If you’ve ever wondered whether the stars have a say in Hollywood’s latest weight-loss obsession, Ozempic might just be the cosmic culprit—or miracle—sweeping the Tinseltown scene. Used by celebs from Stephen Fry to Amy Schumer, this injectable drug is strutting its stuff beyond its original Type-2 diabetes gig, promising rapid weight loss with a side of controversy. Yet as Venus aligns with Mercury, sparking unexpected twists, tales of “bedridden” days and relentless nausea remind us that even the brightest stars get the cosmic cold shoulder sometimes. So, is Ozempic the celestial miracle or just another planetary prank? Let’s dive into what this medication really does—and why it’s stirring up both admiration and alarm alike. LEARN MORE.
Having been used by stars across Hollywood for a number of years, Ozempic has now become more of a prolific method for people quickly losing weight.
Celebrities from Stephen Fry to Amy Schumer have opened up about their experience with the medication that is injected into the body.
A pretty graphic simulation showed what Ozempic can do to your body as its primary purpose is to treat those with Type-2 diabetes.
The drug is not currently FDA approved for weight loss and is only prescribed in the UK as a diabetes treatment. Instead, the NHS does have Mounjaro available as Brits are able to use it for this kind of treatment.
But just like all medications, there are side effects to using Ozempic as the likes of Schumer said it left her ‘bedridden.’
Ozempic is not available on prescription from the NHS for weight-loss. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Designed to treat those with Type-2 diabetes (and again, only available for on prescription in the UK), it’s one of a number of drugs called GLP-1 agonists.
And it’s the same active ingredient, semaglutide, that helps to regulate diabetics’ blood sugar levels that has proven beneficial for people wanting to lose weight.
Ozempic can help to regulate a person’s appetite, keeping them fuller for longer as well as often reducing cravings.
In a simulation shared by YouTuber Zach D. Films, it explained it stops ‘sudden cravings’ and seemingly slows down how the speed ‘your stomach empties food’ at.
A key difference for Brits is that Mounjaro is approved for weight loss in the UK, while Ozempic is only approved for Type-2 diabetes
Also, Mounjaro contains tirzepatide, while Ozempic contains semaglutide and there is a difference in the dosage schedule. The maximum dosage for Ozempic is 2mg while it follows a dosage schedule for weight loss, while Mounjaro has a maximum dosage of 15mg.
As laid out by ASDA’s Online Doctor, aiding weight loss, Mounjaro is used to reduce your appetite, helping you feel fuller for longer while following a healthy eating plan. Ozempic is used to regulate to regulate blood sugar levels by ‘improving how your body uses insulin.’
While they do have these differences, there are similarities between the two medications in that they do help with blood sugar levels, weight loss, are injectable and have similar side effects.
Mounjaro is however available in the UK. (Sebastian Hidalgo for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The most common side effects of Ozempic may include: nausea, diarrhoea, stomach pain, vomiting and constipation.
Mild side effects may also include:
· A change in the way things taste
· Burping
· Dizziness
· Headaches
· Gassiness
· Fatigue
· Indigestion or acid reflux
· A reaction on the injection site like changes in skin colour or discomfort
· A small rise in heart rate
Other serious, though often rare, side effects can include:
· Possible thyroid tumours
· Pancreatitis
· Changes in vision
· Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia)
· Dehydration leading to kidney problems
· Severe stomach problems
· Serious allergic reactions
· Gallbladder problems such as gallstones or cholecystitis
And as well as all of this, there’s plenty of talk about the side effects that change people’s appearance like ‘Ozempic face‘ and ‘Ozempic mouth‘.
Schumer says Ozempic left her ‘bedridden’. (Tom Cooper/Getty Images for SeriesFest)
While she says other people have used it and been ‘all good’, Schumer says she was ‘bedridden’ from Ozempic.
“I was like, vomiting — and then you have no energy,” she told fans as she later said she found Mounjaro ‘great’ instead.
It’s a similar story for Jeremy Clarkson as he found it to like ‘living a minibar existence.’
“My body lost the ability to deal with gluttony but once the initial enthusiasm had worn off, my mind still wanted to breakfast on Cadbury Fruit & Nut,” he wrote in his The Times column. “This meant I was sick a lot.”
Fry also said Ozempic ‘made him vomit five times a day’, but did find it to be ‘astonishing’ at first as he did ‘not want to eat.’
But he soon ‘started feeling sick’. He explained on the River Café Table 4 podcast: “And I started feeling sicker and sicker and sicker.
“I was literally throwing up four, five times a day and I thought, ‘I can’t do this’. So that’s it.”