A wave of American teens are using laxatives as a ‘budget Ozempic’ to feel skinnier, which is contributing to a shortage of the stool-loosening drugs.

Demand is beginning to outstrip supply for polyethylene glycol 3350, the generic name for laxatives like Miralax and Glycolax.

The teens descending on the laxatives may mean that people who actually need them to treat genuine constipation cannot access the drug, such as those with Crohn’s disease.

Laxatives may give the impression of short-term weight loss, but only water weight is lost and is put back on when someone drinks again.

An aging population in America, as well as a general lack of fiber in diets, is also causing the laxative shortage.

Eating disorder specialist Dr Jenna DiLossi told the Wall Street Journal she had seen a sharp rise in teenage patients abusing laxatives over the past two years, with some viewing it as an over-the-counter form of Ozempic.

Laxatives are drugs that loosen stools and increase bowel movements and are used to treat and prevent constipation. They work by drawing in water or physically stimulating the colon to contract. 

Some people might think that laxatives will help them poop out what they have eaten before the body absorbs the calories, meaning they will lose weight.

But this is false. The food we eat goes through many processes before it reaches your bowel and becomes stool.

The body absorbs the calories, fat, and the majority of nutrients before they reach the large intestine.

What is left is mainly water and some minerals which your body does not need. Some of it is absorbed by the body in the large intestine.

If someone takes laxatives and loses weight, they are only losing water. As soon as they drink something, they will regain the weight back.

Prior to the pandemic, Dr DiLossi said new clients rarely responded ‘yes’ to laxative use in intake surveys.

The clinical psychologist from Pennsylvania said that now, at least three of the five new teens she typically sees a week admit to having tried a laxative for weight loss.

‘When people have an excessive bowel movement and they feel completely empty inside, that gets wrapped up in thinness and health,’ she said.

Dr DiLossi said teens told her they got the idea to try laxatives from TikTok, where the hashtag #GutTok has garnered 1.1 billion views.

She said that even the videos that do not directly promote laxatives for weight loss still endorse the idea that going to the bathroom more often is better for you.

According to analytics company Pattern, searches for laxative pills on Amazon have more than tripled over the past year.

Meanwhile, the companies manufacturing the fiber supplements Metamucil and Benefiber have reported huge sales growth in recent years.

Dow Chemical, which makes pharmaceutical ingredients for drug companies, is building new factories which employees said is partly to produce more polyethylene glycol — the laxative that has been hard to get since the pandemic. Polyethylene glycol is also used in cleaning products and moisturizers.

Surprisingly, growing numbers of younger customers are using fiber supplements, suppliers say.

Haleon, the manufacturer of Benefiber, a popular plant-based fiber supplement, said that 18-42-year-olds are copping the supplement quicker than ever.

Jissan Cherian, who is head of marketing at Haleon and notes that its messaging has not altered, said: ‘The demand has changed.’

He thinks the move is due to millennials becoming more focused on wellness and an increasing awareness of the relationship between gut bacteria and depression.

Earlier this year, Haleon launched a gummy version of its product to appeal specifically to young adults.

A Florida woman who has been taking a weight-loss injection for nearly a decade is urging Americans to stop taking these drugs solely for weight loss. 

Danielle Payton, 33, is thought to be one of the longest-serving patients on a GLP-1 agonist, which was first approved in 2010. 

These drugs are at the center of concerns about long-term safety risks, already being linked to severe vomiting and suicidal thoughts.

Ms Payton – a publicist – began taking the once-daily injection Victoza – a precursor to Ozempic and Wegovy – in 2014 to stave off type 2 diabetes.

She weighed 209 pounds at the time and was prediabetic. She was told by her doctor if she didn’t lose weight, she would have to add diabetes to her long list of chronic illnesses.

Ms Payton originally went to her doctor for a breast reduction. She was a size 38F at the time. 

‘[The doctor] wouldn’t put me on the operating table, and he said I had to lose weight,’ Ms Payton told DailyMail.com.

She had to get down to 165 pounds before the doctor would perform the surgery.

Doctors said that taking the medication could help her lose a bit of weight, though the drug is not approved for weight loss.

‘I never thought it would go this route of losing so much weight because of an injection that ended up being not to lose weight,’ Ms Payton said. 

‘I was given a shot and told, “This is going to stop you from getting diabetes. The side effect is you might lose a little weight.”‘

Now, nine years later, Ms Payton is down to 120 to 130 pounds. 

‘I was not told, nor did I even think, that I could lose between 80 and 90 pounds. Ever,’ she said. 

Victoza was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2010 to treat type 2 diabetes in adults.

Similar to popular injections Ozempic and Wegovy, the drug binds to the GLP-1 receptor, which triggers hormones in the brain to slow digestion and keep the stomach full. This reduces cravings and the risk of overeating. 

Unlike these, which use the active ingredient semaglutide, Victoza uses liraglutide. While the drugs are largely similar, some studies suggest semaglutide is more effective for weight loss. 

A study published last year in JAMA, for example, found that participants who took semaglutide had a 16 percent weight change compared to liraglutide participants who saw a 6.4 percent difference. 

However, there’s little long-term data on GLP-1 agonists. And, neither Ozempic nor Victoza are FDA approved for weight loss.  

Despite surging across the US, there have been widespread fears about Ozempic, which has been linked to detrimental side effects like severe vomiting and suicidal thoughts. 

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, manufacturers of Ozempic and sister drug Wegovy, have also come under fire in a lawsuit over claims the drugs cause gastroparesis, or stomach paralysis. 

On Victoza, Ms Payton’s weight loss was gradual.  

‘It doesn’t come off immediately. You start seeing results after a couple months,’ she said. ‘It really took me like seven months to go from like 209 to 175.’

She estimates that it took about seven years total to get down to her current weight.  

She also didn’t intentionally change her diet. However, she found herself choosing odd combinations. ‘Your taste buds change,’ Ms Payton said. 

‘When I first went on the injection, I thought I was like a pregnant, hormonal woman. All I wanted was pickles, green juices, and like the weirdest things that I had never craved before in my life.’

‘It’s not that I changed my diet, per se…it’s that the shot actually changes how you look at food, what food becomes attractive to you, at least in my experience.’ 

‘It’s a mind game.’ 

Victoza also slashed Ms Payton’s appetite, which is a common side effect. 

When she first started taking it, she would go to the grocery store and stock up on a fridge full of healthy foods.

However, ‘I would look at it and say, “None of this looks appetizing.” I couldn’t eat it anymore.’

She also experienced constipation and bouts of nausea and vomiting, which have since subsided.

Ms Payton has since nixed the weird cravings, but they have left her with more sustainable habits. 

Instead of giving into temptation and snacking too much, she now only eats when she’s hungry.

‘The shots basically taught me to do that,’ she said. 

However, Victoza has left a lasting impact on her social life and mental health.

Friends have shamed her at group dinners for not being hungry, even when those friends have gone on to take Victoza and similar drugs for weight loss rather than diabetes. 

‘There’s a lot of shame that comes with taking the shot,’ Ms Payton said. 

Losing so much weight has led to judgment.

‘It’s a stark difference for your friends,’ she said. 

‘Unfortunately, friendships have been lost over taking medications like this. People have been like “You’re too thin.” And I’m like “You don’t get it. This is not a choice.”‘

Doctors have told Ms Payton that she will likely have to remain on Victoza for the rest of her life to keep from developing diabetes. 

She takes about a dozen other medications every day for multiple chronic illnesses and said that staying on Victoza is well worth not having to deal with diabetes. 

‘If I don’t have to get diabetes and go on multiple other medications, to me, that’s a win,’ she said.

‘[Victoza] is part of my daily routine, and my daily routine is what keeps me from getting progressively sicker, so as much as it sucks, it’s also what keeps me going.’

Staying on the medication long-term has been difficult as Victoza, much like Ozempic and Wegovy, has been affected by shortages from it becoming more and more popular.

Last December, she had to go off the shot for several months, leading her to gain back 15 pounds. 

‘I was freaking out. I was like, “You guys don’t need it. You’re just doing this to get thin, and I’m doing this so I don’t get diabetes,”‘ she said. 

‘It is a vicious, vicious game.’ 

Despite her mental health and social struggles, Ms Payton still considers the medication a healthy option for prediabetics and diabetics.

‘Just don’t listen to the background chatter and do it for yourself so that you can lead a healthy life going forward…so you’re not stuck with diabetes,’ she said. 

However, she encourages those taking diabetes shots for weight loss to seek out other options.  

‘Really take into consideration that people actually need this medicine and that there are other ways that those people can lose weight,’ she said. 

‘Please stop taking the supply that’s left in this country because it is dwindling by the day. And we don’t know whether we’ll be able to get the next script.’ 

The drug behemoths behind blockbuster obesity medications Mounjro and Ozempic have been sued over claims that they caused stomach paralysis. 

Personal injury firm Morgan & Morgan has taken the case on behalf of a 44-year-old Louisiana woman with diabetes who lost weight while taking the drugs, only to suffer later from severe stomach paralysis marked by such violent vomiting that she has lost some teeth and required multiple trips to the hospital. 

The suit against Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, which make Mounjaro and Ozempic respectively, alleges that the companies failed to warn consumers about the risk of gastroparesis, or paralysis of the stomach. 

Paul Pennock, one of the lawyers representing the Louisiana patient, said: ‘It is our opinion that these drugs are causing these problems. We think that the evidence is sufficient for us to be able to prove it or we would not have filed the case, and we intend to file many more in the coming days and weeks.

‘Her problems have been so severe that she’s been to the emergency room multiple times, including last weekend. She’s actually even thrown up so violently that she’s lost teeth.’ 

The patient, Jaclyn Bjorklund starting taking Ozempic, initially meant for people with type II diabetes but was frequently prescribed ‘off label’ for weight loss, in the spring of 2022. 

She switched to Mounjaro, another medication that causes weight loss, in July 2023 after over a year of severe stomach problems such as severe, violent vomiting, a hallmark symptom of stomach paralysis. 

She also suffered stomach pain, burning in her gastrointestinal tract, and would throw up whole food hours after eating. 

Stomach paralysis affects the spontanous movement of stomach muscles that are responsible for propelling food through the digestive tract. With impaired stomach muscles, food sits in the stomach for longer than it should without being completely digested. 

But the switch to Mounjaro did not make a difference, she told her lawyers. Mr Pennock said she stopped taking Mounjaro, a once weekly injectable, 10 days ago, while added that there have been many other patients with those issues for much longer than that after they stop taking Mounjaro or other GLP-1 [glucagon-like peptide 1] drugs. 

Pennock said: ‘Many people are experiencing constant vomiting. I don’t mean once a week, I mean every day, all the time. I mean, so bad that these people are going to the emergency room for their vomiting.’

Ozempic and its higher-dose sister drug Wegovy are generically known as semaglutide,  which spurs weight loss by mimicking the actions of GLP-1, the hormone in the brain that regulates appetite and feelings of satiety.

Mounjaro, developed by Eli Lilly which uses the active drug tirzepatide, has risen as Ozempic’s greatest competitor. 

According to the filing: ‘Defendants [Lilly and Novo] acknowledge that gastrointestinal events are well known side effects of the GLP-1 class. However, Defendants have downplayed the severity of the gastrointestinal events caused by Ozempic and Mounjaro, never, for example, warning of the risk of gastroparesis (“paralyzed stomach”) or gastroenteritis’.

The lawyer’s mention of the roughly 400 other patients across 45 states who have enlisted the firm’s help in suing for damages of an unknown total suggests the drug behemoths could expect a wave of personal injury lawsuits. 

One such patient was Emily Wright, 38, a teacher in Toronto, Canada. She took Ozempic for four years and lost 80 pounds. However, she was also diagnosed with gastroparesis and now vomits so frequently that she had to quit her job.

‘I’ve almost been off Ozempic for a year, but I’m still not back to my normal,’ she told CNN. 

Another patient, Joanie Knight, 37, started taking the blockbuster weight-loss drug in 2019 and began suffering from severe nausea and vomiting two years into the medication. 

Her ordeal began on her birthday in 2021, when she found that she couldn’t swallow her food. ‘It felt like it was stuck in my throat,’ she said. 

Despite having eaten very little that day, the incident triggered severe vomiting. That first bout of sickness kicked off a pattern of severe nausea all the time, no matter how little she ate. She also took anti-nausea pills ‘like they were candy.’ 

Doctors performed a gastric emptying study, a test to figure out how much time it takes a meal to move through a person’s stomach. 

They found that after four hours, more than 35 percent of her food was still in her stomach. Normally, less than 10 percent remains after that long. 

Ms Knight eventually had to have gastric bypass surgery to improve her stomach emptying, though she still suffers long-term effects. Now she can only have a few bites of her favorite foods. 

The causes of gastroparesis are largely unknown, but it is thought to be a complication of diabetes, which is why many of these patients take Ozempic in the first place. 

Long-term effects of the drugs are still under investigation as the drugs are relatively new. Emerging research shows that patients who stop taking one of  the injectables is vulnerable to regaining all lost weight and may be required to stay on the medication for long period of time. 

Despite the many unknowns, the pharmaceutical industry is reeping massive profits.  Novo Nordisk owns a staggering majority — 94 percent — of the branded obesity medicine market in the US.

Novo’s value has soared to 2.3trillion Danish kroner ($336billion), making it Europe’s second-most valuable company. 

It has even knocked the 160-year-old Swiss conglomerate Nestle into third place. 

Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro, is also staking out its position in the obesity drug space. 

According to analysts at Morgan Stanley Research, Lilly’s tirzepatide, assuming it clinches the green light from the FDA — could make around $5.4 billion by 2030. 

Private clinics are flouting Government guidance by handing over prescriptions of vital diabetes drugs to dieters who use the jabs to lose weight, a Mail on Sunday investigation has discovered.

Ozempic, also known as semaglutide, and others like it are relied on by roughly 400,000 UK patients with blood sugar condition type 2 diabetes. But in recent months a shortage has led health chiefs to issue orders to ration prescribing.

Alongside controlling blood sugar, Ozempic – given via a self-injection pen – leads to dramatic weight loss. In studies, some patients shed a fifth of their bodyweight after a year of using the once-a-week treatment.

Rumours that A-listers – including reality TV star Kim Kardashian – used the drug to stay slim spread on social media and demand is now vastly outstripping supply.

Earlier this month, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a patient safety alert, ordering all doctors and pharmacists not to prescribe Ozempic and similar drugs to only aid weight loss. It said: ‘Existing stock must be conserved for use in patients with diabetes.’

But this newspaper has discovered online pharmacists still offering Ozempic for weight loss alone.

Manual, a men’s health company that also sells hair loss and erectile dysfunction treatments, charged £230 for an initial one-month supply, increasing to £299 a month on subscription. The company requires a full-length photo and photographic ID in order to verify would-be patients are the weight they claim to be – however messages to our reporter said that once this check was done, Ozempic was in stock and could be supplied. Our reporters were also approved for treatment by myBMI.co.uk after handing over £279, despite making it clear in an online consultation it was only going to be used as a diet aid.

In each case, we cancelled the orders before any medication could be sent out. Neither company responded when asked to comment on our findings. While there is no suggestion what they are doing is unlawful, medical leaders have criticised the practice in response.

High-profile GP Professor Dame Clare Gerada said: ‘Private providers should adhere to ethical guidelines and patients who need this drug for live-saving and life-protecting reasons should take priority.’ Novo Nordisk, Ozempic’s manufacturer, said: ‘We do not promote, suggest or encourage the off-label use or misuse of any of our medicines. We are continuing to work with MHRA and the Department of Health and Social Care to monitor the supply of our medicines and keep healthcare professionals updated.’

Readers’ frustration as MoS discovers online firms are defying Government to sell drug to dieters

By MOIRA PETTY and JONATHAN NEAL 

Diabetes patients have vented their frustration at being unable to get hold of medication amid nationwide shortages – allegedly fuelled by dieters using the drugs to slim down.

Roughly 400,000 type 2 diabetics in the UK rely on the drugs, called GLP-1 receptor agonists, which help regulate hormones and blood sugar levels, cutting the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

But after widespread reporting of recent studies showed one such drug, semaglutide, helped people who take it shed almost a fifth of their weight – regardless of whether they had diabetes or not – demand surged, leading to a global supply problem. The Mail on Sunday was the first newspaper to report on the issue, in November last year.

At present, semaglutide is available in the UK under the brand name Ozempic. The once-a-week self-injection is licensed by UK drug regulators as a diabetes treatment, but doctors are allowed to prescribe it ‘off-label’ – use it in a different way than stated in its licence – to help patients without diabetes lose weight, if they believe it’s justified.

And celebrities including Elon Musk, Jeremy Clarkson and former PM Boris Johnson have all admitted to taking it.

Kim Kardashian was also rumoured to have used Ozempic to help her squeeze into her dress for the 2022 Met Gala – the same one Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang Happy Birthday Mr President in 1962. Although Ms Kardashian has never confirmed this, the story was widely circulated on social media and further fuelled demand for the drug.

Another drug containing semaglutide, known by the brand name Wegovy, has been licensed for weight loss in patients who don’t have diabetes, but this is yet to be launched in the UK.

There are other GLP-1 drugs that work in a similar way, but shortages are now reportedly affecting all types of the drug, and semaglutide manufacturer Novo Nordisk say stock issues will continue until mid-2024.

In a bid to manage the situation, the Government’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) this month issued a patient safety alert to all doctors and pharmacists, effectively ordering them not to prescribe semaglutide for weight loss alone.

‘Use of these agents for the management of obesity is strongly discouraged,’ it said, adding: ‘Existing stock must be conserved for use in patients with diabetes.’

Despite this, The Mail on Sunday has discovered online pharmacists still offering semaglutide as a diet aid to obese patients, costing from £230 for a one-month supply. While there is no suggestion what they are doing is unlawful, in response, one high profile GP has called for a halt to all private sales of the drug for weight loss.

And London-based endocrinologist Professor Barbara McGowan says: ‘It’s a difficult situation. People are often desperate for treatment for obesity, which can cause a range of health problems, not just diabetes.

‘Semaglutide is an effective treatment [which leads to weight loss]. But while there are supply issues, patients with the greatest clinical need should be prioritised.’

As we have discovered, this isn’t what’s happening at present. Two weeks ago, The Mail on Sunday’s GP columnist Dr Ellie Cannon asked readers if they had struggled to get hold of semaglutide – and she received a flurry of emails and letters in response.

Many told of calling and visiting dozens of pharmacies in a frantic and ultimately futile search for Ozempic. Others revealed that they had been forced to self-ration, taking half doses to make their supplies last.

One patient affected by the shortages is Brenda Read, 73, who lives in Sittingbourne, Kent, with husband Barry, 75, and runs an antique business. Brenda was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2008.

She says: ‘Doctors tried a dozen different types of tablets but nothing got my blood sugars down.’

In 2021 she heard about Ozempic from a friend and persuaded her GP to prescribe it. ‘They were reluctant as they said it was expensive,’ she says. ‘But I told them that I pay my taxes and they gave it to me.’

Thanks to Ozempic, Brenda lost four stone over three years. Currently, she is 14st 3lb and, importantly, her blood sugar is well within the healthy range. However, research shows as soon as patients stop taking GLP-1 drugs, they begin to put weight back on and blood sugars rise.

It’s a thought that terrifies Brenda. She says: ‘In June, the GP warned me patients were having problems getting hold of Ozempic. I rang 47 chemists over several days. At least a dozen told me, ‘You’ll never get it because the private doctors are getting in first.’

‘Eventually I was able to get a month’s worth, but that was half my normal dose, and for the last two weeks I’ve had nothing at all.

‘I know someone who is paying £250 a month for Ozempic and she’s watching the weight drop off. It’s all for a family event next year. I can’t afford that and don’t know how this will affect me for the rest of the year. I will probably have to go back on metformin [another commonly given drug for type 2 diabetes] to control my blood sugar, but that caused terrible bladder infections and I have no problems on Ozempic. It makes me so angry.’

Another reader, Carolyn, who asked us not to print her full name, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes two decades ago, aged 44.

She started on Ozempic in 2020 and says it transformed her health: ‘It had lowered my blood sugars and I lost around two stone. I’ve been without it for several weeks, and in that short time I can feel my appetite increasing.

‘Years ago I was told that if my diabetes wasn’t controlled I had a greater chance of losing limbs, having a heart attack or a stroke. My last annual diabetic eye test showed my vision was deteriorating, so that’s another cause for concern if this drug shortage goes on.’

And retired plumber Michael Fennelly, 75, who lives in Worthing, said: ‘I didn’t lose much weight [on semaglutide] and my appetite didn’t change, but the effect on my blood sugar was almost immediate and has continued.

‘I ran out a week ago and now I’m concerned. I’ve read in the news that the shortages were caused by people obtaining the drug for slimming. How selfish they are when diabetics like me need it for medical reasons.’

Last week we contacted four of the best-known companies offering private prescriptions. Two indicated they would provide Ozempic – despite our reporters clearly stating on online forms that they were obese but did not have diabetes or any other health problem and wished to take the drug simply to lose weight.

After filling out a short questionnaire and paying £279, myBMI.co.uk approved our reporter for a month’s supply of the drug, which it claimed would be delivered within 48 hours.

Manual, a men’s health company that also sells hair loss and erectile dysfunction treatments, charged £230 for an initial one-month supply of semaglutide – then increasing to £299 a month on subscription.

Manual requires a full-length photo and photographic ID in order to verify would-be patients are the weight they claim to be – however messages to our reporter said that once this check was done, Ozempic was in stock and would be supplied.

In each case, we cancelled the orders before any medication could be sent out.

Dr Frank’s Weight Loss clinic took payment of £235, and at no point in the process was our reporter told they could not buy the jabs as they did not have diabetes.

The providers did not respond when we later contacted them for comment, however Dr Frank’s Weight Loss Clinic did subsequently send an email to our reporter saying: ‘We have carefully reviewed your consultation and at this time, we regret to inform you that you have not met the specific criteria to participate in the program.’

The £235 was refunded. Only online men’s health brand Numan, which has previously offered private prescriptions for Ozempic, told us it was not offering the drug due to the Government guidance.

In light of our findings, Dr Philippa Kaye, a GP and vocal advocate of GLP-1 drugs to treat obesity, says: ‘Both diabetes and obesity put patients at risk of things such as cardiovascular disease. However, when there isn’t enough of these medicines to go round, we need to ration according to greatest need.

‘That’s why the MHRA has acted. I would love there to be more of the drugs – but it isn’t right that people without diabetes are able to get Ozempic simply because they can pay for it, while patients with type 2 diabetes are left at risk.

‘Separately, I worry about how easy it is to get these drugs online – as The Mail on Sunday’s investigation has shown.

‘It’s a system that’s open to abuse by people with eating disorders and others who might try to use semaglutide inappropriately.’

Novo Nordisk – Ozempic’s manufacturer, which recorded nearly £7 billion in sales of the drug last year – is said to be planning a £1.8 billion upgrade to its manufacturing facility in a bid to increase its capacity.

A spokesman said: ‘We do not promote, suggest or encourage the off-label use, or misuse of any of our medicines. We are continuing to work with MHRA and the Department of Health and Social Care to monitor the supply of our medicines and to keep healthcare professionals updated so that they can support patients to receive the treatment they need.

‘We are fully aware that demand is high for both [diabetes and obesity] patient populations and are doing everything we can to meet patients’ needs.’

The NHS can prescribe semaglutide for a maximum of two years, but last week experts reiterated that treatment would be expected to be life-long. Speaking to The Mail on Sunday’s Medical Minefield podcast this week, Professor Carel le Roux, an expert in obesity at the University of Ulster, said: ‘We now think of obesity as a neurological disease affecting the areas of the brain that control how much fat the body wants to store.

‘We have medications [such as semaglutide] that work in that exact part of the brain to treat this disease, and bring it under control.

‘But the minute you stop treatment, the disease relapses. We always ask patients, ‘are you prepared to take this treatment for the rest of your life?’ Because if they aren’t, they shouldn’t start.’

He added that obesity should be seen like any other chronic disease.

‘We wouldn’t stop a patient with asthma or high blood pressure from taking medication, and this is no different,’ he said. ‘Not everyone will respond. So if somebody hasn’t lost approximately a stone in the first three months, we might consider stopping treatment and trying something else.

‘And of course, not everyone will want to be on medication.’

All this will come as little comfort to diabetes patients facing the prospect of having to come off the treatment that’s been keeping their condition under control.

As former lab technician Susan Brown, 73, from Maidstone, Kent, says: ‘It’s over a month since I’ve had any Ozempic to take for my diabetes, and my blood sugar levels have become far less stable.

‘I feel really shaky and sweaty, especially in the morning. I carry around my prescription, so that I can present it whenever I pass a chemist, but none have had it.

‘The GP says I will need an alt- ernative, so that worries me. In the meantime, I dread how washed out and unsteady I’m now feeling.’

It’s the blockbuster weight loss drug adored by Hollywood, despite being armed with powerful side effects. 

But now users of slimming jab semaglutide are warning about another unwelcome consequence — ‘Ozempic butt’. 

Slimmers who’ve lost up to 141lbs (64kg) claim they’ve been left with ‘saggy’ bums.

Others have complained about their derrières flattening like a ‘pancake’, including one who once underwent a Brazillian Bum Lift (BBL). 

The effects, albeit in the bum, are similar to those who’ve battled ‘Ozempic face’ — with the rapid weight loss leaving some users looking ill, exacerbating wrinkles and causing skin to sag.

The flab-busting drug doesn’t discriminate which weight it targets.

Videos highlighting the side effect by users themselves have racked up hundreds of thousands of views on TikTok. 

In one TikTok under the #ozempicbutt, watched 26,800 times, @jocelyngarcia3514 shared a full body video of her loose skin around her bum.

‘I’m humble enough to share my results and my body,’ she said.   

‘Keep in mind I had a BBL about seven years ago and this is what my butt looks like after my 16th injection of compound semaglutide,’ she added.  

‘What does an ozempic/semaglutide butt look like?,’ she also wrote. 

‘You guessed it? Loose skin and cellulite (nothing to brag about, results vary).’ 

Sharing a second video, she documented her weight loss dropping to 128lbs (58kg) from 143lbs (64.9kg), sharing before and after comparisons of using Ozempic.  

In another, @shellyslife365 told her TikTok followers: ‘At the beginning I was 285lbs (129.3kg) and now I’m only 144lbs (65.3kg).’

She added: ‘I’m almost at my goal weight, I have Ozempic Butt.

‘So now my butt is not this little round plump butt anymore. It’s flat and droopy like my chin. 

‘So my friends there is a thing called Ozempic butt. 

‘It will resolve itself after sometime, I truly hope.’ 

A third, @lynnesjourney also revealed she ‘had no butt left’ while using Mounjaro. 

This uses a similar drug to Ozempic, tirzepatide, mimicking certain natural appetite suppressing hormones. 

‘It’s all gone, now I’m stuck. I’ve lost all the fat in my b****,’ she said. 

‘I always said that if I ended up with saggy skin in my face, I’d have a facelift. But what am I going to do about my butt.’

Others took to TikTok comments to share their own experiences. 

‘I have Ozempic butt too, well, bariatric a**. Loose skin hanging on my a** from losing so much weight,’ @ramireztea wrote. 

Another commented, they were having the same issue ‘after losing weight fast from it’, while one agreed ‘I’m dealing with this! So sad’. 

But Dr Simon Cork, a senior lecturer in physiology at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, told MailOnline: ‘This is essentially a sign that the drugs are working at reducing weight.’ 

He said: ‘The buttocks are one of the areas of the body where we deposit excess fat, more so in some people than others. 

‘So as people lose weight some people will see this come off their buttocks more than other areas.

‘Skin is like an elastic band. It stretches very easily, but the longer it is stretched the less likely it is to revert to its original size. 

‘This means that as people lose weight their skin stays stretched.’

He added: ‘It’s an unfortunate side effect of losing weight and many more people are likely to see this effect on their tummies, but it is a sign that Ozempic is having a positive effect on their weight.’

Semaglutide spurs on weight loss by mimicking the actions of a hormone released in the gut after eating — GLP-1.

As well as telling the pancreas to produce more insulin (hence why the drug is given to diabetics), GLP-1 also suppresses appetite, making us feel full. 

Elon Musk and Jeremy Clarkson have credited the drug for helping them lose weight.

Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian was rumoured to have used it to rapidly lose 16lbs (7.3kg) to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s dress at the 2022 Met Gala. 

Experts say the drug’s phenomenal success has driven a TikTok-fuelled stampede — with stocks now running dry across the world.

Despite being hailed as a miracle, trials have shown semaglutide users can rapidly pile pounds back on once they stop taking it.

Some patients have told of how they have had to stop taking the drug due to side effects. Users commonly complain about nausea, constipation and diarrhoea after taking the medication.

It has also been known to make food less appealing, potentially ruining the enjoyment of eating altogether.

The ‘Ozempic butt’ issue, however, has become so common that forum users are sharing their experiences of developing ‘saggy’ and ‘pancake’ bums in online chatrooms.  

In one Reddit group with over 39,000 members, one user wrote: ‘I’m down 28lbs so far… and I seriously think I lost most of it from my butt. It is a flat, saggy pancake now. Anyone else experiencing this? What are you doing to address it?’ 

In another thread titled ‘Does anyone think their butt is disappearing on Ozempic?’ a user said: ‘Yes I always had a good butt. And now it seems to have no volume and is saggy.’

On a separate group with over 16,000 members, one wrote: ‘Never have I lost as much fat in my a** as I have on Wegovy. 

‘I’ve ALWAYS had a decent sized a** through weight ups and downs, it’s consistently been the part of my body that I like…it’s practically a pancake now, it’s wild,’ they added. 

‘I’m seriously considering cosmetic surgery it’s that bad. With that said it’s still worth it to me.’

Wegovy was approved as a weight loss drug in the US in 2021 after clinical trials showed that alongside a diet and exercise regimen it could help a person lose 15 per cent of their weight over 68 weeks.

In March this year, NHS watchdog NICE also gave the green light for the weekly jab to be given in the UK for weight loss purposes. 

Wegovy will soon be available for people who have a BMI of 35 or more – a classification which means they are morbidly obese.

But earlier this week, the Government issued a blanket ban on wholesalers exporting some weight loss drugs, adding all forms of semaglutide to its parallel export ban list.

It means wholesalers are not allowed to buy stocks to sell them abroad, where they can drastically up the price.

Any company which breaches the export ban faces a punishment, handed out by the medicines watchdog.

Similar happened during the HRT crisis, when menopause-busting drugs were in short supply, and in the early days of the pandemic.

Dulaglutide, exenatide and liraglutide – which all work in the same way as semaglutide – are also on the export ban.

Latest NHS data shows 26 per cent of adults in England are obese and a further 38 per cent are overweight but not obese. One third of Americans are overweight, while four in ten are obese. 

Obesity rates have been on the rise for decades, with experts blaming sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets. 

They are also soaring in children, with a quarter of children in reception classes in England now considered overweight, and one in ten obese. 

A landmark study last month also revealed UK’s bulging waistline is stripping billions of pounds from the cash-strapped NHS each year, with twice as much spent on obese patients, as on those of a healthy weight.

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.

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!’

A dietary supplement dubbed ‘nature’s Ozempic’ is taking the internet by storm with thousands of people extolling its weight loss benefits.

The barberry plant-derived weight loss tool is believed to help treat inflammation, high cholesterol, and diabetes, though evidence to support these claims is limited — and it is not yet clear whether the supplement is safe to take long-term.

As people on social media rave about the transformations they’ve witnessed in the form of looser pants and a lower number on the scale, they have also shared uncomfortable side effects, including diarrhea and constipation.

Given berberine’s growing popularity, DailyMail.com gathered all the facts you need to know about what it claims to do and how effective it is.

What exactly is it?

The bitter-tasting chemical is found in certain plants including European barberry, goldenseal, goldthread, Oregon grape, phellodendron, and tree turmeric.

The compound has been a fixture in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years to treat myriad conditions including pink eye, itchy skin, high blood sugar, and urinary tract infections, among other bacterial infections.

Still, these benefits have not been confirmed in large-scale clinical trials.  

A bottle of 60 supplements, one taken before every meal, can be purchased on major retail sites including Amazon for around $30.

With thousands of positive reviews and glowing reports on TikTok, the chemical is quickly becoming known as a natural alternative to expensive Wegovy or Ozempic, prescription medications that are not always covered by health insurance.

But it works very differently from the prescription drugs, also called semaglutide.

Wegovy is a higher-dose version that has been approved for weight loss in people with a body mass index of at least 30, or in overweight people with a BMI of 27 or greater, who also have a weight-related medical condition.

Ozempic, meanwhile, is approved to treat Type 2 diabetes, but it is being prescribed ‘off-label’ for obesity.

Semaglutide spurs weight loss by mimicking the actions of GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone in the brain that regulates appetite and feelings of satiety.

What are the benefits?

Despite anecdotal evidence that berberine can help users shed pounds – including one woman on TikTok who lost seven pounds in six weeks – its weight loss benefits have not been confirmed in large peer-reviewed studies.

The mechanism behind berberine supposedly working as a weight loss supplement is also unclear.

Still, the evidence is expanding. One 2017 review published in the Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences found that patients who took two capsules at 750 milligrams every day for three months had ‘a significant decrease’ in weight.

A separate study published in the American Journal of Translational Research suggested that the supplement activates brown adipose tissue, or fat cells that tell the body to turn food into energy by burning calories.

The chemical has several other applications as well.

A 2019 analysis published in the Endocrine Journal indicated that taking berberine supplements was more effective at lowering blood glucose levels than a placebo.

Research also suggests the supplement can help treat polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition that occurs when the ovaries produce much more of a certain type of hormone called androgens, leading to irregular menstrual cycles and unpredictable ovulation.

And research has also shown that berberine can decrease hemoglobin A1C, a measure of blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

What are users saying?

The hashtag #berberine has racked up 58million views on TikTok, with one specific to weight loss hitting 1.7million.

Savannah Crosby, a 34-year-old TikToker from Texas has lost about seven pounds while taking the supplement. 

She began using berberine about two months ago. At the same time, she also changed her diet and lifestyle, as recommended. Despite eating healthy and working out nearly everyday, the number on the scale did not change.

Before starting her weight-loss journey, she weighed in at 187.4lbs (85kg) and described herself as ‘frustrated’.

In an effort to slim down she took to TikTok to record her experience of the supplement, taking three 600mg capsules daily — one 30 minutes before each meal. 

Sharing her weekly progress with before and after photos, at six weeks she claimed she weighed 180.8lbs (82kg).

‘I definitely have seen just a change in my body the way my clothes fit me. I’m probably losing inches,’ Crosby said.

Another TikTok user said: ‘Week 9 on berberine and down 18lbs’, while a second boasted, ‘Two weeks in and down 8 pounds.’

Another clip with 1.7million views posted from the account @daphnunez says: ‘Berberine is my favourite supplement for my weight loss clients just because it is extremely transformative.

‘It’s been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries to treat a number of metabolic health conditions like diabetes and obesity.

‘Overall just a really great supplement if you’re looking to lose weight.’

Is it safe?

Scientists are still trying to answer this question with certainty. Because it is plant-derived, it’s easy to fall under the delusion that it must be harmless. Pregnant women are advised not to take it, as it may pose a risk of brain damage to the fetus or young children.

Taking it as instructed on the bottle could negatively affect the metabolism of prescription medications to treat diabetes or other medical conditions. 

Whether it is safe to take over a long period of time remains unclear. Users who stop taking it may also gain the weight back quickly.

It is believed that abruptly stopping either Wegovy or Ozempic will cause the pounds to pile back on. 

Common side effects of Berberine include diarrhea, constipation, and stomach upset. 

Crosby, for instance, has complained about the capsule’s gastrointestinal side effects, says overall that the benefits outweigh the costs. 

She also said: ‘I do notice some of my hunger coming back a little bit and I don’t know if that means I have to increase my dosage but it’s fine, I’m working through it.’ 

Patients taking the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy are reporting an unusual added benefit — they are free from other addictions that used to rule their lives.

Users across the country claim their cravings for cigarettes and alcohol became less intense when they started taking the slimming injection. Others say bad habits like biting their nails, picking their skin and compulsive shopping also disappeared.

The drug helps people lose weight by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone, which curbs hunger and slows the the rate at which a person’s stomach empties, leaving them feeling fuller for longer.

But experts say it may also dull the brain’s dopamine reward pathway, reducing the chemical hit and thus the ‘feel good’ element of giving in to unhealthy cravings.

Some researchers are excited that they may have accidentally stumbled on an anti-addiction drug. An estimated one in 60 US adults have a prescription for Wegovy, Ozempic, or Mounjaro.

Henry Webb, from North Carolina, finished a two-month course of Wegovy after hitting his weight goal. 

In the past, he would consistently have a couple of drinks in the evening, but said: ‘On the medication I had zero desire for that.’

He added: ‘This could be a game changer for people who struggle with addiction.’

Jim Melloan, from New York, said he had a ‘total aversion to alcohol’ on the drug, which also barely affected his weight.

He said: ‘I didn’t sign up for that. Been on it for almost four months, and I’m out. I want to be able to drink socially again.’

Ashley, from Texas, takes Mounjaro, another diabetes drug due to be approved for weight loss in the US, said she noticed she stopped picking at her hangnails as a nervous habit. 

She said: ‘I took some biotin [vitamin B] when I started and my nails literally never looked better. There’s definitely something to it.’

Dr Shauna Levy, an obesity medicine specialist at Tulane University, in New Orleans, told DailyMail.com: ‘I have noticed that people want to drink less alcohol. I have also noticed a decrease in binge eating behavior. GLP-1 receptor agongists decrease the reward the brain feels from addictive behaviors like eating, drinking, smoking, shopping etc. 

‘It was a really cool finding. These medications can treat so many different problems.’

She added: ‘We need to do more research to understand the mechanism.’

Victoria Rutledge was addicted to alcohol. When she became sober in her early 30s, she became consumed instead by food and shopping.

She spent $500 on organic groceries but then let them go moldy in her fridge. 

She told The Atlantic: ‘I couldn’t stop from going to that extreme.’

When shopping in Target, she couldn’t help throwing dozens of extra items into her cart.

Earlier this year, Ms Rutledge began taking Wegovy for weight loss, and found herself thinking less about food and slimming down.

She also took trips to Target and left with only the items she intended to buy.

‘I’ve never done that before,’ she said. Her cravings for shopping and food had magically gone away.

Another patient, Mary Maher, used to obsessively pick the skin on her back and would bleed so much that she avoided wearing white.

Two months after taking Wegovy, the urge to pick had disappeared and her back had healed and she had also stopped biting her nails. 

Clinical trials are in the works at the University of North Carolina to see if semaglutide can help people stop drinking and smoking.

Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic, mimics glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) — a hormone in the brain that prompts the body to produce more insulin and reduce blood sugar levels, regulating appetite.

Initially created for diabetes, semaglutide triggers the pancreas to release insulin by mimicking a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1).

The hormone also curbs hunger and slows the rate at which a person’s stomach empties, causing them to lose weight.

It also appears to affect the brain. GLP-1 impact dopamine pathways in the brain, the reward pathway that is key to addictions.

Things such as food and sex release dopamine in the brain, and the positive feeling we get motivates us to repeat the behaviors.

In addicts, this mechanism can shift. They may have less dopamine receptors in their brain, meaning the same reward might provide less pleasure.

Other types of GLP-1, such as exenatide, which is also used to treat diabetes, have shown results in terms of reducing addictions.

Mice taking a form of exenatide got less of a dopamine hit from alcohol, and rats on the drug desired less cocaine.

Researchers have said they expect lots of studies with semaglutide showing positive results to be published soon.

The longer term effects of semaglutide are still unknown.

Dr Christopher McGowan, a North Carolina-based weight loss expert, told DailyMail.com that using the drug for weight loss is a lifelong ‘commitment.’

A study found that patients piled on two-thirds of the weight they had lost on the drugs, just months after stopping them, and most would need to keep taking the injections forever to keep their results.

Users of the drug have also found they are suffering rapid muscle loss, tending to lose more muscle than fat while on the drug.

Other people reported feeling disgusted by their favorite foods and some items that they never thought twice about.

Staci Rice, 40, from Georgia, lost nearly 50 pounds when she went onto Ozempic and can now fit into jeans she last wore 16 years ago.

But the marketing professional was also surprised to find that she had developed an aversion to ground beef and Chick-fil-A while on the drug.

Ground beef has now been pulled from dinners, must to the frustration of her husband and son, she told the Insider. And she is now also having Chick-fil-A’s kale salad instead of its standard ‘Number 1’.

She was also a lifelong coffee drinker, having enjoyed a cup every day since the seventh grade. But now, she can’t touch it.

‘Every morning, I would try to make coffee, thinking that one day it would just taste good to me again,’ Ms Rice said.

Patients are also facing saggy skin, doctors warn, which has been dubbed ‘Ozempic face’ and ‘Ozempic body’.

It is caused by rapid weight loss that happens so quickly that the skin does not have time to adjust to the new body size. As a result, it hangs down in folds.