People are terrified of Ozempic finger, losing engagement rings and bracelets from
From ‘Ozempic body’ to ‘Ozempic face,’ the miracle weight-loss drug has come with some odd side effects.
But now as well as finding that old clothes don’t fit patients are also reporting another impact of the medication, that their rings no longer fit.
Those who have suffered the side effect — including a 40-year-old teacher in Texas — are having to spend upwards of $100 to resize the jewelry and are being left fearing that their prized possessions could fall off.
One user on TikTok, who goes by the username genesistwilightnoir, posted a video detailing how weight loss shrunk her fingers.
‘My engagement ring has not fit for two years now because I gained a lot of weight. I just lost 41 pounds and have a lot more to go,’ the Oklahoma City user said.
She showed herself putting the ring on her finger and said that it didn’t used to go past her knuckle.
‘Now I’m wearing it.’
The ring now even appears as if it could be loose, posing the potential risk of it falling off.
Ozempic is a brand name for the medicine semaglutide, which suppresses appetite and triggers weight loss. It comes after a scientist who helped develop the drug said it made life ‘miserably boring’ because it took away pleasure from food.
Women on Ozempic have claimed that the drug caused their fingers to slim down, which results in their engagement and wedding rings falling off
TikTok user genesistwilightnoir said in a video that her engagement ring didn’t even used to go past her knuckle. Now, after losing 41 pounds, it appears like it could be loose on her finger, posing the potential risk of it falling off
Ozempic was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for type 2 diabetes in 2017. It is yet to be approved for weight loss.
The drug binds to the GLP-1 receptor, a protein that triggers hormones in the brain that keep the stomach full and tell the body to stop eating and avoid cravings.
In 2022, more than five million prescriptions for Ozempic, Mounjaro, Rybelsus (for another Novo drug that uses semaglutide), or Wegovy were written for weight management.
This is compared with just over 230,000 in 2019 — an increase of more than 2,000 percent over three years.
Already in 2023, doctors have doled out more than 832,700 prescriptions for Ozempic’s sister drug Wegovy.
Jessica, 40, a part-time preschool teacher in Houston, is one of those who says she has suffered from Ozempic finger.
She lost 17 pounds within her first six weeks on the drug, she said.
But after the dramatic down-size she could not get her ring to stay on her finger.
‘I never realized weight loss also happened in your hands, but my ring suddenly didn’t fit,’ Jessica told the New York Post.
‘I noticed it was flipping and it almost fell off. I was worried I would lose it.’
Getting a ring resized can be costly. Depending on the type of ring and how much your fingers have shrunk, it can be anywhere from $20 up to $150.
In Jessica’s case, it was $75.
Additionally, a DailyMail.com employee who has also used Ozempic said that she has had to shift rings on her fingers due to the weight loss.
‘I also have to stack some rings behind others so that they don’t fall off now,’ she said.
Melanie Fitzpatrick, co-founder of LeMel, the jeweler who resized Jessica’s ring, said that women are coming in droves to size down their jewelry due to weight loss.
Jewelers in areas of the country have seen an up to 150 percent increase in the number of people coming to get their rings resized compared to last year.
‘Usually the summer is a very quiet time for jewelers, but this year we are seeing a huge influx of jewelry repairs due to clients losing weight,’ she told New York Post.
‘Customers are coming in left and right, getting their rings sized down and bracelets shortened.’
‘Weight loss doesn’t just happen in your stomach or butt — it’s your full body.’
Jessica recently refilled her Ozempic prescription and dropped right more pounds. This caused her to lose another half a ring size.
‘I luckily haven’t had any side effects from Ozempic,’ she said. ‘If altering my jewelry is my only side effect, that’s fine by me!’