People with diabetes still struggle to find Ozempic as it gains popularity as a weight loss aid

People with Type 2 diabetes are worried about their health because they can’t find Ozempic.

News Center 7 has reported on the shortage of Ozempic, a weekly injection that helps lower blood sugar, since last winter and place likes Walgreens and other pharmacies.

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“People need to know that you know what they’re doing is just not the way to go you know can die from diabetes without the Medicine,” Chris Steggemann said.

Steggemann has been living with Type 2 diabetes for a decade.

“I went to my doctor and he was like, ‘Oh, you’re Type 2 diabetic and we need to get you started on some medications to get that under control,’” he said.

One of those medications is Ozempic.

Which he has been taking for the past year and a half and said it has “really helped” him.

But with the shortage of the drug, his doctor had to prescribe him something else.

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“Last time I talked to the pharmacist, he just had no timetable as to when it would be in,” Steggemann said.

The new medication isn’t working as well.

“You can definitely tell a difference being on the pill...” he said. “On the Ozempic I wasn’t eating as much, was not as tired, more active.”

Its ability to suppress appetites is one of the main reasons for the shortage.

People who are not diabetic are buying the medication to lose weight.

“If you want to lose weight, let’s do it a different way versus taking something away from a lot of Americans that need Ozempic,” Steggeman said.

He added there are multiple risks of the drug such as heart attacks and strokes that people should be aware of.