The Dangerous Misuse of Ozempic: A Warning from Pharmacists and Health Experts

2023-12-16 16:01:17

Pharmacists are warning regarding the shortage of Ozempic, a drug for diabetes, misused by influencers advocating its weight-loss properties.

In pharmacies in Marseille and Provence, the shelves lack Ozempic, an antidiabetic product normally available on prescription.

To understand where the problem comes from, simply type the name of the drug into the TikTok search bar. Throughout the scrolls, the same speeches follow one another. Those of the influencers who extol the merits of a product perceived above all as an appetite suppressant. The miracle recipe for losing weight would be obvious: it would be enough to ingest this medication.

In the Pichon pharmacy, located in the 12th arrondissement of Marseille, there is a shortage of stock.

“What is terrible is that today we are reaching a point where this drug is no longer available due to significant misuse around the world. People who really need it cannot not have it”, laments Stéphane Pichon, president of the Regional Council of the Order of Pharmacists in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur-Corsica.

Many side effects

Patients can lose up to 15% of their body weight while taking the drug. Other side effects can also be caused in the event of unsupervised treatments: gastroenterinal disorders, diarrhea, heart problems, pancreatitis, etc.

“This medication is part of the class of GLP-1 analogs. It has many side effects which can be extremely serious. Most require intensive care,” explains Karim Haroune, general practitioner in the 3rd arrondissement.

The National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) also had to react to the increase in false prescriptions. “The use of these medications requires in-depth consideration, particularly in terms of patient safety and the conditions of prescription and dispensing.”

If in doubt, the ANSM has asked pharmacists to report and refuse suspicious prescriptions.

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