Ozempic helped Lauren lose weight, but it hasn't been straightforward

As soon as Lauren Ash hit puberty, she began gaining weight.

"After having children as well, it just ballooned out of control," the 42-year-old from Adelaide/Tarndanya told ABC podcast Ladies We Need to Talk.

"It's just always been the way that it's been for me."

She has tried different diets and exercise over the years, including aerobics and joining a gym, but nothing worked.

Then in 2021, Lauren, who had been considering weight loss surgery, heard about a friend taking Ozempic — a medication used to treat type 2 diabetes but often prescribed off-label as a weight-loss drug.

Its popularity has exploded in recent years, leading to a shortage and pharmacists creating replicas of the drug.

"I went and had an appointment with this doctor, and he [prescribed] it to me," Lauren says.

But while she has been able to lose weight, using the drug hasn't been straightforward.

The rise of Ozempic

Tegan Taylor, ABC health and science reporter and voice behind What's That Rash and The Health Report, says Ozempic isn't the first weight loss drug of its type, but the first "to really cut through".

Ozempic is a brand name for semaglutide and belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists.

"They mimic the [action] of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1," Taylor says.

"When you eat, your blood sugar rises … and this hormone is sort of involved in the process that stimulates the body to produce more insulin, which helps lower your blood sugar levels.

"Because of the way they work on lowering blood sugar, they're good for [type 2] diabetes.

"A side-effect … was that people on them lost weight."

That's because the drugs make people feel fuller for longer, and therefore suppress appetite, says Michela Sorensen, a GP and women's health advocate based in Sydney/Gadigal Country.

She says the drugs have been a "game-changer" for people with type 2 diabetes and those with obesity.

"Obesity is a chronic disease … and one of the biggest health issues facing not just Australia, but the vast majority of the developed world."

Ozempic came onto the market in the US in 2017, and got onto the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in Australia in 2020 — but just for people with diabetes.

It is prescribed off-label for weight loss. Off-label is when a doctor prescribes a medicine for a purpose other than what is approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

'People acknowledged me'

Lauren says the weight loss effects of Ozempic improved her life.

"[I] went to the gym for a whole year and I lost 2 kilograms, and in the space of 12 months on Ozempic, I lost 35kg.

"I was able to play with my kids, I was able to get up and down easier."

She says thoughts about food no longer ruled her day.

"My 'food noise' disappeared. You know … 'I'm hungry. I need to eat something. I could have a snack right now. That piece of toast looks really good. I might have that. I think I want some chocolate'.

"I wasn't hungry. The taste of food changed for me. I just didn't want to eat anything at all."

Losing the weight also changed how people treated her.

"I was just seen as just a regular person … I was wearing regular clothes, and I was a normal person," Lauren says.

"People acknowledged me and smiled at me."

Dr Sorenson says Lauren is typical of the patients she sees seeking this class of drugs.

"People don't [always] care about the numbers [on scales], but how it will impact day-to-day life.

"Their core energy levels — [overweight] people, especially as they age, are finding they are really fatigued, they can't do normal exercises, they can't walk with their kids."

She's also seeing women around the perimenopause stage, when they can go through physical changes including weight gain.

"They're experiencing a loss of identity, they don't know where they stand physically, mentally," Dr Sorenson says.

"Supporting them to get their body back to a position where they feel comfortable has been helpful for their [perimenopause] treatment."

Ozempic side-effects and risks

GLP-1 receptor agonists can have negative side effects, Dr Sorenson explains, such as headaches and gastrointestinal issues including constipation, diarrhoea and nausea.

"They will often improve as people get used to the medication, but for a certain percentage, it doesn't."

Questions have been raised around the risk of pancreatitis, and thyroid and pancreatic cancers.

So far the research is reassuring, however, these are all rare, so it's unlikely we will know if there is any significant increase for some years to come.

The first two times Lauren injected Ozempic, she had migraines that left her "bed-bound for two days".

"After that I had a bit of nausea, and that was about it."

Lauren had to stop using Ozempic when there was a shortage, and when she started taking it again five months later, it didn't work.

"It didn't have the same effect. And then I got really sick because I have autoimmune disease, and I had to go on steroids.

Dr Sorensen says it's not uncommon for the drug to lose its efficacy when you stop-start.

"Research says it's probably only three to four attempts before it stops working."

She says it's also important people realise what weight loss is possible when taking the drug.

"The data tells us it's about 15 to 18 per cent of your body weight loss, and that's over a year or so.

"But it also tells us, so far, that for most people, if they stop [taking it] soon after they lose that weight, they then go on to regain that weight."

Therefore it's a "longer-term medication", she says, adding it's important that it's taken in conjunction with making diet and lifestyle changes.

'I'm struggling to afford it'

Lauren recently started taking Mounjaro, and has lost 20kg. 

Mounjaro is a brand name for tirzepatide, which works in a similar way to semaglutide but includes GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonists, so mimics two hormones rather than one. It has been approved for chronic weight management in Australia since earlier in 2024.

"I haven't really had any side-effects. No migraines. No nausea … [but] my bank balance hurts a lot," Lauren says, adding she's paying about $650 a month for the drug.

"And honestly, I'm struggling to be able to afford it."

Depending on the brand of drug the patient takes and the dosage, Dr Sorensen says costs typically vary between $140 and $550 a month.

"At the moment, it's only people that have the financial means [that can take these drugs for weight loss]," Dr Sorensen says.

"And we do know that obesity is closely linked with socio-economic outcomes, so I do think it would be great if it was more accessible, but it is something that needs to be closely regulated."

This is general information only. For personal advice, you should see a qualified medical practitioner.