Doctor shares warning on dangerous 'budget Ozempic' weight loss trend
Amid continued demand for drugs used for weight loss, including Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, some people are instead turning to laxatives.
The trend of using over-the-counter laxatives as alternatives to the drugs is touted on social media as "budget Ozempic," but it's a trend that doctors say is dangerous, as laxatives don't lead to weight loss and can carry significant health risks if misused.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, laxative misuse is recognized as a type of extreme weight loss behavior and can be a sign of a serious eating disorder.
"Obviously, I see the reasoning for this because Ozempic is so expensive and so popular now, but there is a totally different pharmacology," said Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News chief medical correspondent and a board-certified OB-GYN. "This is not something people should be following."
The Wall Street Journal reports that searches for laxative pills have "more than tripled" in the past year on Amazon, while the manufacturers of Metamucil and Benefiber, two brands of fiber supplements, have reported "double-digit sales growth."
As someone who is diabetic, and took Ozempic, yea I lost weight. However I was visit-the-hospital sick for 5 weeks. Yes my A1C went down, but at the cost of not being able to eat, drink, or sleep for weeks on end. I will never ever take that medicine again.
My dad really benefitted from using it, he has lost a quarter of his bodyweight so far and still has a bit to go to get to a healthy weight. Here in the UK diabetics are struggling to get it from the NHS because people are buying it privately for weight loss and taking up all the stock.
Oh it’s the same here in the US. I had to spend weeks fighting with insurance that I actually was diabetic and needed it. It’s a “fashionable” drug so it was hard for the people who actually need it to get it.