A new weight loss TikTok trend promoting the use of a drug prescribed for diabetes is causing a countrywide shortage of the drug and affecting the diabetic patients that need it.

Ozempic is a drug that, along with diet and exercise, controls blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.

While it is not made nor recommended for weight loss, some doctors in South Africa have been prescribing it as a weight loss solution.

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The popular drug used by type 2 diabetes patients started trending as a viral weight loss craze after celebrities such as Elon Musk were rumoured to be taking the drug.

TikTok users quickly started experimenting with Ozempic for weight loss and recorded their weight loss journey. #Ozempic currently has over 952,9 million views on TikTok.

In its intended use for diabetic patients, it reduces blood sugar, but in non-diabetic patients, along with causing an unnatural drop in blood sugar levels, the side effects users have recorded include upset stomach, heartburn, burping, gas, bloating, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, constipation, runny nose or sore throat, stomach flu symptoms, headache, dizziness and tiredness.

Duanna Maraj, from Pietermaritzburg, found out about Ozempic on TikTok last year. At the time she was satisfied with her weight until she jumped on the scale in 2023 and noticed her weight had increased rapidly.

“I usually weigh in the mid 50’s and this year when I jumped on the scale, I was well over the 60kg mark, which alarmed me,” says Maraj.

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She started her Ozempic journey three weeks ago and lost three kilograms in her first week on Ozempic. To date, she has lost 5,8kg.

Although she has learnt to manage her side effects including nausea, vomiting, constant burping and elevated heart rate, she said she has since decided to stop using the drug, due to the symptoms she experienced.

“I had one small meal a day, every day. I also noticed that anything with a high sugar content made me extremely nauseous, almost instantly.”

The Ozempic pen is an injection that one injects once a week for four weeks. One pen on average can cost you R1 000 and lasts four weeks.

According to Dr Kogilan Govender, from North Coast Road Medical Centre, the main side effect is nausea.

“Ozempic was designed for type 2 diabetes. One of the side effects was increased satiety and weight loss and this weight loss became punted in overweight patients.”

Dr Govender says it has caused a nationwide shortage due to the demand.

The Witness called seven pharmacies around Pietermaritzburg and none had stock of the drug.

Govender advises anyone to consult with their healthcare professional before using Ozempic.

While it is said that doctors can prescribe the drug to patients, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) has advised that the drug should only be used for what is stipulated on the leaflet of the medication.

Registered consulting dietician, Stephany Joyner says since it was identified that patients who were taking Ozempic for the management of type two diabetes were losing significant amounts of weight, doctors began to prescribe it to obese non-diabetic patients to help them to lose weight.

“This is not necessarily where the real problem lies. A person diagnosed with obesity, who is at high risk of developing health conditions as a result of their weight could in all likelihood benefit significantly from Ozempic and this could be, literally, a life-saving solution for them.”

She says the problem comes in with non-obese, non-diabetic people using Ozempic as a weight loss ‘magic solution’.

“It is also vitally important to keep in mind that if you stop taking Ozempic, it is almost guaranteed that you will start to regain weight. This is even more likely if you have not addressed areas of concern in your eating habits and lifestyle choices.

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“If you are clinically obese and are really struggling to lose the weight you need to, Ozempic is a possible solution; however, it is crucial that this should only be a part of the solution.

“[The next step should be] to work with a dietician who can help you to improve your dietary choices and overall lifestyle so that you can safely stop the Ozempic and not regain the weight that you lost,” says Joyner.

Spokesperson for Sahpra, Melanie Govindasamy, told the newspaper when Sahpra approves a product for registration, the product is only supposed to be used for its intended purposes as per the patient information leaflet (PIL).

Govindasamy confirmed that the drug was not registered as a weight loss drug in South Africa.

“Any use outside of the approved professional information and patient information leaflets have not been endorsed or approved by Sahpra. Any decision to prescribe treatments outside of the Sahpra approved PI and PIL is subject to the prescriber’s discretion and their professional code of practice.”