This TikTok Weight Loss Trend Might Be Causing A Shortage Of A Type 2 Diabetes Drug

TikTok has been taking the world by storm, but it has also ignited a lot of extreme trends. Recently, a report broke that a recent TikTok trend might be affecting patients with Type 2 diabetes.

The TikTok Rave

TikTok has spearheaded some popular trends, and the recent rave might just be causing a particular shortage in the medical community. In a recent weight loss trend that has quickly become an online rave, many influencers and social media users are showing off their drastic results, but this has come at the expense of people struggling with Type Two Diabetes. The ongoing rave is about Ozempic, an FDA-approved medication used to reduce the impact of Type 2 diabetes, and is meant to be injected only once a week. The medication has been gaining online fame because of its ability to trigger weight loss and improve blood sugar levels.

#ozempicweightloss

Looking up the hashtag #ozempicweightloss on TikTok pulls up multiple stories of people who have either used the injectable medication in the past or have curated a reel of their progress report from using the medicine. Although the amount of weight people have lost on the medication varies, several people have reported losing over 50 pounds.

Because the results are so drastic, more people who do not have Type Two Diabetes are asking their doctors to write prescriptions for the medication. Although some doctors are writing the prescriptions,  this has resulted in a shortage for people suffering from the condition who really need it.

Alternatives

In a conversation with Healthline, Dr. Kathleen Dungan, a specialist in endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, shared some thoughts on the medication.

“Ozempic is a very potent glucose-lowering medication, and it is one of the most effective glucose medicines we have,” said Dungan. “But it also has some really important benefits on weight loss, which is usually important for people with type 2 diabetes.”

Although there is a massive shortage of Ozempic, several professionals are encouraging people who are suffering from Diabetes Two to ask for alternatives.

“Patients can speak with their doctor about switching to an alternative GLP-1 RA product,” said Martha Garcia-Stout, a lecturer within the College of Health Professions and Sciences at the University of Central Florida. “This may include using other semaglutide products. Patients can also look to other members of the GLP-1 RA drug family, such as the injectable alternatives of dulaglutide (Trulicity), exenatide (Bydureon), or liraglutide (Victoza), as well as the oral alternatives of lixisenatide (Adlyxin) and oral exenatide (Byetta).”