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By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 1, 2023 (HealthDay Information) — Mila Clarke began taking Ozempic in 2020 to assist handle her diabetes, however was pleasantly shocked to search out herself quickly shedding kilos.
“I used to be like, that is actually bizarre as a result of I’m not having to strive very arduous to do that,” stated Clarke, who has been recognized with each sort 1 and kind 2 diabetes and chronicles her diabetes journey on her Hangry Lady weblog. “And as I stored happening, I stored noticing that the burden was falling off.”
Then the unintended effects began — most worryingly, a racing and palpitating heartbeat.
“I may very well be laying down in mattress and my coronary heart price, like resting coronary heart price, can be 120 beats per minute,” the type of price related to train, Clarke stated in an interview with HealthDay Now. “It was actually having an impact on my coronary heart price, and that was actually terrifying.”
First authorized to deal with diabetes underneath the model title Ozempic, the drug semaglutide acquired federal approval in June 2021 to even be prescribed as a weight-loss treatment — with the model title Wegovy.
Individuals excited about dropping kilos — both for his or her well being or for self-importance’s sake — flooded the marketplace for semaglutide, making it troublesome to not possible for folks with diabetes to fill prescriptions wanted to handle their situation.
However semaglutide comes with some troubling unintended effects that individuals won’t have thought-about of their seek for the right physique, consultants say.
These can vary from nausea and vomiting to untimely ageing of the face, in addition to coronary heart issues.
The drug is an artificial type of a naturally occurring intestine hormone, Dr. Holly Lofton, an weight problems drugs specialist with NYU Langone Well being in New York Metropolis, advised HealthDay Now.
“It goes to completely different areas of the mind and blocks starvation indicators, it goes to your abdomen and slows down the speed your abdomen empties, and it hormonally helps your physique be extra delicate to the insulin that you simply produce, thus serving to your fats cells shrink,” Lofton defined.
Due to the best way it really works, semaglutide’s mostly reported unintended effects contain the gastrointestinal system, Lofton stated.
These have been the primary that Clarke skilled.
Scary unintended effects, like a racing heartbeat
“You begin out on a really low dose to have your physique get used to it,” Clarke stated. “You will get a whole lot of nausea, diarrhea, you possibly can really feel dizzy.”
When Clarke superior to the therapeutic dose of semaglutide, she developed coronary heart palpitations and tachycardia (racing heartbeat).
“It received to a degree the place it was like I might really feel my coronary heart beating out of my chest,” Clarke stated. “It could wake me up in the midst of the night time, and I used to be type of panicking as a result of I used to be like, this doesn’t really feel proper. It feels very scary.”
Clarke didn’t point out it, however different individuals who take semaglutide seem to develop what’s changing into referred to as “Ozempic face,” by which speedy weight reduction causes an individual’s face to look gaunt, saggy and prematurely aged.
“Whenever you shed some pounds so acutely and rapidly, you see extra of a world facial losing,” Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, a New York Metropolis dermatologist, advised NBC’s TODAY present.
“It’s not only a wrinkle we’re seeing in a single space or a heaviness across the eyes,” Frank continued. “We’re seeing it within the temples, the jaw line, across the mouth, underneath the eyes.”
Regardless of her unintended effects, Clarke caught with Ozempic for a couple of 12 months as a result of the drug was very efficient in controlling her diabetes and serving to her shed some pounds.
Clarke dropped about 10 kilos inside a month. By the point she determined to cease taking Ozempic a 12 months later, she’d misplaced 35 kilos.
“It was actually tempting to proceed it as a result of it is such a straightforward treatment to take,” Clarke stated. “It is as soon as weekly, it is an injection, it doesn’t harm that badly in any respect, barely seems like a pinch.”
“I simply felt like, I type of need to proceed this as a result of I am seeing actually good outcomes on it. However then for the flip aspect, it was like, though I am seeing these nice outcomes, I really feel terrible on a regular basis,” Clarke added. “I do not really feel good, I haven’t got any vitality, I really feel sick and nauseous. And that is not high quality of life.”
Clarke was anxious that she’d regain the burden she misplaced after she stopped taking Ozempic, however that wasn’t what occurred.
“I truly ended up sustaining my weight for a short time after which even dropping somewhat bit extra. So whole, I misplaced about 50 kilos,” Clarke stated.
As demand exceeds provide, some with diabetes go with out
Clarke has described the semaglutide shortages as “actually irritating” on her weblog, significantly for individuals who want the drug to handle their diabetes.
Wegovy accommodates a better dose of semaglutide, as a result of that’s the dose wanted to deal with weight problems as authorized by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration.
Ever since Wegovy arrived available on the market, producer Novo Nordisk has struggled to fulfill demand, prompting off-label prescription of Ozempic for weight reduction.
“There are people who find themselves utilizing it for weight reduction for well being functions, and I feel that’s wonderful,” Clarke stated. “Particularly with my very own expertise, I understand how useful it may be.”
However social media has spurred demand by selling semaglutide as a miracle weight-loss drug, Lofton stated.
Wegovy is supposed to assist folks with weight issues so dangerous that the additional kilos are harming their well being, however semaglutide is as an alternative getting used to assist folks obtain the “good physique.”
Clarke famous an “Ozempic problem” circulating on TikTok.
“It is people who find themselves at a fairly regular weight,” Clarke stated of the TikTok movies. “Perhaps they’ve like 10 kilos that they need to lose due to some cause. From what I’ve seen, it is often self-importance functions.”
“And they also’re utilizing Ozempic, and I feel that has a very large affect on folks with diabetes as a result of we’re not in a position to get the drug at this level,” Clarke stated. “There are such a lot of shortages, and there’s an absence of manufacturing for Ozempic with this elevated demand as a result of individuals are seeing that it really works for weight reduction very effectively.”
Lofton stated that each makes use of of the drug are respectable, and what’s actually wanted is for Novo Nordisk to resolve its manufacturing bottleneck and for insurers to cowl semaglutide remedy.
Novo Nordisk has promised to resolve the semaglutide shortages throughout the first few months of 2023, Lofton stated.
“We now have about 40 million folks with weight problems/obese, and we’ve got about 11 million folks within the U.S. with diabetes,” Lofton stated.
“If the businesses cannot meet the demand — which I’m glad the demand is nice and other people find out about these medication — then we actually have to reevaluate how these pharmaceutical corporations are permitting us, in addition to insurance coverage corporations are permitting us, to have entry to those much-needed medication for a number of circumstances,” Lofton stated.
Extra data
The U.S. Meals and Drug Administration has extra on shortages of Wegovy and Ozempic.
SOURCES: Mila Clarke, blogger and activist; Holly Lofton, MD, weight problems drugs specialist, NYU Langone Well being, New York Metropolis
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