Model Lottie Moss has spoken out against using diabetes medication for weight loss after reportedly suffering a seizure after taking Ozempic.
The 26-year-old sister of 1990s fashion icon Kate Moss Podcasts This week, she spoke about the health scare she experienced after trying Ozempic, which she got through a friend.
Moss said she sought out the drug when she was worried about her weight and wanted to lose it. A friend introduced her to a doctor who could prescribe the drug. “It was pretty sleazy, to be honest with you. It was from a doctor, but it wasn’t like going into a doctor’s office and getting a prescription and having your blood pressure taken and all those tests that you have to do to take a drug like Ozempic,” Moss said.
Ozempic contains the active ingredient semaglutide and is used to manage diabetes, but it is unclear whether Moss received Ozempic itself or a different version of the drug.
“I took it for two weeks. They give you this thing that’s like a pen and it has different doses in it,” Moss said. “One week you get an injection, the next week you get an injection, and then you take it every week. I’ve never felt so sick in my life. I threw up. It was awful. I started out on a low dose, then they increased the dose and I ended up in bed for two days.”
Ms Moss said she had suffered a seizure in hospital because she was “severely dehydrated”, describing the incident as “one of the most terrifying things that has ever happened to me in my life”.
“I hope that by me telling this, some people will realize that treating diabetes is just not worth it,” she said.
Expert opinion
Dr. Melanie JayShe, an associate professor of medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and director of the Comprehensive Obesity Program, told Yahoo Life that Moss “was not an appropriate candidate for the drug” because she wasn’t under a doctor’s supervision. She also said that Moss wasn’t taking the drug as intended by the drug company. [on a] “You’ll start with 0.25 mg every week for a month before moving on to the next dose, so your body gets used to it,” Jay says, “and then you’ll get the next dose every week for a month.”
However, Moss was given higher doses of the drug the following week and later became extremely ill.
Jay also said it was unclear whether Moss was taking Ozempic or another version of the weight-loss drug, which may have accounted for the dosage discrepancy. When you pick up your box of Ozempic at the pharmacy, you get four pens with the same dose for a one-month supply.
How common is Ozempic overdose?
December 2023, Poison Control Center Reported a 1,500% increase in call volume It has been linked to an injectable weight loss drug. Utah Poison Control Center It has been reported that the number of calls has increased by 640% since 2020. There will be more calls in 2024 than in previous years.
In July, the Food and Drug Administration Issued a warning About Semaglutide overdoseIt is also the active ingredient in Wegovy, a weight loss medication made by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk.
The FDA says that people who take too much semaglutide may experience:
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vomiting
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diarrhea
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syncope
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headache
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Migraine
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dehydration
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Acute pancreatitis
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Gallstones
Some people sought hospitalization due to their symptoms, the FDA reported.
However, the warning wasn’t about the drug made by Novo Nordisk, but about compounded versions of semaglutide. Compounded semaglutide is made by compounding pharmacies, who mix or change ingredients to create customized medicines to meet a patient’s specific needs. These versions are not subject to the same oversight as FDA-approved drugs and may not meet the same standards.
In this case, the problem was dosing: Ozempic and Wegovy come in prefilled pens, while compounded versions typically come in vials, meaning patients can accidentally take a higher dose than recommended.
Joseph LamsonFormer Director of the New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center Explained to Healthline“Most of these pens only deliver a single dose and are activated by simply clicking the pen, which can then be administered by injection, like an EpiPen. However, these compounded preparations are usually administered in vials and come with a needle and syringe, increasing the likelihood of causing an overdose.”
If you use compounded versions of medications, be aware that, according to the FDA, “compounded drugs have not undergone FDA premarket review for safety, effectiveness, or quality and therefore pose a higher risk to patients than FDA-approved drugs.”
“Compound drugs should be used to meet a patient’s medical needs only when those needs cannot be met by FDA-approved medications,” the federal agency explained.
Conclusion
If you’re interested in taking semaglutide for weight loss, it’s important to talk to your doctor. Your doctor can help you get a prescription for the over-the-counter medication. Are these medications really right for you?That’s because these drugs are only prescribed to people who meet certain health criteria, such as having a BMI above a certain target or having weight-related conditions like high blood pressure.
Pharmacies are the way people get their medicines When there is a medicine shortage This is a problem faced by many people who seek weight loss drugs. Not available through insurance This is down to cost (out-of-pocket costs for Ozempic and Wegovy can cost more than $1,000 per month).
However, it is important to know that these combination drugs also come with risks, such as more complicated dosing. It is always advisable to see a doctor before starting to take any weight loss medication, as your doctor will guide you through this process.
