Weight loss is a sensitive topic to many. It is a topic that seems to create such a complex discussion not just in America, but all around the world. A great number of people have had mixed feelings about how to achieve weight loss and the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Some feel the issue is a slippery slope – can losing too much weight be going overboard to the point of no return, or is there the right balance to lose weight in order to be healthy and fit enough to function?
It’s important to note that according to the World Health Organization “ In 2022, 2.5 billion adults (18 years and older) were overweight. Of these, 890 million were living with obesity and 37 million children under the age of 5 were overweight.”
These percentages nearly doubled since it was last recorded in 1990. With this data, it is clear that there is an alarming obesity epidemic plaguing our world today. That’s why it comes as no surprise that there have been various sorts of methods and solutions that doctors and medical professionals have been trying to come up with in regard to weight loss solutions in order to combat this ongoing obesity problem.
With all these new solutions, there seems to be one ‘solution’ that seems to have iced out all other solutions. The diabetes drug Ozempic has been making the rounds all over the world recently as many people have been using it as a fast way to lose weight.
This trend seems to have taken the world by storm. Though there have been many weight loss drugs over the past few years, Ozempic seems to be the drug that no one can escape. Whether it’s people praising the drug or criticizing it, Ozempic seems to be a trend that no one can stop talking about.
From the viral tik tok influencers documenting their weight loss using this drug or the variety of mainstream celebrities taking this drug and the drastic results that have followed, this trend seems to be garnering more attention which leads to the question, is Ozempic truly a blessing or a curse?
One may ask, what is Ozempic? Ozempic also known as semaglutide is a prescription medication that was created to treat type 2 diabetes as well as weight management in people with obesity or overweight conditions. While Ozempic is not primarily categorized as a weight loss drug, it has been found to lead to weight loss as a side effect in clinical trials.
The history of Ozempic can be traced back to Novo Nordisk, a Danish pharmaceutical company specializing in diabetes care. The development of semaglutide as a medication started with the earlier generation and Novo Nordisk researchers then modified the molecular structure of semaglutide to improve its durability and effectiveness in the body.
Jonathan Raa
Ozempic was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2017 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. In addition to its success in lowering blood sugar levels in individuals with diabetes, clinical trials also demonstrated that Ozempic led to weight loss in patients with obesity or overweight conditions. In June 2021, the FDA approved the use of Ozempic for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or who are overweight with at least one weight-related condition.
After this, Ozempic became the ultimate weight loss drug. I mean, why wouldn’t it? Given the success it was having on patients and the approval of the drug from the government, it’s no shock that Ozempic ended up playing a huge role in the weight loss epidemic.
But what many did not know was the major side effects that came with taking this drug.
Even with these good signs, trouble began to brew for this weight loss drug when many started telling stories of the horrors they experienced by using this drug. Many of these stories included severe health consequences in their lives or it ultimately led to their untimely deaths.
One particular story that shocked the world was the story of Trish Webster. Trish Webster was a 56 year old Australian woman who died last year in January from taking Ozempic. Trish started taking Ozempic to look “slim” for her daughter’s wedding. Sadly, Trish ended up never being able to attend her daughter’s wedding as she was found unresponsive and unconscious by her husband on January 16th 2023, just months before her daughter’s nuptials.
Photo Provided by: 60 Minutes Australia
Webster began taking Ozempic in order to squeeze into reportedly her “dream” dress for her daughter’s wedding. She ended up losing 35 pounds in five months. While the drug helped her lose weight in a fast amount of time, it made her incredibly ill.
How could have this happened to Trish, a woman that had so much ahead of her? Well, according to her husband Roy Webster, “I couldn’t save her,” Webster tearfully told 60 Minutes Australia. “If I knew that could happen, she wouldn’t have been taking it.”
Photo Provided by: 60 Minutes Australia
Trish Webster’s story is tragic to say the least. A woman who was gearing up to see her daughter walk down the aisle, was no longer able to do so because of a weight loss drug. Trish’s story is one that resulted in her untimely passing.
Ozempic has definitely caused many drastic results for people in a short amount of time, but are these results worth it if it leads to either long term health consequences in the future, or in Trish’s case, death.
I spoke to people to get a better idea if Ozempic is an effective way to lose weight.
“Dieting and working out constantly, I feel like that’d be a great method to lose weight. Even if you are taking medication it should strictly be for losing weight, like hunger suppressors.”- Divine Ford
Ozempic is arguably a drug that has undoubtedly had an impact around the world. But this drug seems to have created numerous questions surrounding its effectiveness as a drug and the long term effects it can have on a person. So is Ozempic a blessing or a curse? That is up for a discussion, one thing’s for certain, Ozempic will definitely be something people talk about for decades to come.
Trish Webster (Facebook)
