I'm a Doctor and These Are 5 Big Reasons Why I Would Never Take Ozempic to Lose Weight
Are you considering taking Ozempic to lose weight? Suneel Dhand, MD, is a physician specializing in Internal Medicine and Metabolic Health who shares lots of weight loss tips and tricks on social media. In one viral video, he outlines why you should think twice about taking Ozempic, Wegovy, or any other GLP-1 weight loss drug to drop pounds. "There is a massive craze right now for ozempic for weight loss, and I want to share with you in this video big reasons why I personally would never use it for weight loss," he says in the YouTube clip.
Ozempic Is Being "Dished Out Like Candy"
While he's all for people taking Ozemic for type 2 diabetes, he's more concerned about "the probably hundreds of thousands of people across America by now who are either using or thinking about using ozempic for weight loss," he says. "They might be mildly overweight or obese, but they don't have diabetes. This is a craze. It is being dished out like candy right now, not only by doctors but also in med spas across the country."
It's Primarily a Problem in the US
"There is nowhere near enough oversight of this," Dr. Dhand continues. "It hasn't been rolled out as widely across Europe, but in America, people can buy it pretty much anywhere. They can get their hands on it if there is enough supply."
There Are Many Possible Side Effects
He explains that the drug belongs to a class of medications called GLP-1 agonists. "The chemical name is Semaglutide. It's also known as Wegovy. Many of you may be familiar with it. You may know somebody who's on this medication. Maybe you've been on it, or you are on it yourself. And I have seen so many side effects and adverse events myself, and these stories are widely available out there," he says
There Is No Such Thing As a "Wonder Miracle" Drug
"The reality is that when we see any type of craze in the field of medicine, the last hundred years teach us that it usually doesn't end well. There is no such thing as a Wonder Miracle drug, especially in the field of lifestyle medicine," he says.
Here Is Why He "Wouldn't Even Consider" Using It
"I am concerned about this and the way it is being dished out and being used by so many people, and I'm going to explain to you big reasons why I wouldn't use it myself for weight loss. I wouldn't even consider it," he continues.
RELATED: 20 Things You Need to Know About Ozempic and Weight Loss
The Question Isn't Whether or Not It Works
"Let me first share this recent tweet of mine with you, which I recently put out. Ozempic works just like opioids and Vioxx works. The question is not whether it works or not. The question is the addiction, toxic side effects, and human misery that go with it," he says. "Yes, of course, Ozempic works. Any powerful injection, which in this case is a weekly injection, stops people from eating, which reduces the urge to eat and, therefore, reduces the amount people take in their calorie intake. Of course, that's going to work to lose weight. Same way as taping somebody's mouth shut would work to reduce weight. The question is the drawbacks that come with it."
1. Side Effects
The first issue is the side effects, he says. "Many people who start ozempic have to stop very quickly because of the disabling side effects. It is not the most pleasant drug, but it has gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Remember, this medication essentially works by paralyzing the stomach so that you don't feel hungry and you don't want to consume food," he explains.
There Could Also Be Long-Term Effects, he Says
"I also have some concerns over long-term effects on the pancreas and even concerns about long-lasting inflammation or even malignancy in the future," he reveals. "It's very difficult to tell with a relatively new drug, which is being prescribed to a mass number of people. Remember, this is not only for diabetics. This is now being prescribed to potentially hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of people, and only time will tell what sort of effects a powerful weekly injection will have on people."
RELATED: 20 Things to Avoid While on Ozempic
2. Muscle Loss
"Number two, muscle loss as well as losing fat," he continues. "Many people also lose muscle, and this is potentially a disaster on a metabolic level."
Many People on the Drug Aren't Working Out or Consuming Enough Protein
"I would hazard a guess that most people who are on ozempic are not regularly visiting the gym. They're not lifting weights. They probably aren't consuming enough protein. And when anybody loses muscle, this is a big problem because muscle is metabolically very active, and it plays an important role in many processes, including insulin sensitivity," he says.
This Is Why People on Ozempic Oftentimes Look Gaunt
"Muscle loss is known as sarcopenia, and this is why when you look at many people, you may have seen the pictures online, people who've been on ozempic for a long time, they start to look quite gaunt," he points out. "They don't look healthy because they've also lost muscle in addition to the fat."
3. The Cost
His third reason is the cost. "This is a hugely expensive medication, thousands of dollars," he says. "Many people do a course of ozempic for a few months, and they pay outta pocket. It is unlikely that insurance is going to cover the cost of these medications anytime soon. Maybe the medications will come down in cost over time, but I did hear a statistic recently that if everybody in America who is overweight or obese was prescribed ozempic and it was fully covered, that would amount to more than the GDP of the entire country. Several trillion dollars. Think about that."
Many People Can't Really Afford It
"People are paying out of pocket thousands of dollars for a course of ozempic, and it never ceases to amaze me because many of these people aren't the richest people. It was a stretch for them to afford it," he says. Instead, he recommends investing the money in "real, wholesome food, even organic food, a personal trainer and a motivational coach who would talk to them every day," saying it "would actually be far cheaper than the amount spent on ozempic." He notes that while "it might sound like an easy option, an injection," it isn't sustainable, "because most people can't keep affording this medication over the long term."
4. "Medical Mob" Situations End Up Backfiring
Number four is his "own intuition" and "common sense," he says. "When I look at this type of situation and consider the history of medicine over the last few decades when you have this mass movement, I call them the medical mob when they jump on board something, something which is obviously making a lot of money in the short term. It really does end up backfiring very badly indeed."
In a Few Years, We Will See More "Side Effects"
I really want to have this conversation again in five years' time when we have more stories about people for whom it hasn't worked. When we can see more side effects and adverse events because of the very idea that you can medicate, you can inject millions of people, hundreds of millions of people, many adolescents, and children with a medication every single week to stop them from eating and not address the toxic food environment is absolutely ludicrous," he says. "And my own belief system, the way I try to look at the world with logic, and also the fact that I am a huge fan of stoicism, tells me that this is a huge mistake. The mob, as usual, will realize that they were doing everything wrong once they think about this problem in a fundamentally correct way.:
5. There Are No Shortcuts in Health
"And number five, the basic rule that there are no shortcuts in health," he points out. "I'm sorry to have to tell you that anyone who is under any illusion, our body is millions of years in the making. It cannot be tricked so easily without consequences. Our body is very smart indeed, when most people in the Western world, especially in the United States, are surrounded by a toxic food environment, and we completely neglect to ask ourselves, why do we need these medications?"
He Points Out That Generations Before Didn't Experience Obesity Like This
"Why did our grandparents and great-grandparents not need these medications?" he asks. "It is because we are surrounded by ridiculous food items, heavily processed, coming to us in packages. It is not natural. It is loaded with artificial ingredients, inflammatory ingredients, preservatives, fake sugars, and seed oils. People eat way too many carbs and sugars. There are a whole host of things that we are doing wrong now that we didn't do wrong a few decades ago, and that is the fundamental issue. Until we address that, until we change the culture, throw in more activity, more exercise as well, only that will save people."
RELATED: 20 Possible Ozempic Side Effects
Ozempic Won't "Save You"
"I'm sorry to have to tell anybody out there. Ozempic is not going to save you. Most people who are using this for weight loss are not taking the right lifestyle approach, the one that will lead to sustained improvements and not being overweight or obese. That is a fact, and it is my duty as a doctor to be honest with people," he says.
Most People Regain Weight After Stopping the Drug
"That is why when most people stop ozempic, they immediately regain the weight because you haven't fixed the upstream problem," he says. "The fact that you are eating the wrong food every day, nothing will save you from that fact, no injection."
Changing Lifestyle Habits Is Key
"It's in your best interest to really take a step back and look at your lifestyle habits. This isn't easy. It takes determination and motivation, but that is the only thing that is going to lead to improved health outcomes. And you are keeping those pounds off and being in the same shape as your grandparents and great-grandparents. For most of us, when we look back at pictures of our ancestors, they were in much better shape than the current generation. I mean, think about it on a logical level as well," he says.
This Is an "Addiction" Issue
"This is an addiction issue. It's an addiction to the wrong types of food and food corporations that make their products highly addictive. They have scientists, the same scientists who worked for big tobacco once to make cigarettes addictive, now work for food corporations, and they know what they are doing, creating these highly addictive fake foods," he claims. "Would we deal with an addiction to alcohol the same way? Would we say, 'Oh yes, you can keep on drinking, and we will give you an injection every week to lower the chances of you getting liver cirrhosis? Oh, you are a smoker. You smoke cigarettes, carry on smoking. We'll give you an injection, and maybe your risk of getting lung issues will be reduced.' Absolutely not," he says. "We would deal with the root cause, and we would say, you must stop drinking alcohol, and you must stop smoking if you have a problem. But we haven't reached the same level of enlightenment with ultra-processed foods and our toxic food environment."
Eliminate Processed Food
"The only way to really sustain weight loss and get healthy is to eliminate that terrible food from your life," he claims. "70% of all calorie intake currently in the United States is ultra-processed foods. It's not far off in other Western countries, including the United Kingdom. But if we're serious about people being healthy, then that's what we should be focusing on."
RELATED: What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Taking Ozempic
Go the Lifestyle Route
"There are no shortcuts in health and wellbeing," he reiterates. "So those are some reasons why I personally would never take Ozempic for weight loss. That would be my own decision. I would go the lifestyle route, and the truth is that well over 90% of people could do that as well."
Make Your Own Decision
"But I'm a great believer in healthcare freedom and autonomy. Everybody is free to make their own choices about what they want for their own health," he says.
RELATED: 5 Proven Tips for Men Over 50 to Eliminate Stubborn Belly Fat
But, Taking a Drug Will Likely Backfire, He Claims
"But I believe that this is going to backfire. Everybody who is overweight or obese and wants to deal with that wants to fix problem has to think very carefully about how they are going to do that. But do not say you are not warned," he says. "You can weigh up the risks and benefits yourself and make the decision for yourself. But I repeat again, there are no miracle drugs out there, and your body cannot be tricked so easily." And if you enjoyed this article, don't miss 20 Incredible Ozempic Success Stories of All Time.
