Weightloss Trend Creates Shortages

Losing weight is difficult, especially around the holidays or leaning up for warmer weather. But this weight loss trend has made it even more difficult, as people are now looking at ways to lose weight faster. While most people think that diet and exercise are the only ways to lose weight, several trends have created a shortage of weight loss drugs, some prescription-only. Almost any type of product that can help you lose weight has appeared on the market, from diet pills to shakes and pills. One trend on social media is fast becoming dangerous, leaving those with diabetes with little to no supply of their much-needed prescribed medication to control their blood sugar. That, in itself, is a very dangerous one indeed!

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OZEMPIC DIABETIC MEDICATION FOR WEIGHT LOSS

The medication being referred to is Ozempic. Ozempic is an injectable semaglutide that assists lower with blooding A1C, and despite the organization explicitly expressing it isn't for weight reduction, individuals have been involved in it.

If you were to type in #ozempic into TikTok, you would see that the outcomes are bounty. TikTok clients are flaunting their weight reduction venture and genuinely talking about their encounters while on the medication. Some even truly do question-and-answer sessions and offer when pictures.

Currently, both Ozempic and Wegovy are recorded as "shortage" by the FDA. It is a type two diabetes medication from Novo Nordisk to control diabetic levels and for long-term weight loss. Both are very expensive medications costing $865.18, according to GoodRX, which is 15% of the retail price of $1,025.40. The company does offer a commercial discount for those insured. Even with this hefty price tag, Ozempic is still trending and used to create drastic weight loss.

What The Experts Are Saying

"There's a lot of weight loss associated with Ozempic and its other brand name Wegovy," Dr. David Margraf stated. "And so people are seeking it out, from the demand side driving up the shortage."

Margraf, a College of Minnesota drug research researcher, said on top of individuals searching out Ozempic, Wegovy - the medication initially made to battle stoutness - has likewise been confronting supply issues.

"Due to the shortage of Wegovy, people have resorted to getting a prescription for Ozempic, which is the same molecule, however, it has a different FDA indication, so people are prescribed Ozempic off-label."

What's more, using the medication off-label isn't against the law, it's a commonplace practice, particularly in oncology, as per Margraf. However, it has its drawbacks.

"We have patients with type 2 diabetes who can't get Ozempic due to the off-label prescribing for weight management," he added, and he doesn't anticipate this new trend to subside anytime in the near future.

"This could be a fad driven by the new year, however, I feel like this will continue on…Weight loss is always an issue regardless of the time of year".

"No drug is without a side effect, so patients and prescribers need to keep this in mind that there are side effects with this drug and any other. So I think active conversations with health care professionals is really important."

Even though Ozempic isn't endorsed for weight reduction, Wegovy, a higher-portion variant of Ozempic, was supported for weight reduction by the U.S. Food and Medication Organization in 2021 for a stout or overweight grown-ups with no less than one weight-related condition like diabetes or hypertension.

The FDA records Wegovy and Ozempic as two of nearly 200 drugs in stock shortages. Their new ascent in ubiquity for weight reduction is accepted to be the justification for their deficiency. Francisco Prieto, a California-based doctor, told the Los Angeles Times that because of the FDA drug shortage, his patients who take Ozempic need to "call multiple pharmacies and drive around town to see if it's in stock," with some still not having the option to fill their medicines.

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Influencers on Social Media

Ozempic and other diabetes drugs like Mounjaro have advanced around Hollywood, with various famous people and powerhouses helping their weight reduction because of the medications. For instance, when somebody mentioned Elon Musk's weight reduction on Twitter in October, Musk answered that he accomplished the glance through fasting "and Wegovy." His remark was met with commendation and analysis, with somebody raising the medication deficiencies, guaranteeing Musk didn't "need it for weight loss, diabetics ACTUALLY need it."

Why Has Ozempic Become So Popular?

As per Assortment, the medications have "devotees from every corner of the industry," with entertainers, leaders, and specialists the same extolling them on Signal; a scrambled texting administration used to hold private discussions. Indeed, even a hypothesis is sufficient to draw debate, and hashtag #ozempic has north of 350 million perspectives on TikTok. There are numerous posts with pictures and hashtags with individuals sharing their weight reduction ventures, with some crediting the medication's ascent in prevalence on the application to its stockpile lack.

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It's a fact that people will follow what a celebrity or influencer is doing, whether it's fashion to health. At the time of this writing, it is just before New Years', and with the weight gain around the holidays, people are searching for a solution to this problem, usually without much work involved. Nobody likes to go to the gym and spend hours working with weights and the treadmill, and many prefer to reduce their hunger. People seeing a solution to the weight problem toted by an influencer, it's easy to see why multitudes flocked to be prescribed Olympic or Wagovy. There are easier ways to attain this weight loss that wouldn't leave a drug shortage that endangers the lives of thousands.

The Process

Not only are Olympic and Wagovy in a drug shortage, and currently, there are 236 drugs in shortage, with some in critical amounts. That fact enough is pretty scary. So, for now, for those individuals with type 2 diabetes that were using Olympic or Wagovy, their doctors now have to prescribe something else that may not work as well. This means that they have to go through preauthorizations all over again.

Working in a pharmacy for years, I can tell you that it's not always as easy as it sounds. If you have ever been prescribed something that, per your insurance, needs a preauthorization, you know how daunting this can be with the waiting. Sometimes the insurance doesn't cover it at all! So here we are with another drug shortage of two prescribed medications being added to the list.

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Conclusion

The problem with these drugs is that they are not available to the public as they are only given to people diagnosed with certain conditions. So, if you want to lose weight fast and want to take a diet pill, you need to know that you are not taking a drug that is meant to help you lose weight, but you are taking a medication that is only meant for those who have been diagnosed with a certain condition. Due to this trend on Social Media by influencers such as TikTok, Ozempic and Wegovy are on the FDA Drug Shortage list leaving type 2 diabetics unable to receive their much-needed medication. So for weight loss, there are other alternative that work just as well.