Patients with anorexia are misusing Ozempic prescriptions—but how are they getting the Rx?
Key Takeaways
Industry Buzz
“I fear semaglutide is going to aggravate a lot of peoples' eating disorders, and unscrupulous doctors (or easily bullied doctors) are going to exacerbate this.” — Doctor on Reddit @BallerGuitarer
Some physicians are sounding the alarm on the rising misuse of weight-loss drugs by patients with eating disorders.
Ozempic and similar drugs work so well because they reduce appetite and promote satiety—as we know. But did you know these drugs are being used by normal-weight and underweight people for weight loss, too?
Research indicates that nearly half of patients using semaglutide drugs are doing so specifically for weight-loss. This can be dangerous for certain individuals, including those who don't need to lose weight, those who have an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa, or those who are at risk for developing one. People with anorexia, driven by an intense fear of gaining weight, may misuse weight loss medications in ways that severely jeopardize their health.[]
This raises a critical question: How are these individuals accessing prescriptions for the drug?
Patients lie…
One way they do it is by leveraging other health concerns, such as metabolic conditions, when consulting their doctors.[] To patients presenting with high blood sugar, for example, a physician may prescribe Ozempic off-label for weight loss.
It’s important to note that some patients with eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, might not fit the clinical definition of ‘underweight’ or ‘obese’ based on BMI. Individuals with eating disorders, at any weight, may struggle with distorted perception of their body—they may feel like they need to lose weight despite being clinically healthy.
They may not appear to need a weight-loss prescription based on their outward appearance or routine testing, but they could be struggling with an unhealthy relationship with food and body image.
The sometimes-shocking ease of access
Ozempic is not confined to doctor's offices; many patients are obtaining prescriptions from medical spas and online pharmacies or other means.[] Some websites offer Ozempic without also requiring a prescription, allowing individuals with anorexia to bypass standard medical screenings and obtain the drug.
If you suspect a patient has been disreputably prescribed Ozempic, try to approach the situation with sensitivity and care. Consider asking these patients about sources for prescriptions during a routine medical exam, without making the patient feel judged. It’s important to make them aware of the risks of obtaining meds outside of regulated healthcare settings, due to the potential for counterfeit drugs, incorrect dosages, and lack of proper medical oversight. Patient education on these issues can help build trust and ensure their safety.
Healthcare providers who focus primarily on weight loss may overlook signs of an eating disorder, but assess these potential markers: an intense preoccupation with food, body shape, or weight (even when the patient doesn’t appear underweight).[]
Weight-loss medications can exacerbate both the mental and physical symptoms of eating disorders, including disordered thinking, extreme calorie restriction, and gastroparesis, a condition that causes delayed food emptying into the small intestine.
It’s important—because eating disorders are among the most fatal mental illnesses, with anorexia having the highest mortality rate among psychiatric conditions. Given this, the wider availability of semaglutide drugs is certainly something to celebrate, but also something to watch out for as part of an emerging public health issue.[][]
Read Next: A more effective oral version of Ozempic is coming sooner than you think