Medical doctors are cautious of younger adults utilizing Ozempic throughout bikini season
March 15, 2024 – Summer season is quick approaching and the strain of 'bikini season' has some younger adults seeking to GLP-1 medicine prefer it Ozempic for weight reduction. And whereas information exhibits weight problems is on the rise amongst American teenagers and younger adults, Ozempic and different GLP-1 medicine are very not often the primary or most suitable choice for weight reduction — particularly for many who don't have weight problems or associated circumstances, specialists say.
Earlier than turning to those medicines, teenagers ought to make sure that they eat nutritious meals and get loads of train. However for teenagers who’re obese (BMI over 25) or overweight (BMI 30 or over),Sue Decotis, MD, a triple-certified weight reduction medical physician who runs a personal apply in New York Metropolis, suggests they see their physician for a screening of their baseline metabolism and insulin ranges.
“Teenagers are likely to have quick metabolisms, so by seeing their metabolism and insulin ranges I might get an concept of whether or not they really need the drug,” she mentioned.
As temperatures rise heading into summer season, Ozempic and different GLP-1 medicine could also be engaging as physique comparisons enhance, mentioned Wendy Sterling, a registered dietitian and co-author of Elevating Physique Optimistic Teenagers: A Dad or mum's Information to Food regimen-Free Residing, Train, and Physique Picture. Younger folks must be very conscious of the right way to cope with such ideas, she mentioned.
That is an particularly necessary message for folks between the ages of 18 and 24, whose brains are nonetheless rising and creating, says Lexy Penney, a registered dietitian and proprietor of Lexy Penney Diet & Wellness, the place she makes a speciality of areas surrounding younger adults. adults and physique picture. .
“When younger folks get the message 'your physique is improper and to repair it, right here's a tablet' it could possibly set off a cascade of fast fixes, low shallowness and destructive physique picture that may final for years. undo,” she mentioned.
One other vital word: Younger adults must be particularly conscious of the dangers of taking GLP-1 medicines, equivalent to Ozempic, in case you are not a certified candidate, based on Michael Hakimi, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon and proprietor of Hakimi Plastic Surgical procedure in Beverly Hills.
Ozempic is accepted by the FDA for treating diabetes, whereas its sister drug Wegovy is accepted for weight problems in everybody 12 years and older. Different choices are Mounjaro and Zepbound.
If you wish to lose 5 or 10 kilos, or in the event you're hoping to drop extra pounds in a selected a part of your physique, this isn't a drug for you, Hakimi mentioned. He typically sees such questions amongst youthful sufferers, who’ve a decrease BMI and solely wish to drop extra pounds in a single a part of the physique (for instance within the belly space).
“If you’re not obese, it’s best to know that these medicine will make you drop extra pounds throughout,” Hakimi mentioned. “These medicine may even make you look older to some extent if they’re misused or abused by sufferers who can not afford to lose extra weight of their face or buttocks, for instance.”
HAkimi mentioned docs have an obligation to teach sufferers with decrease BMIs concerning the potential penalties of those medicine, together with critical unwanted effects within the intestines equivalent to diarrhea, extreme constipation and even pancreatitis. There are additionally the prices. The medicine can price $1,000 a month, and lots of insurers don’t cowl them. Moreover, research have proven that many individuals regain weight once they cease taking the medicine.
If you’re contemplating the potential of taking a GLP-1 drug, it is very important ask your self what’s driving your potential choice. Take a look at your social media use and concentrate on who you comply with, Sterling instructed. Discover how these accounts make you are feeling and whether or not you are feeling impressed versus feeling like you must change one thing about your self.
“Numerous what we see on-line is unrealistic,” she says. “We’re all inundated with weight-reduction plan tradition, and most are determined for fast methods to drop extra pounds.” She suggests making an attempt a “weight impartial” method equivalent to stress administration, sleeping effectively, and listening to starvation and fullness cues to attain your distinctive physique objectives.