There may be additionally proof of those medication being bought away from the physician’s surgical procedure {and professional} consultations. Stories say that semaglutide is out there to buy within the UK for affordable over Instagram, whereas US TV presenter and writer Meghan McCain has spoken about being supplied a “black market freebie” of Ozempic.

A current i Newspaper report discovered that weight reduction jabs together with Ozempic, Wegovy and Saxenda are additionally listed on the market on the black market through Fb, with some posters even shockingly providing used medicines to consumers.

“With regards to getting low-cost, or counterfeit variations of a drug, one factor you possibly can’t assure is consistency,” Michael Sam-Yorke, a clinician who prescribes Ozempic, tells GLAMOUR. “There have been horror tales of individuals being injected with one thing else that has grow to be detrimental to somebody’s well being consequently.”]

Charlotte*, 35, has not too long ago obtained Ozempic from a web based pharmacy within the UK to assist hit her weight reduction objectives. She has a BMI of 26, which nearly places her within the “chubby” class that will qualify her for therapy, however her prescription was attainable with out direct communication with a healthcare skilled or disclosure of her BMI.

“I haven’t spoken to anybody or had communications with an individual through e mail or video,” she tells GLAMOUR, explaining that she solely needed to fill out a questionnaire pertaining to particulars similar to age, gender and ethnicity.

Michael stresses the important significance of utilizing these medication with the steering of a healthcare skilled, as a result of dangers to your well being which are posed when you don’t stick with the precise dosing schedule.

The hazards aren’t restricted to those that are taking these medicines unsupervised. Pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk – which produces each Ozempic and Wegovy – have reported shortages of Ozempic in 2022, a state of affairs that it admitted had been worsened by the drug being marketed as a weight reduction therapy.

So this pattern shouldn’t be solely impacting physique picture expectations, but additionally the individuals who want entry to medication like Ozempic to deal with life-threatening situations like diabetes.

Consuming dysfunction charity Beat have additionally acknowledged that misuse of those medicines can “additional entrench consuming dysfunction ideas and behaviours”.

“Seeing celebrities utilizing medication similar to Ozempic and Wegovy to shed extra pounds could make them appear glamorous and risk-free. Nonetheless, these medicines can have severe well being penalties, significantly you probably have an consuming dysfunction or are susceptible to at least one,” Tom Quinn, Beat’s director of exterior affairs, says.

“It’s important that persons are conscious of the hazards of abusing medicine as a way to shed extra pounds and there must be extra training on their results. We would urge anybody trying to make use of medicine to shed extra pounds to contact their GP or care group first.”

Whereas each Ozempic and Wegovy are useful medicines for official well being issues, their use – or misuse – for weight reduction whereas discounting medical pointers {and professional} assist displays a slightly harmful societal perspective in the direction of physique picture.

“Our society nonetheless values thinness extraordinarily extremely and we’re keen to go to excessive measures to realize it,” physique confidence advocate Alex Mild tells GLAMOUR.

“I hope that sooner or later we are able to simply belief ourselves to eat and permit our our bodies to settle at a dimension they’re imagined to be. However at the moment, the skinny very best prevails, and the moment recognition of this drug is a testomony to that.”

In case you’re fearful about your personal or another person’s well being, you possibly can contact Beat, the UK’s consuming dysfunction charity, three hundred and sixty five days a yr on 0808 801 0677 or beateatingdisorders.org.uk.