Remi Bader Says She 'Gained Double the Weight Back' After Stopping Weight-Loss Drug Ozempic
Remi Bader is getting candid about her past experience with Ozempic now that she noticed it's become "this trendy drug."
The content creator and model, 27, was a guest on the latest episode of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast and revealed to host Amanda Hirsch that she was a bit annoyed that the medication has become so popular recently after she was previously prescribed it for "actual health issues."
Ozempic is an FDA-approved prescription medication — taken by injection in the thigh, stomach or arm — typically used to help lower blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes. It's the brand name for semaglutide, which stimulates insulin production and also targets areas of the brain that regulate appetite, according to the FDA.
Recently, Ozempic has been trending on social media after TikTok users speculated that a number of celebrities have used the drugs for weight loss, even though they don't have diabetes or clinical obesity.
On the podcast, Bader shared that her doctor recommended she try Ozempic in 2020 shortly after it became FDA-approved because she was pre-diabetic, insulin resistant, and gaining weight.
If you or someone you know is battling an eating disorder, please contact the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) at 1-800-931-2237 or go to NationalEatingDisorders.org.
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However, Bader said it wasn't the best treatment for her as it eventually worsened her binge eating, which she's struggled with for years. She explained that although she was able to lose weight from the medication, when she stopped taking it her binge eating immediately returned.
"They said I need this. And I had a lot of mixed feelings," she said of being prescribed Ozempic. "A few months later I went off it and got into the bad binging."
"I saw a doctor and they were like, it's 100% because I went on Ozempic," Bader continued. "It was making me think I wasn't hungry for so long, I lost some weight. I didn't wanna be obsessed with being on it long term. I was like, I bet the second I got off I'm gonna get starving again. I did, and my binging got so much worse. So then I kind of blamed Ozempic."
Bader added that she "gained double the weight back" after stopping the medication and she thinks it really should just be used for those with diabetes.
RELATED: TikTok Star Remi Bader Reveals She's Seeking Treatment for Binge Eating
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Dr. Caroline Apovian, co-director of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, warned that use of these medications strictly for weight loss is causing less availability for "underserved" diabetic patients whose lives are at risk without the drugs.
Ozempic is listed as "currently on shortage" on the FDA's website. Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic, said in a release that the shortage is caused by a recent increase in demand, as well as supply chain issues.
"The Hollywood trend is concerning," Apovian recently told PEOPLE. "We're not talking about stars who need to lose 10 pounds. We're talking about people who are dying of obesity, are going to die of obesity."
"You're taking away from patients with diabetes," she continued. "We have lifesaving drugs… and the United States public that really needs these drugs can't get them."
