Some of those taking Ozempic or Wegovy are learning that too much of a good thing is never good.
Semaglutide, the medication prescribed under the brand names Ozempic, for treating Type 2 diabetes, and Wegovy, for weight management, works by mimicking the hormone GLP-1, which is released by the gut after eating. The hormone has several effects in the body, such as stimulating insulin production, slowing gastric emptying and lowering blood sugar.
It has been hailed for its weight-loss benefits, most conspicuously among celebrities. Oprah Winfrey recently said she uses weight-loss medication and lauded “the fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime.” She said it felt “like a gift.”
But between Jan. 1 and Nov. 30 this year, at least 2,941 Americans reported overdose exposures to semaglutide, according to a recent report from America’s Poison Centers, a national nonprofit representing 55 poison centers in the United States.
I can think of more fun stuff to do if you are going to take drugs. As soon as I saw Oprah used it, I started to question it.
Delusions of Adequacy 
Here’s the thing. These are reports to poison centers, e.g. “Oh my God, I took too much Ozempic, what should I do.” The answer is mostly “Nothing” because a relatively small “overdose” is no big deal. Sure, people who take 10 times the normal dose will have nontrivial symptoms, but it’s almost never life-threatening. A quick look on Google scholar fails to show a fatal semaglutide overdose.
What this is is a major public relations campaign by the big pharmaceutical companies to outlaw compounded semaglutide. People who have prediabetes can benefit tremendously from the drug. I have been taking it for three months. I’ve lost 20 lbs and my A1c has dropped from 6.1 to 5.5. I have friends who have had radical life transformations. I have one friend who has lost 65 lbs. He had neuropathy and severe arthritis to the point that he was opioid dependent for function. After taking semaglutide for six months, he *spontaneously* stopped taking opioids because his pain level had decreased so much, and was exercising regularly for the first time in 15 years.
The problem is that semaglutide is not available at a reasonable expense to prediabetics who have metabolic syndrome because of black letter law in the Medicare law that says that Medicare cannot be used to pay for weight loss drugs. What that means is that for me to get Ozempic, I have to pay $1300 a month even with a physician prescription, and as a retired person on a fixed income, I can’t afford that. However, with generic compounded semaglutide, I pay $50 a month.
The drug companies hate that. So, now we are seeing all these “compounded semaglutide is dangerous” BS. It’s just an attempt by the large companies to make it unavailable to those who can’t get it through insurance, probably in an attempt to force Congress to change the Medicare law.
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