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Be warned of the 'Ozempic wall'! Experts say little-known issue will affect EVERYONE on miracle slimming jabs - and it can kick in after just six weeks
Wannabe slimmers were today warned about a little-known issue with weight loss jabs that will affect anyone taking them.
Game-changing injections such as Ozempic and Wegovy, hailed by the likes of Elon Musk and Jeremy Clarkson, are proven to help people lose up to 2st.
But experts said that anyone relying on them to combat long term weight loss could be left disappointed, with the effects of the drugs halting after just months.
Some users have hit the so-called 'Ozempic wall' after just six weeks, complaining on online forums about how they're now struggling to shift the pounds despite fasting and exercising.
Professor Naveed Sattar, an expert in cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, told MailOnline: 'As lighter people burn less calories, weight will always plateau over time, as with any weight loss intervention.
Appearing on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, earlier this month 55-year-old American comedian and actor Tracy Morgan revealed he eventually 'out-ate' Ozempic and gained 40 pounds (18kg)
Last year, TikTok star Remi Bader also admitted that stopping Ozempic made her binge eating get 'so much worse'. She said she was prescribed it because she was pre-diabetic and insulin-resistant and gaining weight. 'They said I need this. And I had a lot of mixed feelings,' she said. 'Because then ... a few months later, got into the bad bingeing and went off it.' She added: 'I saw a doctor, and they were like, "It's 100% because you went on Ozempic"
'Miracle' slimming jabs like Ozempic and Wegovy, hailed by celebrities including Jeremy Clarkson, are proven to help people lose up to 2st. But experts said that anyone relying on them to combat long term weight loss could be left disappointed, with the effects of the drugs halting after just months
The pens, taken once a day, trick the brain and make the body think it is full, curbing appetite. Effects can be visible within weeks. Patients on them claim to have been left repulsed by their favourite foods, including coffee, chocolate and fried chicken. Pictured, proponent of Ozempic the eccentric billionaire Elon Musk
'The amount of calories consumed will eventually balance with less calories burned to lead to a new steady weight.'
Semaglutide, however, does still 'work well in most people', he added.
The pens, taken once a day, trick the brain and make the body think it is full, curbing appetite.
Effects can be visible within weeks.
Patients on them claim to have been left repulsed by their favourite foods, including coffee, chocolate and fried chicken.
But trials show users of semaglutide – the powerful ingredient in both Ozempic and Wegovy — can put weight back on as soon as they stop taking it.
According to one 2022 study by researchers at Aintree University Hospital, once a patient drops out of the regimen, most of their weight returns, along with related risks for heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
These include obesity, chronic body-wide inflammation and problems with insulin control.
The researchers studied around 1,900 people who had received glucagon-like peptide-1 hormone (GLP-1) injections for more than a year and found that 12 months after they stopped the therapy, they had regained on average two-thirds of whatever weight they'd lost while on the drug.
Appearing on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this month, 55-year-old American comedian and actor Tracy Morgan revealed he eventually 'out-ate' Ozempic and gained 40 pounds (18kg) while taking it.
Last year, TikTok star Remi Bader admitted that stopping Ozempic made her binge eating get 'so much worse'.
She said she was prescribed it because she was pre-diabetic and insulin-resistant and gaining weight.
'They said I need this. And I had a lot of mixed feelings,' she said. 'Because then ... a few months later, got into the bad bingeing and went off it.'
She added: 'I saw a doctor, and they were like, "It's 100 per cent because you went on Ozempic".
Ahmed Ahmed, a consultant bariatric surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London, said: 'Unrealistic expectations of a weight-loss cure have been driven by social media, not science or medicine, and by marketing rather than public health.
'This has created some serious misconceptions: these drugs can certainly work, but clinical trials show that around a third of people don't respond to GLP-1 drugs.
'People also think that they will end up at their ideal weight, but most just don't lose that much.
'Worse, they think you can take the drug for only a short while and keep the weight off permanently afterwards, but all the research shows that this isn't true: people put the weight back on after stopping the drug.'
A second 2022 study by researchers at the University of Liverpool also found patients who used the drug dropped 18 percent of their body weight after using it for 68 weeks. But, after dropping the weekly injections, users would put back on two-thirds of the weight within the next year
Despite being hailed as one of the most powerful pharmaceutical tools to date, experts have warned it is not a 'magic pill' or miracle fix all. Trials have shown that users can rapidly pile pounds back on once they stop taking the drug and it can trigger a variety of nasty side effects. Users commonly complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhoea
Another 2022 clinical trial also found people taking semaglutide began to regain weight around 60 weeks after starting the medication. Writing in the journal, Nature , researchers said: 'Reductions in weight, waist circumference, blood pressure and HbA appeared to plateau around week 60 with semaglutide'
Another 2022 clinical trial also found people taking semaglutide began to regain weight around 60 weeks after starting the medication.
Writing in the journal Nature, researchers said: 'Reductions in weight... appeared to plateau around week 60 with semaglutide.'
A second 2022 study by researchers at the University of Liverpool also found patients who used the drug dropped 18 percent of their body weight after using it for 68 weeks.
But, after dropping the weekly injections, users would put back on two-thirds of the weight within the next year.
As such, experts have warned the jabs might have to be taken for life because the fat creeps back on 'the minute you stop' taking them.
And the phenomenon has become so common that forum users are sharing their experiences of hitting the wall.
In a Reddit group with over 70,000 members, one said: 'I plateau for about four weeks for every 10 to 15 lbs (4.5 to 7 kg) I lose.'
In a separate thread titled 'How do you break a plateau at 2.0mg?' a user said: 'I've been plateauing in terms of weight loss for the past three months at 2.0mg [dose]. How can I break this?'
They added: 'I've been walking a lot more, started intermittent fasting, and drinking a lot more water, but nothing seems to break it.'
On another thread titled 'seem to have hit a wall', one Reddit user said: 'I've been on semaglutide for a little over 6 weeks. I've only lost 9 lbs (4kg).
'I just started the 0.5mg dose and feel like I've hit a wall. I used to have little to no appetite but it's coming back and I'm craving certain things again.
'I'm nervous that this isn't working for me.'
Semaglutide, as well as rival drugs liraglutide and tirzepatide, have been hailed as monumental breakthroughs in the war on obesity. But a spike in demand for the jabs, fuelled by celebrity endorsements, has also seen global stocks run low
Wegovy and Ozempic, which both contain semaglutide, work by triggering the body to produce a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 that is released naturally from the intestines after meals
Semaglutide, as well as rival drugs liraglutide and tirzepatide, have been hailed as monumental breakthroughs in the war on obesity.
But a spike in demand for the jabs, fuelled by celebrity endorsements, has also seen global stocks run low.
Shortages are expected to last until mid-2024 at the earliest.
Oprah Winfrey, Boy George and Sharon Osbourne are among other celebs who have admitted to taking the medication.
And this week Stephen Fry also admitted his 'astonishing' weight loss came at a price, after Ozempic caused him to vomit up to five times a day.
He said: 'The first week or so, I was thinking, "This is astonishing. Not only do I not want to eat, I don't want any alcohol of any kind. This is going to be brilliant.
'Then I started feeling sick, and I started getting sicker and sicker and sicker. I was throwing up four, five times a day and I thought, "I can't do this". So that's it. The new variant, Tirzepatide Mounjaro, makes it even worse apparently.'
Mounting evidence suggests that in the real world, the drugs' side effects, such as vomiting and diarrhoea, are proving so common and overwhelming that it makes the current versions impractical for most patients to stay on for very long.
The result is very high patient drop-out rates in real life.
But there were no apparent high drop-out rates among patients using GLP-1 drugs in clinical trials, which were funded by the drugs' makers.
This week Stephen Fry also admitted his 'astonishing' weight loss came at a price, after Ozempic caused him to vomit up to five times a day. He said: 'The first week or so, I was thinking, "This is astonishing. Not only do I not want to eat, I don't want any alcohol of any kind. This is going to be brilliant. 'Then I started feeling sick, and I started getting sicker and sicker and sicker. I was throwing up four, five times a day and I thought, "I can't do this". So that's it. The new variant, Tirzepatide Mounjaro, makes it even worse apparently'
A spike in demand for the jabs, fuelled by celebrity endorsements, has also seen global stocks run low. Shortages are expected to last until mid-2024 at the earliest. Boy George and Sharon Osbourne are among other celebs who have admitted to taking the medication
Mounting evidence, however, suggests that in the real world, the drugs' side-effects such as vomiting and diarrhoea are proving so common and overwhelming that it makes the current versions impractical for most patients to stay on for very long. The result is very high patient drop-out rates in real life because of side-effects. Pictured, Oprah Winfrey who has also admitted to taking Ozempic
Pharmaceutical titan Novo Nordisk earlier this month unveiled promising early results for its experimental drug amycretin that showed patients could lose more than 13 per cent of their weight after just 12 weeks
It comes as pharmaceutical titan Novo Nordisk earlier this month also unveiled promising early results for its experimental drug amycretin.
The weight loss pill is similar to Wegovy and Ozempic, by targeting the same GLP-1 hormone.
But it showed patients could lose more than 13 per cent of their weight after just 12 weeks — suggesting it could be up to twice as effective as the jabs.
Analysts forecast the obesity market could be worth up to £79billion ($100billion) by 2030.
Health experts last month, however, urged Brits not to bank on weight loss jabs warning they 'are not the answer' and 'will inevitably cause problems down the line'.
Ozempic is only available on the NHS as a treatment for managing blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
Its dramatic slimming effects saw doctors and pharmacists dish it out 'off-label' for people wanting to lose weight.
However, health chiefs urged against doing so because of supply issues, warning it put diabetics lives at risk.
Wegovy was approved last year, specifically for weight loss.
A month's supply is available privately in Boots and Superdrug for around £200. Eligibility criteria for people wanting the get the drug on the NHS is strict.
A lack of exercise, combined with unhealthy diets, has been blamed for the growing obesity epidemic in the UK.
Latest NHS data shows 26 per cent of adults in England are obese and a further 38 per cent are overweight but not obese.