Unless you've been living off-grid for the last year, you'll have heard of Ozempic and know what it is.
The medication has earned its place in the pop-culture hall of fame, with pretty much any celebrity looking skinner than usual accused of taking Ozempic at this point.
Despite its reputation as a weight-loss drug, Ozempic isn't actually FDA-approved for that purpose.
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Yet, the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Sharon Osbourne, Amy Schumer, and Rebel Wilson have all admitted to trying it.
Ozempic is meant to help patients with type 2 diabetes, however, that hasn't stopped ordinary folk like us accessing it off-label and micro-dosing the stuff.
However, other appetite-suppressant drugs, including Semaglutide (Wegovy), Tirzepatide (Zepbound), and Liraglutide (Saxenda) are approved for weight loss purposes - but Ozempic is the most well-known brand name.
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And while Ozempic can have some pretty surprising impacts on our body, the same can be said for coming off the drug too.
Robert Kushner, MD, a professor and the director of the Center for Lifestyle Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago spoke to Everyday Health about what happens to our bodies when we come off Ozempic.
The side effects caused by Ozempic go away
Ozempic can induce some rather unpleasant side effects, from feeling sick and bloated, to dizziness and even diarrhea.
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Kushner highlighted that some of these side effects can be managed while still on Ozempic by making some dietary changes, including reducing fat intake, consuming smaller portions and not skipping meals.
However, stopping the drug will, obviously, curb these nuisance side effects.
Appetite returns
'All benefits' from Ozempic stops once you quit taking it, Kushner explained, including its appetite-suppressant effects.
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“If the patient experienced a reduction in appetite and body weight that resulted from consuming a lower-calorie diet, the individual’s appetite will increase back to baseline when the medication is stopped, making it harder to follow a lower calorie diet," he added.
Weight gain
If you're no longer feeling so satiated, your appetite is larger and you're eating more then, of course, you're likely to gain weight.
Kushner stresses the importance of taking appetite-suppressant drugs like Ozempic 'along with making healthy lifestyle changes in diet and physical health'.
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“These changes should be continued even after stopping the medication and can help maintain some of the health benefits seen with body weight and blood sugar control," he added.
Ozempic face reverses
An upside to this potential weight gain, however, is the reversal of so-called Ozempic face.
Rapid weight loss can cause faces to become gaunt, with sagging skin causing an 'aged' appearance.
Joshua Zeichner, MD, an associate professor of dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City told Everyday Health: “Ozempic face will go away if you gain back the weight you lost from the drug."
He added: "The face can get full the way it used to, just as you can regain the weight in your body.”
This means that cases of Ozempic butt would also reverse.
Blood sugar levels rise
Ozempic is used to treat diabetes, and stopping the medication can lead to a rise in blood sugar levels.
Dr. Beverly Tchang, an endocrinologist and assistant professor at NewYork-Presbyterian and Weill Cornell Medicine, explained: “Since Ozempic treats the chronic disease of diabetes, people can potentially see a worsening of their diabetes when they stop Ozempic.”
One reason for this is that people may start eating more after going off the drug, which can cause blood sugar to increase.
So, even if patients maintain healthier eating habits post-Ozempic, their blood sugar will still go up, simply because the drug helps the body produce more insulin, the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar.
Without the drug’s support, that insulin boost goes away.
Topics: Health, Ozempic, Food and Drink, Science
Ellie Kemp