First Hollywood stars, and now members of high society—Ozempic has recently taken the world by storm. Queen Camilla's son, Tom Parker Bowles, even confessed that he asked his doctor for the trending weight-loss drug to help him lose weight.
The 49-year-old food critic explained to Vogue that his doctor responded, "[Expletive] off" when he requested the medication, which is typically prescribed to treat diabetes. "I was like, 'Right, I’m getting too fat,'" he said.
He added: "I’m far too old to care about this sort of thing, but I went to my doctor the other day, who I love, and I said, 'Can I have some Ozempic, please?'"
"He just went, '[Expletive] off. You’re a food writer. All these excess calories are coming from booze."
Tom argued that he only drank three days a week, but his doctor retorted, "It’s the other four days I’m worried about," before revealing that Tom's weekly consumption of rosé in summer is equivalent to around 18 cheeseburgers.
Tom isn’t the only UK celebrity to speak openly about Ozempic. James Corden also mentioned that "it didn’t work for him" during a segment on his SiriusXM radio show.
"I tried it for a bit, and then I realised, 'Oh no, my eating has nothing to do with being hungry.’ All it does is make you feel not hungry. But I am very rarely eating just because I’m hungry."
Stephen Fry previously warned against using the medication during an episode of the River Café Table 4 podcast: "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.’"
However, Stephen explained that he was forced to stop taking Ozempic after he began feeling "sicker and sicker."
The Impacts of Ozempic
Dr Ashwin Soni, the founder of The Soni Clinic, is one of the leading plastic surgeons and aesthetic doctors in the UK. He is one of only a handful of surgeons at his level who personally performs aesthetic treatments in his award-winning clinics at London’s Langham Hotel and his Ascot Clinic. His clientele includes celebrities, editors, and VIPs who travel from all over the world for his expertise.
He explained: "Ozempic should be administered by a medical professional who specialises in gut or hormone regulation, such as a gastroenterologist or endocrinologist. It is crucial for these patients to be monitored and followed up regularly due to the potential for gastrointestinal issues to arise.
"Ozempic has gained significant traction in the past year, and with it becoming the latest trend, a large number of individuals are pursuing this route for weight loss.
"It is dangerous because you need to ensure the quality of the injectable and that the provider has adequate licensing to prescribe it. Getting it unofficially means that patients are self-treating, which is extremely dangerous, as it is a prescribed medication.
"Long-term use can lead to issues with the gut, pancreas, and other organs. Patients may also experience significant changes to their skin due to weight loss. One must exercise caution when on these medications."