Injections for diabetics are a new Hollywood weight loss method used by Kim Kardashian and Elon Musk. How quickly does the weight go away and are there any side effects?

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Intermittent fasting? No carb diet? Daily workout at the gym? Not! A new way to lose weight has appeared in Hollywood, which has become the main character of the latest articles in all foreign media and managed to go viral on TikTok. Stars to lose weight help drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Elon Musk was the first to use them on his Twitter account. Tesla’s founder said once-a-week injections have become his secret weapon for looking “fit and healthy.” After that, netizens suggested that Kim Kardashian’s recent dramatic weight loss could be explained by the effect of the drug, although the star has not officially disclosed this.

Now hashtag searches named after the famous drug produced by pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk have garnered more than 350 million views on TikTok. Of course, not because of the ability of the drug to reduce the level of insulin in the blood, but because of the side effect in the form of weight loss. Due to the weight loss stories that users share on social networks, the demand for the drug in pharmacies has increased. And on the FDA website, two of the most popular drugs are labeled as “currently inadequate,” which calls into question the ethical aspects of their use in weight loss. Is it safe to use diabetic injection for healthy people? What side effects could there be? And how common is this method of losing weight in Russia?

How does it work?

There are different approaches in the treatment of obesity. These may include diets, medication, and surgery. Therefore, injections for diabetics, which have become popular, refer to the drug treatment of obesity. So how do they act in the body?

Oksana Mikhaleva, pediatric endocrinologist, pediatric nutritionist, PhD, lead expert at SM-Clinic:

“The drugs contain synthetic analogues of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). The researchers found that this peptide in its natural state caused a drop in blood sugar after eating and began using the drug in the treatment of diabetes. With the decrease in blood sugar, patients have significant body weight. They noticed a reduction in diabetes. This sparked interest in the treatment of not only diabetes but also obesity without diabetes. It turned out that prescribing the drug in people without diabetes did not lower blood sugar below normal, that is, the drug could be used at normal sugar levels, but weight loss would continue. In its arsenal, a new remedy has appeared for the treatment of obesity, which is now used not only for the treatment of diabetes, but also for weight loss.

When the person starts to use the drug, his appetite decreases, the passage of food through the digestive tract slows down and calorie consumption increases. In other words, the patient always feels full, so it reduces the amount of food eaten and burns calories by improving metabolism.

When will I lose weight?

Olga Suchkova, endocrinologist, diabetologist at Medsi, says that weight loss can be seen within the first week. A person can lose three or five kilograms. However, the course of treatment of obesity with these drugs is usually six months or longer. Moreover, the longer you use the drug, the more effective and longer the effect will be. But the first results can be seen already at the very beginning.

Is it safe for healthy people to use the drug?

Actually yes. As we said earlier, the drug can be used even at normal blood sugar levels. Weight loss will still happen. But, like many drugs, it has a number of contraindications.

The doctors we interviewed identified a few: presence of certain endocrine cancers, some variants of severe depression, under 12 and over 75 years old, pregnancy and lactation, severe liver, kidney or heart dysfunction.

Are there any side effects?

The biggest dream of any weight loss person is to regain the lost weight. Therefore, this is often due to a misunderstanding of the effect of the drug.

Olga Suchkova associates greater mass gain “afterward” with the fact that people are used to not controlling what they eat. The sense of proportion is lost. Therefore, after the end of the course of the drug, they can gain more quickly than before. Also, the preparations contain a synthetic hormone. And antibodies are produced against it. Therefore, the higher the dose a person takes, the faster the effect of the drug decreases.

“If you stop taking it sooner than you should, you’re definitely going to have to go back,” says Natalya Tanygina, an endocrinologist at the CMD Center for Molecular Diagnostics. “If you stop taking it on time, but continue to eat in the same way as before taking the medicine, you will gain weight, but slowly at first.”

Oksana Mikhaleva says that the rate of weight gain depends on the duration of treatment and whether the patient returns to his eating habits after treatment or continues to follow the doctor’s recommendations for nutrition and physical activity. The result achieved can be maintained if you maintain the calorie balance.

In addition, doctors highlight other side effects of the drug: nausea, pancreatitis, dizziness, heart palpitations, sleep disorders, gallstones, which can occur with a rapid decrease in body weight.

Can I buy the drug without a prescription in Russia?

Yes. But doctors do not recommend doing this. Firstly, because self-administration of any drug is not safe in principle. Secondly, before using this or that drug, you need to pass the necessary tests and consult a specialist. Thirdly, it is impossible to choose the right dosage, course of treatment and diet on your own. Also, there is a great chance that self-medication will cause the side effects we discussed earlier. Therefore, you can use the drug only under the strict supervision of a doctor.

How common is weight loss with injections in Russia?

According to Natalya Tanygina, they have been used in Russia for at least five years, and abroad even longer.

What about ethics?

Now, drugs where the description indicates a cure for a disease can actually be used for others. For example, Viagra was originally planned as a medicine for angina pectoris.

Natalya Tanygina says that the currently popular drug for the treatment of diabetes was very weak and was at the bottom of the prescription frequency before its weight-loss properties were discovered.

However, the official announcements of mastodon stars have already created a high demand for a diabetic drug. In the future, this may lead to deficiency, especially in people who need treatment. Therefore, regarding those who need it for a normal life, it is unethical in our opinion to use a drug for weight loss.