to stop immediately. This commercial practice of fostering vanity and then profiting off of treating that imposed vanity is morally bankrupt and wrong, and we need to stop pretending it’s anything otherwise and treat it as exactly what it is. This kind of problem never should exist in the first place, and the fact this isn’t even the first time we’ve experienced this failure only demonstrates that we have incompetent people in positions of power and influence who have failed to do their duty to protect the public against this kind of failure - both wtihin industry and within governmemt, and also frankly, within society itself. We have to do better.

I remember the Fen-phen debacle clearly, and it's why I'm weary of any weight loss "quick fix" medications. My dermatologist (possible overreach here) wanted me to get on ozempic for weight loss. I decided to talk to my GP about it first, who I've been seeing for like 8 years+. She said she's not a fan, due to the limited knowledge on the long term effects. She also noted that there's been study after study of how you're better off (health wise) staying at a heavier weight then yo-yoing up and down, due to fad diets and failed attempts at temporary weight loss. The constant loss, gain, loss, gain that comes with diet culture is absolutely horrible for our bodies. Personally, I've never had much of a problem with binge eating. I grew up with food insecurity so eating once or twice a day was the norm and I still carry that habit, most days only having dinner. Doesn't prevent me from being overweight. I also live a sedentary life now, due to overall chronic pain conditions. I only effectively lose weight with consistent exercise (even just a few 15-20 minute walks a day with my doggo). But it's becoming harder and harder for me to do that due to pain. Not being hungry won't change that for me. This is completely not the right medication or weight-loss treatment fo rme.

People will literally do anything to not have to exhibit self control, or heal their childhood trauma that makes them self destruct.

0:32: 🌟 Ozempic is a popular drug for weight loss, originally used to treat type 2 diabetes. 5:40: 💊 The use of weight loss drugs like semaglutide has become popular, but there are concerns about their side effects and ethical implications. 11:07: 🧠 Researchers are developing an electrical pill that can modulate gut hormones and potentially treat eating disorders and metabolic disorders.

If all it is just to help suppress appetite, there are tons of more natural ways to do it. -drink your water with a bit of apple cider vinegar -eat protein dense food when you do eat -eat more fiber (or if you're lazy, add psyllium fiber powder into your water, like Metamucil)

My girlfriend has PCOS which simultaneously makes it very hard for her to loss weight it also makes her somewhat insulin resistant so she's someone who actually needs this drug but has been waiting 3 months with a prescription

Hardest working man in medicine. Thanks, Dr. Karan! The debate over Ozempic is so fraught for a number of reasons, but I can’t help but draw a comparison between this and the fen-phen craze. My mom used fen-phen and it permanently damaged her heart; Ozempic for weight loss is relatively new, and I’m concerned that there’s too much we don’t know about it to be prescribing it so widely. It seems that “benefit outweighing risk” is out the window entirely; these decisions are governed by the almighty buck.

There’s a strange paradox where the most obese patients with worse lifestyles will have the most to tell the doctor about how their diet/lifestyle is not the causative factor. Obese man was having calf pains and convinced it was a vascular blockage, but scans ruled this out and he claimed he ‘ate like a bird’. Consultant summed it up nicely: ‘he clearly gets his calories from somewhere’. An obese American in clinic also would bring books to teach the doctor about different diets- but wouldn’t take any advice herself: ‘oh let me show you this book by Dr Mike Mosley… he says etc etc’. Slowly usher her to the door because she had no interest in wanting to hear advice. The best was hearing a retired doctor doing odd shifts talk to a patient who was overweight- he scans his leg and says ‘nothing wrong, other than you’re overweight and that’s causing you issues’. He went on to explain that he wasn’t bothered about complaints anymore. It’s quite clear that the conscious choice to eat processed foods then causes habits and addictions which become engrained and difficult to break. First start by accepting responsibility and then step by step reduce processed foods (anything that been through a machine essentially). A home made pizza which fresh ingredients can actually be healthy, for example. Home baked potato wedges are far tastier and healthier than deep fried fries. Also note how different foods make you feel. Gradually you’ll start to have mote energy once improving the types of carbs and fats you ingest. Swap out certain foods with others- for example chop some fruit for desert rather than a bar of chocolate or processed and packaged cakes/pastries. We can do it one we realise it’s our own responsibility. By the time society or the government start to step in (if ever), it’ll likely be too late for you as an individual. As previously started, a considerable amount of people are in denial.

The diet which was most successful for me is the low carb diet, on it now for nearly 5 years. It never left me feeling hungry unlike the normal low fat calorie control diet which have always failed for me and nearly everyone else. I experienced unexpected health benefits from the diet.

My doctor prescribed me this medication to lower my cholesterol and the side effects are awful, I wish I could stop taking it but she said I have to take it for up to 9 months which is still 7 months to go. I wasn't able to eat or drink anything for days and for almost 6 weeks, I was nauseaous 24/7 and vomited a lot. I don't know why anyone would want to take this medication unless they really had to. It's no fun.

I work in a pharmacy and we run out of ozempic every day

I’ve noticed that doctors will tell people when they overweight, but are very slow to recognize eating disorders, like anorexia. They don’t seem to see anything but good in people trying to lose weight, however they do it. If they become 10-20lbs underweight, many doctors will overlook it. I have issues with anorexia, and when I was younger, would take just about any drug that would cause me to lose even more weight. This is one thing I worry about with ozempic.

Has anyone ever noticed that healthier types of foods are more expensive than crap foods and easy-to-eat foods are cheap? I know that my pocketbook feels it when I stick to healthier foods. By the way Dr. Karan...I love your stuff! I love the videos, the newsletters, and podcasts. I haven't purchased your book, YET. I would love to work with you! You sound like an amazing doctor who could teach this nurse some great stuff!

This guy is a modern treasure for his dedication to both his professional obligation and the proliferation of quality information

There's a similar dilemma with Botox. It was developed to help people with cerebral palsy.

I have congestive heart failure, and as a result have issues with my weight, and I need to lose weight to help my heart, so my cardiologist talked about prescribing me this stuff a while back, even though I don't have diabetes at all. My insurance wouldn't cover it unless I had diagnosed diabetes, so I forgot about it. I got new insurance a couple months later that would cover it, and brought it up to my doctor again, and he said some studies had come out recently that hadn't been made public yet, ozempic and it's equivalents are almost like poison and are very dangerous and he's not prescribing it to anyone ever again.

I use it for diabetes 2 but was interested for weight loss. I have lost in total 140 lbs 50 of it with ozempic. I do make sure to eat my protein first and excersize almost every day including weights and walking.

I have two eating disorder, anorexia nervosa and bulimia (without binge eating). I was severely overweight and lost a ton of weight because of this. However, I had foot surgery that left me unable to walk for 6 months and life happened and i put a lot of the weight back on. I have trained myself to eat again and would like to take part in exercise once more, I was a cycliste. The issue I'm running into is body image and not wanting to be in public. I feel that a drug like this would be beneficial for people who want to live healthier but their body image just prevents them from healthy a healthy balance with food and exercise. If I felt more confident with myself, I would definitely maintain healthier patterns in life. For me, it would really just be about getting myself to a level where I feel confident enough to pursue healthier exercise patterns.

for me the really irritating thing of this "craze" is that "direct-to-consumer" drug advertisement is generally forbidden in my country. but because of this fad people who want to want a weightloss-mirracle take away medication for people who actually need it.

As long as the side effects are completely disclosed, people have a right to take what they choose. Personally, I find that skipping breakfast and not eating anything after 6pm works wonders.

As someone who is currently in the middle of a weightloss journey. I started at 380lbs and am currently down to 330lbs after about 3 months of effort, and before people jump down my throat, that is not a dangerous amount to lose, when you're morbidly obese, your BMR is higher, something like 3000-4000 calories a day, so its kind of normal to have the weight just MELT off of you and mellow out at steady pace as you get closer to your goal weight. But with this all being said, in my experience, I have rapidly fluxuated from a regular weight to morbidly obese twice. The only, and I mean ONLY, way to maintian a healthy wieght and to keep it off is to develop good eating habits and maintining those indefinately, I have allowed myself 1800-2400 calories a day, which is the range I would need to maintain my goal weight for my height and sex. My goal weight being 150-170lbs. Something like ozempic and other "miracle" weight loss products only work so long as you use them, and if you aren't commited to producing real lifestyle changes, you're just making yourself dependant on a drug to regulate weight. You should plan your meals around nutrition with a food scale to really see how many calorites you eat, and if you can maintian the calories you need for your goal weight, especially with moderate excercize regularly, you will eventually hit your goal weight. It severly frustrates me how obfuscated weight loss and nutrition is. I have done a great deal of research in this area, and I can confidentally and securely say the best weight loss routine is one that considers your health and nutrition, along with the model that works for you. You have to find foods that are satiating and nutritious that you enjoy eating, and build your meals around those. Count your calories, and hold yourself accountable and to the standards of your diet, and you will eventually see change. It may take forever, and trust me I know, I've done this twice before, but if you stick to it, you will eventually see results, feel better, and come to peace with your relationship with food. Rome wasn't built in a day, and it didn't fall in a day. It takes time for you to change.

i love how it seem a lot of people will do anything but eat right and exercise to lose weight.

Restricting substances doesn't stop people from using them. They just start using unregulated substances full of impurities. Which increases people's risks of harm. Bodily autonomy is a fundamental human right.