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Weight-loss drugs growing in popularity
Evyn Moon reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - As the New Year approaches, so do resolutions, and most Americans want to lose weight. But now, instead of heading to the gym, millions of Americans are trying drugs like Ozempic or Mounjaro.
The drugs, originally used for diabetes, have become a billion-dollar industry, and are only expected to grow. Even Weight Watchers is adding the drugs into their plans.
"In a perfect world, yeah, let’s do it all naturally and holistically… but that’s not the world we live in," said Jill Meyer Kreiger, Sarasota’s Optavia Certified Health Coach.
Kreiger said it’s not magic. It still takes healthy habits, and can have side effects.
READ: Millions of Americans can't obtain promising new weight loss drugs because Medicare won't pay
"We’ve got to make some significant brain and lifestyle changes, so we can have long-term success," Kreiger explained. "Any medication we take, an aspirin or a weight loss drug, is going to have side effects and effect some people more. Some have diarrhea, constipation, and one of my clients even had created gastropareses."
"It's about health, not about the weight on the scale or, I wanna be skinny. It's about getting on the floor with your grandchildren, about walking your kid down the aisle, walking running into your future and not being in a wheelchair," continued Kreiger.
Kreiger said that means if you are going to take the drug, still focus on nutrition and physical activity to lose weight in a healthy way. A major concern with the drugs is gastropareses, which has put some users in the hospital.
READ: Ozempic, Wegovy and other weight loss drugs present holiday challenges
Poison control centers have even seen a 1,500% increase in calls due to obesity drug injections this year.
Law firms like Morgan & Morgan say they are now taking clients who have had "disabling" effects. But, we spoke to someone who took weight-loss medication, and said it changed their life for the better when taken the right way.
"Initially it was for appetite control and I started at lower dosages. The reason to use it was to cut back on those appetite impulses, so I could build better habits. The main thing is to not look at it as a weight-loss drug, because Ozempic in and of itself is not going to make you lose weight," said Chandler Caudill.
FOX 13 got this statement from Ozempic drug-maker Novo Nordisk:
Ozempic® is not approved for chronic weight management. Please see Ozempic® full prescribing information here.
Novo Nordisk medicines should only be prescribed after a close consultation between a healthcare provider and a patient – considering the medication’s benefits and risks for that individual patient – and should only be taken under the supervision of a healthcare provider.