2023-07-28 07:40:19
“The global trend for rapid weight loss, the drug known as Ozempic.” The needle intended for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes is missing from Lebanese pharmacies, not for reasons related to import, pricing, or monopoly, and not because Riad Salameh refuses to support it, but rather because its use for slimming overshadowed its therapeutic use, and whoever wants to reach the ideal weight withdraws it in front of patients. diabetes.
“Uznbek” can be described as “the social media prescription, or the advice of famous people in these arenas.” The drug hashtag was mentioned on the “Tik Tok” platform 273 million times this year alone. In Lebanon, people are circulating news about its “mythic ability to lose weight,” which helps spread its use as a “first solution” for weight loss, “even if the extra weight does not exceed 4 kilograms, like many girls,” says a nutritionist.
In pharmacies, “the drug is more effective than Panadol,” according to pharmacist Shadi al-Sablani. Although it is not cheap, it is very expensive, as “the official price of a single needle or pen reaches more than 10 million pounds.” Each pen contains 4 doses, and it is taken for a month, at a rate of one dose per week. However, “the effect is not direct, but it takes several weeks,” Al-Sablani adds, “with which the side effects of the drug begin to appear, including a complete loss of appetite, which is the main reason behind its magical ability to lose weight, as the user stops eating completely.”
As for the estimated time period for weight loss, Al-Sablani indicates that “it reaches 6 months, during which the patient may lose about 20 kilograms if he suffers from obesity.” Regarding the availability of alternatives to this drug, Al-Sablani confirms the existence of similar European types on the black market at a higher price of $200 per pen, and they come in the form of boxes containing two pens each, but pharmacies sell them by pill.
Al-Sablani does not reduce the side effects of the drug, which begin with “bloating, constipation, or diarrhea, leading to dehydration.” “Users start using light calibers, such as 0.25 and 0.5, to get used to their impact before reaching a higher caliber.” Al-Sablani warns of “side effects that are not known so far, especially since the drug is new, and there are not enough studies on its use for weight loss, and it is not licensed by any international drug agency for this use, unlike its primary use in the treatment of diabetes.”
And the unknown symptoms began to appear, as the “British Medicines and Healthcare Products Agency” indicated yesterday that it had received reports of a high number of suicide attempts among drug users. The day before yesterday, the US Food and Drug Agency requested further investigations to confirm the link between the use of Ozenbek and the assurances of a number of doctors in the United States of examining cases of “stomach paralysis” as a result of the use of the drug.
This use of drugs other than their primary purpose is known as “off label,” according to the director of a pharmaceutical drug import company, Maryam Ghaddar, and “benefits manufacturers to keep them out of any legal accountability in the event of misuse by people, since they did not request legislation for the second use.”
On the other hand, one of the endocrinologists and diabetologist refuses to agree to the description of “Oznbek” for weight loss as “safe”, likening the matter to “who tries the weapon in his head, as there are not enough studies confirming the safety of using Oznbek in weight loss.” He also refuses to “prescribe drugs that occur under the pressure of social media.” The emergency doctor, Dr. Mazen Shaito, is concerned about the wrong use of the drug. “The story is not a joke,” he says, as he saw some patients in the hospital who had reached a state of “malnutrition due to not eating appropriate amounts of food while taking the doses.” If they use these treatments, they should be kept under medical supervision.”
In the face of the increase in obesity among the Lebanese, losing weight has become an obsession for many who try nutrition clinics without reaching the desired result. “There is no magic wand here,” says nutritionist Batool Manana. “What has been gained over the years cannot be removed in a month or less.” The solution to losing weight is “a change in lifestyle, green tea, or medications will not shorten the time to reach the appropriate weight in a short period.”
However, people deal with “Uzenbek” as the first solution, and they spread news of its success quickly like wildfire, as Faisal succeeded in losing 20 kilograms in just two months using these magic needles, unlike Sally, who was only able to remove one kilogram per month using medication. What she considers to be a “useless use”.
And about some nutritionists “recommending or prescribing medications,” Manana points out that these “are not authorized to do so, as the specialist cannot follow up on the side effects, and the matter requires a doctor, especially since these drugs, such as Ozenbek, contain hormones, and their use may lead to Sometimes to hospitalization ».
Manana points out, “There are people with healthy bodies, but they want to lose 3 to 4 kilograms, so they use this medicine, but they don’t get the desired result.” Regarding the possibility of maintaining the new weight, nutritionist Hussein Nema confirms, “It is impossible, because medication is not a tool for permanent weight loss. Because they lose muscle and water from their bodies, not fat. Reducing food and cutting it completely is harmful, as well as removing all meals, and this does not represent balance.
Two-thirds of the Lebanese are obese
64% of the Lebanese suffer from overweight in general, and 31% of the overweight people in Lebanon have reached the stage of obesity, according to World Health Organization figures, the majority of whom are males. Globally, obesity ranks fifth in causing death, as it killed more than 5 million people worldwide last year. In Lebanon, obesity-related diseases led to the death of more than 6,000 people in 2020, representing 18% of the number of deaths, according to WHO figures.
How does Ozempic work?
Ozenbek contains a compound known as Semaglutide, which lowers blood sugar levels and regulates insulin secretion. This is very important for people with type 2 diabetes, that is, patients who have lost the effectiveness of the natural insulin in their bodies.
The drug also mimics a hormone that we naturally produce in our gut, and suppresses appetite by signaling to our bodies that we are full, which causes our stomach to empty food more slowly. As a result, obese people lose weight quickly while taking “Ozenbek”, as users of the drug feel full faster, and foods are no longer exciting for them.
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