Health – Weight loss wonder or risky shortcut?

Ozempic and other injectable weight-loss drugs are everywhere right now. They dominate headlines, flood social media feeds and our favourite celebrities seem to be shrinking before our eyes – sometimes so rapidly that the phrase “Ozempic face” has entered popular culture, describing the hollowed, prematurely aged look that can come with sudden weight loss.

What we know so far:

GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy), can deliver striking early results. In clinical trials, people lost an average of about 15% of their body weight over 12 to 18 months. For many, blood sugar and heart health markers also improved.

But weight loss doesn’t keep falling forever – it levels off after about a year. To maintain results, people need to keep injecting the medication indefinitely. That’s where the problems begin.

While drug companies highlight the trial results, real-world data paints a different picture. A large US study of over 18,000 adults found that more than half (around 52-56%) stopped taking semaglutide or tirzepatide within 12 months, most often because of cost or side-effects. Pharmacy claims data tell a similar story. One analysis showed that 85% of people had stopped GLP-1 drugs within two years, leaving just 15% still using them. For a treatment often described as lifelong, those numbers suggest sustainability is a major issue.

Gastrointestinal issues including nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhoea, bloating and reflux top the list of reasons why people quit. Some also develop gallbladder problems, and in rare cases, pancreatitis. For many, the discomfort simply isn’t worth it.

Even for those who can tolerate the side-effects, price is a hurdle. In New Zealand, private prescriptions can cost hundreds of dollars a month. With weight returning quickly after stopping, this isn’t a short-term fix – it’s a financial commitment stretching into years, if not decades.

One reason Ozempic feels so powerful is the way it reduces “food noise”, that constant mental chatter about what, when and how much to eat. But when treatment stops, the cravings often return, sometimes stronger than before. Many people regain the weight, and research shows they can end up worse off than when they started.

Weight regain after drug use is often greater than the initial loss, leaving people heavier than before and metabolically disadvantaged due to the effects of weight cycling. This isn’t just a physical setback; it’s an emotional one, too. People are left feeling like failures for not being able to “stick it out”, even though the odds were stacked against them from the start.

For many, a more empowering path is not outsourcing control to a drug but learning to heal the relationship with food itself. By working on intuitive eating and rebuilding trust with your body, food can lose its power over you. That may not make as many headlines, but it can change lives in a more lasting way.