Living in the Age of Özempic

Game-changing weight-management drugs are finally going mainstream. But as with any buzzy health topic, with the fascination come plenty of myths and misunderstandings. WH has the expert info for determining whether one of the next-gen meds is right for you.

- By Korin Miller, Emily Shiffer, and Andi Breitowich

When 28-year-old Danielle K. Gained around 50 pounds during the pandemic, she tried everything to drop the weight:

Intermittent fasting, working out consistently, and focusing on a balanced diet. Nothing made a difference on the scale or in the mirror.

Around the same time, Danielle's sister, who has type 1 diabetes, started taking a prescription drug called Ozempic-perhaps you've heard of it?-that has a known weight-loss side effect.

While the drug is FDA-approved to treat type 2 diabetes (not type 1 at this point), it may help some individuals with type 1 reduce the need for insulin injections, preliminary research suggests. (FYI: It's legal for a licensed provider to prescribe Ozempic off-label for type 1 diabetes or weight loss; your doctor must judge whether off-label use is appropriate for you.) Danielle noticed that her sister had shed "a significant amount of weight" after a year on Ozempic via self-administered injections. So, she started doing her own research, diving into Reddit threads about people's experiences. And then she asked her primary care doctor about it.