Experts 'concerned' over TikTok creators calling berberine supplement an 'Ozempic dupe': 'It could be potentially dangerous'

Editor’s Note: This article contains mentions of eating disorders and disordered eating. Please take care while reading, and note the helpful resources at the end of this story.

Ozempic, a medication usually prescribed to treat diabetes, made headlines earlier this year for its popularity among celebrities and social media influencers as a weight-loss drug. While searches for Ozempic and Wegovy, another semaglutide medication, have been growing steadily, a supplement called Berberine has now entered the cultural lexicon.

Berberine isn’t exactly new but it has recently been dubbed “nature’s Ozempic” or an “Ozempic dupe” by some TikTokers because it’s derived from a chemical commonly found in some plants that seems to have some appetite-suppressant and laxative-like side effects. However, experts call the berberine nicknames and assumptions “potentially dangerous” and “misleading.”

“While berberine has shown some potential for weight loss, its effects are modest, and the data supporting its use is limited,” Dr. Anant Vinjamoori, chief medical officer at Modern Age, told In The Know. “It’s misleading to position berberine as an equivalent to semaglutide for weight loss when the scientific consensus significantly favors the latter.”

Google searches for “berberine” spiked in late May, with the top related topics having to do with dieting and weight loss.

Some people have even noticed it listed as a trending search on Amazon. A bottle of berberine costs between $15 to $40 for a month’s supply compared to Ozempic, which can cost $1,000 or more for a shot and needs to be prescribed by a doctor. Because berberine is so cheap, it’s being peddled as an affordable Ozempic, which is itself being touted as a miracle weight-loss drug.

Semaglutide is a type of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1) that mimics the GLP hormone released in the gut in response to eating.

It’s not clear when or why berberine started to be classified as a weight-loss solution on TikTok. Unlike semaglutide, berberine does not mimic GLP-1.

“Berberine potentially aids in weight loss by operating at the molecular level, affecting the efficiency of mitochondria — the energy-producing units within our cells,” Vinjamoori said. “When berberine hinders the function of the mitochondria, it causes the body to activate a pathway .. that promotes the production of more mitochondria, thus potentially increasing the metabolic capacity of the body.”

It’s not just celebrities and high-profile content creators who are taking berberine, it’s all sorts of TikTok users with varying follower counts, who are essentially advertising it as a solution to curb hunger and “look snatched.”

The hashtag for berberine has over 67 million views on TikTok. The platform even populates a message that says “You are more than your weight” when you search for videos related to the supplement.

One small TikTok user, Rae LaRochelle, said she started taking berberine after seeing it show up on her For You page and bought a bottle from Amazon.

“I don’t know what it’s really supposed to do, I think it’s supposed to make you feel less hungry and maybe it’s supposed to boost your metabolism,” she said. “I really have no idea but I love being a guinea pig.”

The next day, LaRochelle said that even though she’d only taken berberine for one day she “felt like it works” but wasn’t sure what the correct dosage was — she’d heard two before every meal on TikTok, but the container said to only take two pills a day.

Joel Totoro, a dietician and the director of Sports Science at Thorne, a vitamin and supplements brand, reiterated to In The Know the importance of consulting with a healthcare professional prior to a prescription or supplement for weight loss.

“I am concerned about the media and social influencers’ tendency to refer to the nutritional supplement berberine as a ‘natural form of Ozempic,'” Totoro said. “It is an oversimplification of the science, it is misleading and it could be potentially dangerous.”

Savannah Crosby, who has 22,000 followers on TikTok, started documenting her journey taking berberine at the end of April. In one video, she said she previously self-diagnosed herself as having insulin resistance issues and didn’t have insurance to pay for Ozempic shots so this was the next best thing.

Berberine has been claimed to treat a number of ailments, including diabetes, PCOS and high blood pressure, but it does not have Food and Drug Association approval to treat anything. Since it’s a dietary supplement, it does not receive the same examination and scrutiny that medications do.

“Supplement companies are not required to confirm safety and efficacy before market release, although, certainly, the best companies do so,” Totoro said.

It’s been eight weeks since Crosby started taking berberine and her Linktree now hosts four different links to buy berberine — including one where Crosby’s username will get consumers a 10% discount.

Isabelle Lux, who has 476,000 followers, said she started to take the supplement as part of her wedding day prep after seeing someone talk about it on TikTok. In her one-week update, the 32-year-old said she already lost 4 pounds.

Lux reiterated in the video that she only plans on taking berberine for a few months — up until her wedding date, which further pushes the narrative that this is a lose-weight-quick tactic rather than a healthy lifestyle change.

There’s information on how many milligrams of berberine to take and how often for patients with diabetes and low blood sugar, but there’s little information on how much and how often users should take it for exclusively weight loss.

“Research on long-term safety is growing but limited, and quality control among supplement brands varies,” Totoro said.

LaRochelle, Crosby, Lux and many other TikTokers taking the supplement without consulting health care professionals are directly against Vinjamoori and Tortoro’s recommendations.

If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder or disordered eating habits, contact the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) at 1-800-931-2237. You can also connect with a Crisis Text Line counselor at no charge by texting the word “HOME” to 741741. Visit the NEDA website to learn more about the possible warning signs of eating disorders and disordered eating.

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