“I didn’t think it would be so difficult”: Quebecers deprived of Ozempic fear regaining lost weight

Quebecers now deprived of the drug Ozempic for weight loss due to shortages or excessively high costs are having difficulty stopping the treatment and fear regaining the lost pounds.

“I find it scary […] I didn’t think it would be that difficult. The appetite has really returned,” breathes Marie-Pier Paquet, aged 41.

The Quebec woman lost 85 pounds after taking the drug Ozempic for a year. But she stopped a month ago when her group insurance plan stopped reimbursing her. “And my doctor told me it wouldn’t be forever,” she adds.

What is Ozempic?

M^me Paquet is delighted to have found a better quality of life with the Ozempic. Thanks to the weight lost, she has more energy, she is more active and her risk of developing diabetes has disappeared. With better lifestyle habits, she thought “post-Ozempic” would be easy.

But he needs a lot of control not to stuff himself. “One of my friends told me ‘well, you haven’t eaten for a year, you’re definitely hungry’,” she says.

Weight regained

A situation which is far from unique. On social networks, Internet users are worried about seeing themselves gain weight again. Many stopped taking Ozempic or reduced their dose because they now had to pay out of pocket for the appetite suppressant medication.

“The last few months have not been easy. We had a lot of calls, distress and questions,” underlines Dr. Marie-Philippe Morin, specialist in internal and bariatric medicine at the University Institute of Cardiology and Pneumology of Quebec (IUCPQ).

She sees a gradual weight gain in several of the patients she follows who were taking Ozempic. A situation that studies on the drug had predicted.

Hunger increases

“Hunger signals increase and satiety signals decrease,” she explains, when treatment is stopped.

The doctor pleads for a “clear framework” on weight loss medications, deploring that the government does not take a position on the issue and does not reimburse them in a population at risk, such as those waiting for bariatric surgery, For example.

” The company [qui produit l’Ozempic] amplifies the problem. There is already enough controversy, we need to stop advertising,” says Dr. Morin, who deplores the poor prescriptions and uses of the drug.

“It’s not about losing 20 pounds and fitting into your wedding dress,” she adds.

Especially since the side effects are difficult to live with, as Marie-Pier Paquet discovered. ” THE running gagI had a heartache for a year,” she recalls.

“For me, Ozempic is the same thing as a restrictive diet,” emphasizes family doctor Patricia Doucet. Nutritional monitoring is “essential” according to her for patients.