CLEVELAND, Ohio — The trend has taken over social media, crediting Ozempic as a weight loss solution.
But some people diagnosed with diabetes said they're having a tough time getting their Ozempic prescription, as the FDA lists the drug in short supply.
"You have sort of this perfect storm of a drug that is used for diabetes and a drug that is used for obesity, two very common diseases," Dr. Scott Butsch, director of obesity medicine at Cleveland Clinic, says.
Butsch tells 3News he prescribes Ozempic to some of his patients to treat obesity, adding it's just a lower dosage of Wegovy, an FDA-approved weight loss drug that's also in short supply.
"I think its important to understand that the treatment of obesity has largely, for a long period of time, been avoided, and we're really excited as the community of medical providers who treat obesity that [there are] these available medications that are highly effective [and] have a safer side effect profile," he explained.
Some of those side effects listed on Ozempic's website range from nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea to more serious side effects like pancreatitis, kidney failure, and thyroid cancer. The manufacturer also say Ozempic is not intended for weight loss.
Doctors admit the drug helps people feel fuller longer, but Butsch believes that will cost you.
"I have patients on these medications, but its only because they either can afford it, which is, again, hundreds and hundreds of dollars if not thousands," he said. "Or, they have an insurance company that actually is smart and realizes obesity is a disease."
Off-label prescribing — when doctors give a drug that's approved for a different condition like in this instance — is not illegal and is rather common. According to the Agency For Healthcare Research and Quality, one in five prescriptions written are for off-label use.