Sharon Osbourne is speaking out about her experience with Ozempic, as well as the drug’s downsides.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Osbourne said she started taking Ozempic – a diabetes drug that also causes weight loss – last December. In less than a year, she said she lost 42 pounds.
Her advice? Be careful when using the drug for weight loss. “I’m too gaunt and I can’t put any weight on,” Osbourne, 71, said. “I want to, because I feel I’m too skinny. I’m under 100lb and I don’t want to be. Be careful what you wish for.”
“You can lose so much weight and it’s easy to become addicted to that, which is very dangerous,” she continued. “I couldn’t stop losing weight and now I’ve lost 42lb and I can’t afford to lose any more.”
“I started on Ozempic last December and I’ve been off it for a while now, but my warning is don’t give it to teenagers, it’s just too easy,” she continued.
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What is Ozempic?
Ozempic is the brand name for semaglutide, an FDA-approved drug used to treat diabetes. In the past year, the drug has boomed in popularity, with people – including celebrities – scrambling to get ahold of it.
“Let’s not discredit my years of working out,” Kardashian wrote in response to an Instagram comment suggesting she used the medication. “I get up 5 days a week at 6am to train. Please stop with your assumptions. I guess new year still means mean people.”
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What are the risks of using Ozempic?
Despite all the buzz around Ozempic, some people may see a downside to the medication: “Ozempic face”.
In a January interview with Business Insider, cosmetic dermatologist Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank said he coined the term after repeatedly seeing patients with thin, gaunt faces.
Frank said that Ozempic face could be caused by losing a lot of fat quickly, causing one’s face to sag. It’s most common in patients who are 40 and older, whose skin is losing elasticity and is more prone to sagging, he added.
“I think a combination of age and the rapidity of the weight loss is what’s causing what I call Ozempic face,” Frank said. “When you meet someone that you saw not too long ago and they’ve [suddenly] lost a lot of weight, particularly in that area, it’s kind of like a telltale sign.”
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Which other celebrities have spoken up against Ozempic?
Besides Osbourne, a string of celebs have also spoken up against people taking the drug for weight-loss purposes.
1. Raven-Symoné
Former Disney star Raven-Symoné shared her thoughts on the drug when speaking with E! News in July. “I have pre-diabetes and diabetes in my family,” the That’s So Raven actress said. “If I’m not careful with my intake of types of foods, I am more susceptible to getting diabetes.”
“So, I think it’s very important we understand certain medications are made for certain people and to not take that away just for glamazon purposes,” she explained.
“Do what you gotta do. Just make sure you save some medication for the people that actually need it,” added the actress.
2. Oprah Winfrey
While hosting Oprah Daily’s The Life You Want Class: The State of Weight, Winfrey weighed in on the debate. “Shouldn’t we all just be more accepting of whatever body you choose to be in? That should be your choice,” Winfrey said. “Even when I first started hearing about the weight loss drugs, at the same time I was going through knee surgery, and I felt, ‘I’ve got to do this on my own.’ Because if I take the drug, that’s the easy way out.”
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Earlier this year, WeightWatchers – a company Winfrey has been linked to for years – paid US$106 million to acquire a subscription service that prescribes Ozempic and other drugs used for weight loss. According to US media, the comments led to WeightWatchers’ stock to drop by 15 per cent the day after her “easy way out” comments.
“To be clear, I believe that prescription medications are an important and viable option to consider for people who struggle with weight and health related issues,” Winfrey backtracked in The Wall Street Journal. “Every person should be able to choose what wellness and good health means for them without scrutiny, stigma or shame,” she added.
3. Amy Schumer
In June, the actress and comedian spoke up against the drug while speaking on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. “Like a year ago, I tried it,” she said, “I was one of those people that felt so sick and couldn’t play with my son. I was so skinny and he’s throwing a ball at me and [I couldn’t].”
Schumer also wasn’t impressed with celebrities not owning up to their use of the drug. “Everyone has been lying saying, ‘Oh smaller portions’. Like shut the f** up. You are on Ozempic or one of those things or you got work done.” she added. “Be real with the people. When I got lipo, I said I got lipo.”
4. Sophie Turner
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5. Padma Lakshmi
The Top Chef host spoke to People magazine in April about the Ozempic and (competitor brand) Wegovy weight loss trend. “You gotta be careful what you do with your body. On Top Chef I eat a lot, and I understand the tendency. But also the pressure for women in media is much different than men in media. So we have to maybe look deeper to the reasons why, as a society, not just put it on the shoulders of the women who just want the same opportunity that men get.”
6. Julia Fox
When the Uncut Gems actress and model was accused of taking Ozempic for weight loss, she clapped back by shutting down the rumours in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. “All these people are coming for me saying that I take the weight loss things … people are saying that I’m taking Ozempic or whatever it’s called.”
“I’m not and I never have … I would never do that,” she said. “There are diabetics that need it,” she added.
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7. Jameela Jamil
The British actress and podcast host was among the very first celebs to call out Hollywood’s use of the drug.
“I have said what I have said about the potential harm of people using the diabetes medication for weight loss only,” she wrote in a post on Instagram. “I fear for everyone in the next few years. Rich people are buying this stuff off prescription for upwards of US$1,000. Actual diabetes are seeing shortages. It’s now a mainstream craze in Hollywood,” she added.
“I’m deeply concerned but I can’t change any of your minds because fat phobia has our generation in a chokehold,” she lamented.
Additional reporting by Faye Bradley
