Those looking to shed a few pounds with the weight loss drug Ozempic have been warned that there could be an “alarming” side effect.
Ozempic has been hailed by some people as a monumental breakthrough in the war on obesity.
However, the Sunday Express Health Editor Lucy Johnston has claimed that overweight or obese people taking the drugs are more likely to develop an eye condition.
This comes as new research has suggested that there is a link between the drug and a rare kind of eye stroke called non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.
The Sunday Express Health Editor warmed of the side effects
GB News
Speaking to GB News Johnston said: “This new research about blindness, it is from a study at an Eye Hospital.
“It may skew the results because they’re more likely to see rare eye conditions. However, it did show an alarming sign that people with diabetes or who are overweight are more likely to develop this eye condition if they’re on the drug than if they aren’t.”
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
“The regular regulators should be right on this, looking it up and following it up because people need to know their risks when they’re taking. They need to make an informed choice.”
She added: “When we’re thinking about weight loss, quick fixes and drugs are not always the solution.
“What we really should be looking at, is the effect once you’re off those drugs or if you if they don’t work for you, many people don’t lose a lot of weight on them.
“Once you’re off the drug, the weight comes back. So what we really ought to be looking at is our toxic food environment.
The drug is usually prescribed to those with diabetes
Getty Images
“If you need to lose weight, the best way to do it is to eat less, get out there, exercise.
“If you’re diabetic and at risk of your disease or obesity, the complications from obesity are so high, it may be worth being on that drug.
“Many people using a drug to lose weight should really think about how they can change their lifestyle so that they can naturally lose weight without the side effects. And I think public health messaging does need to come in here.”
Lucy Johnston explained the possible repercussions of the drug
GB News
Trials show Ozempic can help people with obesity lose more than 10 per cent of their body weight if they also make changes to diet and lifestyle.
There has been huge hype around the drug after celebrities on social media started posting about their sudden weight loss while taking it.
Despite it being available on prescription only to people with type 2 diabetes (Ozempic), online pharmacies are selling semaglutide injections with few checks on the weight or underlying health of the person buying them.
