Actress and comedian Amy Schumer has spoken out about her decision to stop taking the weight loss drug Ozempic as she called for her fellow celebrities to be more upfront about their use of the drug.
The star of Trainwreak opened up about how she tried Ozempic, which is a weekly injection used to treat type 2 diabetes but also leads to weight loss.
Amy took Ozempic, the medication Boris Johnson has admitted taking to curb his late-night “cheese and chorizo” binges.
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However, the side effects of the drug eventually meant she stopped taking it, with Schumer telling talk show host Andy Cohen that the drug wasn’t “livable” for her.
She said: “Like a year ago, I tried it. I was one of those people that felt so sick and couldn’t play with my son. I was so skinny and he’s throwing a ball at me and [I couldn’t].”
Ozempic, along with Wegovy and Mounjaro, are brand names for semaglutide and works by creating the feeling of fullness, helping people to lose weight.
Schumer called out people in the public eye for “lying” about their use of weight loss drugs, saying: “Everyone’s like: ‘Smaller portions’. Shut up. You’re on Ozempic, or one of those things. Just stop. Just be real with the people.”
The 43-year-old said that when she underwent liposuction for weight loss in 2022, she was honest about it.
“When I got lipo, I was like, I got lipo” she said.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports that common side effects of Wegovy include diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headache and digestive disorders.
There have also been warnings about more serious side effects, such as the “potential risk of thyroid C-cell tumours”, increased heart rate, suicidal behaviour and pancreatitis.
Ozempic has been linked to possible thyroid tumours, changes in vision and kidney problems.
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Chelsea Lately star Chelsea Handler said she only realised she was taking Ozempic when she told her friend she was on semaglutide, who informed her that Ozempic was the brand name.
Speaking on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, the comedian said: “So, my anti-ageing doctor just hands it out to anybody. I didn’t even know I was on it. She said: ‘If you ever want to drop five pounds, this is good.’
“I’m not on it anymore. That’s too irresponsible. I’m an irresponsible drug user, but I’m not gonna take a diabetic drug. I tried it, and I’m not gonna do that. That’s not for me. That’s not right for me.”
- Speak to other people taking weight loss medications on the Weight Loss and Dieting Forum
