Not that long ago, it was found that 1 in 8 adults in the United States has taken Ozempic or a similar medicine. While some of them take it for their diabetes, others, as you probably know, take it as a way to lose weight. This usage has become so common that some have dubbed it the “Ozempic epidemic”, as there are shortages of GLP-1 medicine.
The thing is that Ozempic and related meds are no different from other medications in the sense that they also can cause unwanted side effects. And while some of these side effects are relatively minor ones, others can be a little more daunting.
While Ozempic helps people to lose weight pretty fast, it comes with certain risks they have to face
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In fact, this medicine might not even cause expected weight loss for every single user or it might not have long-term results
First of all, while Ozempic can provide rather fast results in the weight loss area, that doesn't mean it does so for everyone, or that these results are long-term. Turns out, many people who take this semaglutide for this function notice that over time, the weight loss slows down and even stalls completely at some point.
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The SELECT trial revealed that only 12% of participants reached a healthy body weight over 4 years of usage, while most of them remained either overweight or obese. In fact, when quite many participants in the study stopped taking semaglutide, they regained the weight they had lost. So, as you can see, while this medicine might help to get rid of extra kilograms, there’s no guarantee that it will or that the results will remain for long.
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While this lottery of possible results might not scare you off of using Ozempic, there are a few other things to consider besides this one.
For instance, the long-term safety of using this medicine for weight loss is uncertain. There was one study that revealed the med’s association with a risk of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (vision loss in one eye, without any pain.) And it might be just the tip of the iceberg.
There's also the fact that there's no way to be sure if its usage won't cause any problems in the future
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There are also more aesthetic-focused risks. Already, there’s a phenomenon called “Ozempic face”, which is usually the way to describe sagging skin that is left after weight loss.
The problem is that it makes people look way older than they are, so they start considering plastic surgery to plump, lift, smooth their skin, or otherwise bring back its youthfulness. As you might know, while plastic surgery is relatively safe nowadays, it still comes with certain risks, so you need to be wary of that too.
Additionally, it causes people's faces to sag, making them look way older for their age, increasing the desire for plastic surgery, which also comes with risks
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Apart from the so-called Ozempic face, there's also a similar phenomenon called "Ozempic teeth." Turns out, those who take this medicine might endure some dental issues like dry mouth, bad breath or gum disease.
This is due to the fact that this medication can reduce saliva production, cutting down on the body's natural ability to cleanse teeth, which results in the aforementioned conditions and detriment to teeth overall. Over time, this can result in a person experiencing pain, chewing problems, tooth decay, bacterial and other life-threatening infections.
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At the same time, besides the risks, there are also some benefits that this medicine can bring to the user. For example, it was found that Ozempic usage can slash the risk of various diseases like heart attacks, strokes, and kidney disease.
This also includes colon and rectal cancers, of which the numbers have been going up recently, especially among young people. Granted, further research is necessary to confirm their findings, but there is possible promise.
The other benefit of Ozempic is the fact that it helps people to lose weight. It’s a known fact that overweight and obesity pose health risks to a person, from heart disease, type 2 diabetes to even cancers, to name a few. So, when they lose additional kilograms, they also reduce these risks.
Or it can be detrimental to people's teeth, as the medication might slow down the production of saliva, which can cause bad breath, dry mouth or gum disease
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Yet, some experts say that opting for other methods of weight loss than Ozempic is safer. For example, a plant-based diet is a safe, low-cost method with research-proven benefits, which also helps with losing weight.
That is just one out of many other methods. It’s up to you to choose how many risks you want to take on, how fast you want to see results, and all other factors. You know, to each their own.
At the same time, there's a bright side — there's a possibility that Ozempic might slash risks for diseases like cancer, but further research is yet needed
