#024 - Weight loss medications and the wild west
In recent years, weight loss medications like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro have surged in popularity. Their original use was for blood sugar control in type 2 diabetes; however, manufacturers have jumped on some of their additional side effects of weight loss and suppressed appetite. I’m sure we all have a friend who has told you their wonder weight loss journey with these medications. The thought of just a once-a-week injection with miraculous results sounds amazing right…right?
Sorry but I’m here to burst your bubble.
To clarify: these injections, when prescribed and followed up by a doctor working for an NHS funded weight loss clinic/GP, with the intention of managing type 2 diabetes, weight loss and reduction of heart attack/stroke risk are beneficial for a select group of patients.
Having said that there is no denying that these medications are being abused. As a medical professional I find it very worrying how easy it is to get hold of a medication that:
-Has a high side effect profile1
-Is still being investigated for serious unknown side effects2
-Has a high availability on the black market being prescribed by non-prescribers at extortionate prices with no patient follow up.
In addition, the long-term weight loss outcomes have not been established with a high risk of rebound weight gain once stopped.3
To give you an idea of how easy it is to get hold of this medication I clicked on the first weight loss jab advert I could find on Google. It took me 72 seconds (I timed myself) to complete the questionnaire and be offered the medication. I may have told a few lies regarding my weight and my weight related problems but the point I am trying to make is that had I gone through my GP I would never have been prescribed this in the first place.
Let me tell you another story. I treated a very unwell patient on the intensive care unit with acute pancreatitis about a year ago. We could not figure out what had caused this and spent some time scratching our heads. It wasn’t until a family member told us that they were on Ozempic, a drug currently being investigated as a potential cause of pancreatitis. There was no documentation of this patient being on it from their hospital or GP notes because they had been prescribed it online by a third party. This patient almost died.
Hopefully I am painting a picture regarding the problems that unregulated use of these medications can cause. I would urge caution not to underestimate the effects of taking a medication that has not been prescribed by your usual GP/hospital doctor.
Unfortunately in life there is no such thing as an easy fix or a cheat code. They just don’t exist. Particularly when it comes to weight loss and health. I would advise against quick fixes in this regard and consider longer term lifestyle changes with proven track results.
Dr Jack Maynard
References
1. Wilding J.P.H. et al. (2021). "Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity." New England Journal of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183
2. BMJ 2025;389:r1344
3. Wilding JPH. STEP 1 Study Group. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: The STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2022 Aug;24(8):1553-1564. doi: 10.1111/dom.14725. Epub 2022 May 19. PMID: 35441470; PMCID: PMC9542252.