(NaturalHealth365)  As celebrities, social media influencers, and mainstream news outlets continue to obsess over the newest weight loss trend (in what many marketing experts call a well-thought-out, completely intentional ploy to get both “good” and “bad” press in order to garner attention and boost sales – and if so, boy has it worked!), many of the trend’s harmful effects are being readily ignored.

The trend in question?  A diabetes medication called semaglutide is currently sold under the brand names Ozempic® and Wegovy®.  Ozempic is the particular drug that has gotten the most attention lately, thanks to its off-label use as a weight-loss drug, even in people without diabetes.  But what few people seem to be talking about is how a specific demographic of people who are being targeted by Big Pharma advertising campaigns should be especially wary of this popular pill.

ALERT for women of childbearing age: Weight loss drug takes many weeks to get out of the system, and drug manufacturer says this drug should be stopped before getting pregnant

Ozempic (semaglutide) is a “GLP-1 receptor agonist indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes,” according to its package insert.  Essentially, the drug helps a person’s pancreas release insulin when blood sugar is too high.  It has also been found to promote weight loss – hence the global obsession with it.

Since this medication was first approved in the United States back in 2017, healthcare providers and national healthcare systems around the world have become increasingly interested in it.  In the United States and the United Kingdom, for example, Ozempic has been approved as a pharmacological treatment for obesity in adults and children as young as 12 years old.  Of course, let’s just ignore the fact that according to the drug’s own package insert, the “safety and efficacy of Ozempic have not been established in pediatric patients (younger than 18 years).”  But sure, go ahead and encourage even MORE pharmacology in our nation’s kids.

There are other frustrating oversights, however.  According to the “wonder drug’s” manufacturer, Novo Nordisk – who recently reported a forecasted 23% increase in Ozempic sales in 2023, to the tune of $12.5 billion – it is not known whether this once-weekly injection “will harm your unborn baby or passes into your breast milk.”  The informational webpage for the drug continues with this warning: “You should stop using Ozempic^® 2 months before you plan to become pregnant.”

Two months.  TWO entire months before trying to conceive a child is when a woman of childbearing age should stop taking this drug (“due to the long washout period,” according to the package insert – in other words, how long it takes for the drug to get out of your system, which is about 5 weeks after the last dose).  And yet women are being heavily targeted by the advertising campaigns for this weight loss drug, and there seems to be little discussion about this important warning.

Quoted in an April 20, 2023 article published by Children’s Health Defense, board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. James Thorp referred to the Ozempic phenomenon as “a disaster” and warned that “the problem is that the whole industry is captured.  Some people are calling it a miracle drug, and a lot of women are flocking to it.  That means they’re pushing these drugs to the exact population that is going to have inadvertent pregnancies.”

Should we at least hope that doctors are supporting FULL informed consent and discussing all the known and unknown risks of these drugs prior to prescribing these drugs to their patients – especially to women of childbearing age?

Sadly, after what we’ve seen during the pandemic, we’re guessing that might be too big of an ask for many of our nation’s physicians.

Here are some other things about Ozempic to be aware of, according to the FDA

The issue with Ozempic is that animal studies have shown harmful effects on fetuses when pregnant rats, rabbits, and monkeys were given the drug.  These harms include reduced fetal growth, stillbirth, and abnormal fetal development issues, including heart, blood vessel, and skeletal abnormalities.  Yet despite this information – and despite a lack of sufficient data in humans – Ozempic is still advised to be used during pregnancy “if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus,” according to the label.

There is likewise “no data” on whether semaglutide is passed into human breast milk and how this could affect a breastfeeding child.  However, the drug has been found in the milk of lactating animals!

But that’s not all.  According to Novo Nordisk and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), other serious side effects of this drug include:

• Pancreatitis (in other words, damage to the very organ that the drug is supposed to help!)
• Vision problems
• Dangerously low blood sugar, which can lead to signs and symptoms like “dizziness or Iightheadedness, blurred vision, anxiety, irritability or mood changes, sweating, slurred speech, hunger, confusion or drowsiness, shakiness, weakness, headache, fast heartbeat, and feeling jittery”
• Kidney and gallbladder problems
• Serious allergic reactions

Let’s be clear: conventional pharmacology and Western medicine have their place in our society.  But when it comes to managing or reversing chronic health conditions that are overwhelmingly related to lifestyle choices, it’s so frustrating to see again and again how Big Pharma tries to muscle its way into the Top Dog position of solutions.

Remember, there are – in many cases – much safer and more natural ways to solve health issues, especially the problem of excess body weight and blood sugar.

Sources for this article include:

Childrenshealthdefense.org
Medlineplus.gov
NHS.uk
Pharmaceutical-technology.com
FDA.gov
Medicinematters.com