A new investigation has shed light on unregulated sellers offering weight loss injections online, which resulted in one woman experiencing seriously worrying side effects. Maddy, 32, told BBC News that she had to go to A&E after using an unlicensed version of semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic), which she bought on Instagram.
Drugs containing semaglutide are clearly becoming more accessible online, but the risks to our bodies and minds are still emerging. With these drugs appearing on social media and in darker parts of the internet, GLAMOUR investigates the dangers this poses to our health, body image and the people who use it to treat serious medical conditions.
The world of weight loss can be a toxic, all-consuming place. Expectations and pressures are becoming even murkier and more complex as weight loss injections become more accessible in the UK.
Two drugs containing semaglutide are becoming increasingly popular online as quick-fix weight loss treatments. Ozempic is available on prescription to treat type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy can be prescribed to treat obesity. It's illegal to sell semaglutide as a medicine without a prescription in the UK.
The jabs were made available on the NHS in 2021.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Obesity costs the NHS around £6.5 billion a year and is the second biggest cause of cancer. This next generation of obesity drugs have the potential to help people lose significant amounts of weight, when prescribed with exercise, diet and behavioural support.”
Medical practitioner Dr Hussain Ahmed tells GLAMOUR that both Ozempic and Wegovy are “incredibly effective drugs for weight loss”, and Ozempic is also beneficial for patients who suffer from diabetes.
“It increases the levels of hormones called incretins, which helps your body to produce more insulin when it needs it,” he explains. “Ozempic also helps to suppress the amount of glucose your liver produces.”
The availability of drugs like these to treat serious health conditions is a privilege – but their usage isn’t stopping there. As access becomes easier, people are looking to the example of celebrities and influencers, who have been using them as a means of losing weight for “vanity” reasons, not to combat obesity or diabetes.
“Ozempic” as a search term has had over 1.5 billion views on TikTok, with influencers and regular users alike documenting their journey with the drug. Interest peaked after Elon Musk tweeted at the end of last year that “fasting and Wegovy” was behind his own weight loss.
Among other celebrities, Jameela Jamil recently posted on Instagram about the “potential harm” of these drugs being popularised, ending with the words: “hope you have doctors that care about more than your size.”
The experts break down how it works, what it treats, side effects, and more.
As the drugs have gained notoriety, many who have taken them – including influencer and curve model Remi Bader – began pointing out the big difference between taking these meds for your health and taking them for “vanity” reasons.
“Taking Ozempic or Wegovy for ‘vanity’ weight loss without a valid medical reason puts you at risk,” nutritionist and weight loss specialist Milena Kaler tells GLAMOUR, stressing the importance of not taking these medications if you are a healthy weight – doing so “could contribute to the maintenance of unhealthy beauty standards, which can lead to issues with body image, and have a negative impact on your attitude towards losing weight.”
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There is also evidence of these drugs being sold away from the doctor’s surgery and professional consultations. Reports say that semaglutide is available to purchase in the UK for cheap over Instagram, while US TV presenter and author Meghan McCain has spoken about being offered a “black market freebie” of Ozempic.
A recent i Newspaper report found that weight loss jabs including Ozempic, Wegovy and Saxenda are also listed for sale on the black market via Facebook, with some posters even shockingly offering used medicines to buyers.
“When it comes to getting cheap, or counterfeit versions of a drug, one thing you can't guarantee is consistency,” Michael Sam-Yorke, a clinician who prescribes Ozempic, tells GLAMOUR. “There have been horror stories of people being injected with something else that has become detrimental to someone's health as a result.”]
“When I first learned of the Ozempic trend, I felt sick to my stomach.”
Charlotte*, 35, has recently obtained Ozempic from an online pharmacy in the UK to help hit her weight loss goals. She has a BMI of 26, which just about puts her in the “overweight” category that may qualify her for treatment, but her prescription was possible without direct communication with a healthcare professional or disclosure of her BMI.
“I haven’t spoken to anyone or had communications with a person via email or video,” she tells GLAMOUR, explaining that she only had to fill out a questionnaire pertaining to details such as age, gender and ethnicity.
Michael stresses the vital importance of using these drugs with the guidance of a healthcare professional, due to the risks to your health that are posed if you don’t stick to the right dosing schedule.
The dangers aren’t limited to those who are taking these medications unsupervised. Pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk – which produces both Ozempic and Wegovy – have reported shortages of Ozempic in 2022, a situation that it admitted had been worsened by the drug being marketed as a weight loss treatment.
So this trend is not only impacting body image expectations, but also the people who need access to drugs like Ozempic to treat life-threatening conditions like diabetes.
Eating disorder charity Beat have also stated that misuse of these medications can “further entrench eating disorder thoughts and behaviours”.
“Seeing celebrities using drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight can make them seem glamorous and risk-free. However, these medications can have serious health consequences, particularly if you have an eating disorder or are vulnerable to one,” Tom Quinn, Beat's director of external affairs, says.
By nature of being a woman, I’ve had my body commented on throughout my life.
“It is vital that people are aware of the dangers of abusing medication in order to lose weight and there should be more education on their effects. We'd urge anyone looking to use medication to lose weight to contact their GP or care team first.”
While both Ozempic and Wegovy are valuable medications for legitimate health concerns, their use – or misuse – for weight loss while discounting medical guidelines and professional help reflects a rather dangerous societal attitude towards body image.
“Our society still values thinness extremely highly and we’re willing to go to extreme measures to achieve it,” body confidence advocate Alex Light tells GLAMOUR.
“I hope that one day we can just trust ourselves to eat and allow our bodies to settle at a size they’re supposed to be. But currently, the thin ideal prevails, and the instant popularity of this drug is a testament to that.”
If you’re worried about your own or someone else’s health, you can contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity, 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677 or beateatingdisorders.org.uk.
