Featured Image Credit: Milko/Getty Images
Topics: Health, Ozempic, Alcohol, Food and Drink, Life, Reddit, Social Media
Ellie Kemp
Topics: Health, Ozempic, Alcohol, Food and Drink, Life, Reddit, Social Media
An Ozempic user has shared how taking the weight loss treatment has impacted their 'party girl era.'
The injectable GLP-1 drug was approved to treat people with type 2 diabetes back in 2017.
Only it's surged in popularity in recent years, with a number of celebrities getting on the medication - and dropping weight pretty rapidly.
Taken weekly, Ozempic works by regulating blood sugar and encouraging the pancreas make more insulin.
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This curbs appetite and results in weight loss. But that's not what Ozempic was made for.
There are plenty of similar drugs signed off for that very purpose - including Mounjaro, Wegovy and Saxenda.
People on these kinds of medications have reported different side effects - from mild stomach upsets to changes elsewhere in the body.
But one Ozempic user has noticed how taking the medication has impacted their partying habits.
Taking to the R/Ozempic community on Reddit, they began: "Nobody warned me Ozempic would make tequila taste like battery acid."
After going for a Friday night drink with the girls, the Reddit user explained the shock they received.
"Took one sip of a margarita and instantly felt like I was gargling Duracell. RIP to my party girl era. I’m officially retired."
They then asked if anyone else had noticed the same change. The comments were divided.
One social media user said: "Yup. I actually like it. I can’t eat crap foods, can’t drink, and have to stick to a food schedule and exercise."
They continued: "I’m down 106 pounds, and I’m not complaining about a thing. It feels good to be noticeably smaller, wear smaller clothes and feel better in my body
"Alcohol is definitely a thing of the past, or heavy, heavy moderation. I can’t get past one mixed/watered down drink…and I’m grateful."
A second agreed: "I personally just don’t even crave a drink at all anymore. Like the thought of having one sounds unpleasant."
A third said: "I drink vodka, bourbon or gin drinks instead now. Or mocktails, mostly mocktails. But tequila doesn’t do it for me anymore unless I get my Clase Azul, sipping on that is also nice."
Others commented that they had 'no such issues,' as somebody else quipped about the 'battery acid' taste: "That's just tequila."
One study has found the drug has appeared to reduce some people's cravings for booze, nicotine, and opioids - and could also curb some types of compulsive behaviors, like gambling and online shopping.
Pharmacologist Elisabet Jerlhag and her colleagues at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden have discovered that GLP-1 drugs have prevented alcohol relapses in 'addicted' rats and mice.
"So we see a reduction by over 50%, which is quite dramatic," Jerlhag commented.
Doctor Lorenzo Leggio, clinical director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse, explained further that it occurs because the drugs 'also work in your brain'.
"The mechanism in the brain that regulates overeating overlaps with those responsible for the development and maintenance of addiction, including alcohol disorder," he added.
Ozempic manufacturer Novo Nordisk told UNILAD: "At Novo Nordisk patient safety always comes first.
"Wegovy®▼(semaglutide injection) is a prescription-only medication and so all decisions regarding treatment, including lifestyle, and nutrition should be made in collaboration with and under the supervision of a healthcare professional.
"If you are taking any medication and believe you might be experiencing a side effect, please speak to your healthcare provider and report it through the MHRA Yellow Card scheme. The scheme exists to help the MHRA and pharmaceutical companies identify new safety issues as early as possible and monitor reactions to medicines. You can find the scheme here: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/."