Someone has to step in. People's health is at risk.' Doctors reveal the 'disastrous' hidden side-effect of the Ozempic boom after slimmers buying it privately causes severe shortages

For retired room adjunct Pat Guntrip, nan blockbuster weight-loss jab Ozempic has been genuinely life-changing. She'd tried aggregate medications to power her type 2 diabetes, without success.

But she's now mislaid much than 2 chromatic (13kg), and her humor sweetener levels are wrong nan 'healthy' scope — acknowledgment to Ozempic.

'It really has been a wonderment drug,' says Pat, 77, who lives successful Scunthorpe, northbound Lincolnshire.

After being first prescribed nan supplier by her GP 5 years ago, she now eats 'half nan magnitude I utilized to because I conscionable don't consciousness arsenic hungry'.

As a result, it's almost definite that Ozempic has importantly reduced nan grandmother-of-four's consequence of perchance life-threatening complications, specified arsenic a bosom onslaught aliases stroke — excess weight and glucosuria are 2 of nan awesome consequence factors.

But she fears nan improvements to her wellness whitethorn soon beryllium mislaid owed to a shortage of nan supplier that's near galore glucosuria patients incapable to get Ozempic connected nan NHS.

What's more, Pat has been warned it could beryllium nan extremity of 2024 earlier she tin entree it again.

Instead, her glucosuria caregiver has been engaged trying to root supplies of a akin supplier — made pinch nan aforesaid progressive constituent (semaglutide) — to extremity Pat's humor sweetener levels from spiralling retired of control.

It's thing of a gamble: there's nary measurement of knowing if she will respond to those narcotics arsenic good arsenic she has to Ozempic — and to make judge she doesn't suffer intolerable side-effects, she has to beryllium started connected a debased dose, that's past accrued complete weeks aliases moreover months to nan afloat amount, perchance putting her astatine consequence of precocious humor sweetener readings successful nan meantime.

It's a communicative that's being repeated successful GP surgeries and pharmacies up and down nan state arsenic glucosuria patients are near struggling to get nan medicines they request — a situation successful nary mini portion owed to nan surge successful request from slimmers.

Ozempic (licensed for usage successful glucosuria treatment) and its sister supplier Wegovy (a higher dose, licensed specifically for weight loss) are truthful celebrated among those who don't person glucosuria but are looking to suffer a fewer pounds, that a surge successful backstage online income has near nan NHS short of banal for patients whose wellness depends upon them.

Novo Nordisk, nan Danish patient which makes Ozempic, told Good Health its factories are moving '24 hours a day, 7 days a week' to effort to header pinch nan unprecedented request worldwide. There's besides a shortage of nan pen-like devices utilized to inject nan supplier (patients administer a play injection themselves).

Although some are prescription-only medicines, it's thought galore group are getting clasp of them done online pharmacies — astatine a costs of astir £175 for a month's proviso — aft completing a elemental questionnaire, aliases moreover lying astir their weight and wellness truthful they look to fulfil nan criteria.

Ozempic has been approved for usage successful nan UK for glucosuria since 2019, arsenic it has been shown to reduce spikes successful humor sweetener levels successful patients who person grounded to respond to different drugs. 

Wegovy, which was given nan greenish ray successful 2023 specifically for weight loss, has a higher dose of nan progressive ingredient, semaglutide, a supplier that suppresses appetite by mimicking nan effects of glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone released by nan gut aft we eat to show nan encephalon we are full.

NHS guidance states Wegovy is only meant to beryllium fixed to obese patients pinch a assemblage wide scale of astatine slightest 30, nevertheless it's being dished retired to group who don't fresh nan criteria but want to suffer weight, connected an 'off label' basis. This whitethorn lead to a greater consequence of side-effects, arsenic nan supplier has not been rigorously tested for this use.

Last month, 1 of nan astir elder doctors successful nan state reported that normal and moreover underweight group were arriving astatine A&E pinch superior side-effects aft buying nan supplier online.

Although mostly very safe, Ozempic tin origin an inflamed pancreas, arsenic good arsenic kidney nonaccomplishment and gallbladder problems.

'We cognize these caller narcotics will beryllium a powerful portion of our arsenal dealing pinch obesity — but they should not beryllium abused,' Professor Sir Stephen Powis, aesculapian head astatine NHS England, told an NHS convention successful Manchester, adding: 'They are not intended arsenic a speedy hole for group trying to get 'beach-body ready'.'

Problems pinch proviso began to look astir a twelvemonth ago, alongside reports that nan weight-loss jabs were proving hugely celebrated pinch celebrities specified arsenic TV big Oprah Winfrey.

The clamour meant stocks started to beryllium diverted distant from nan NHS towards those — obese aliases not — who could spend to salary for it privately.

'The shortage is purely driven by soaring demand,' says Sid Dajani, a organization pharmacist successful Andover, Hampshire.

'I can't moreover spell retired for a portion aliases be immoderate societal juncture without personification coming up to maine and saying 'Can you get maine some?' '

He says GPs and pharmacists are having to move Ozempic patients connected to different narcotics successful nan aforesaid people — specified arsenic Rybelsus (a tablet shape of semaglutide, taken daily) aliases Mounjaro (another play jab).

But it's not ever a consecutive switch — to guarantee patients tin tolerate nan caller medicine they whitethorn person to commencement connected nan lowest imaginable dose and build up.

Worryingly, a caller study successful Australia recovered shortages tin person a damaging effect connected nan wellness of glucosuria patients.

Researchers astatine nan University of Melbourne looked astatine 821 type 2 glucosuria patients who were each connected Ozempic aliases akin narcotics earlier and during nan shortages. The results, published successful June successful nan diary Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, recovered that their humor sweetener levels roseate 'significantly' erstwhile they were incapable to get nan jabs they needed — rising by an mean 0.3 per cent.

That whitethorn look small, but it's a perchance vulnerable magnitude successful those struggling pinch diabetes, says Dr Natalie Nanayakkara, an endocrinologist who led nan study.

She told Good Health: 'The imaginable consequences of this are an accrued consequence of complications — including bosom disease, kidney problems and moreover ft ulcers and amputations.'

Until a fewer months ago, getting clasp of her monthly medicine could not person been simpler for Pat. Using nan NHS smartphone app, she'd petition different month's proviso and her section branch of Boots would fto her cognize erstwhile it was ready.

'Then 1 month, Boots said they couldn't proviso maine pinch immoderate arsenic location was a shortage,' says Pat. 'I called a fewer different section pharmacies and managed to get some.

'Boots past rang a mates of weeks later to opportunity they had sewage a transportation and truthful I was capable to build up a spot of a stockpile.

'But that was successful March and my stockpile has now tally out. A fewer weeks agone I phoned 12 pharmacies successful a statement and not 1 of them had immoderate Ozempic.'

Pat was diagnosed pinch type 2 glucosuria successful 2018 pursuing a regular humor test. 'I was overweight — not hugely so, but astir apt a mates of stones bigger than I should be.'

She was initially prescribed metformin, nan first-line supplier treatment, and told to eat much healthily. But nan supplier caused agonising cramps. There followed a succession of different glucosuria medications which either grounded to activity aliases near her pinch intolerable side-effects.

After being put connected Ozempic successful 2019, Pat mislaid almost 15 per cent of her assemblage weight and her humor sweetener levels are now a patient 4.2mmol/litre, good wrong nan recommended 4 to six range.

Pat says: 'It makes maine really very transverse that this shortage is down to nan supplier being utilized by slimmers. Only past week I heard of personification locally who was buying it privately conscionable to suffer weight, not for diabetes.'

Barbara Knight, 75, from Waltham Abbey successful Essex, told Good Health it's not conscionable Ozempic that's successful short supply. For nan past 2 years, she's been connected different supplier successful nan aforesaid people called Trulicity (it contains nan supplier dulaglutide) for her type 2 glucosuria and had mislaid much than a stone. It excessively is successful request from slimmers erstwhile they can't get

Ozempic. 'Stocks ran retired six months agone and I've not been capable to get it anywhere,' she says.

Her GP has switched her to Rybelsus. 'But nan tablets are huge. And you're only expected to return them pinch a mini driblet of water. It was overmuch easier pinch nan play jab.'

Barbara Bailey, 75, a retired car shed worker from Gosport successful Hampshire, has been connected Trulicity for respective years aft her humor sweetener readings — which had been kept nether power pinch narcotics for illustration metformin — abruptly started to climb.

'The weight conscionable fell disconnected maine – from 15½st to 12½ successful a mates of years — and my humor sweetener levels came down arsenic well,' she says.

'But now my section drugstore has nary available. Meanwhile, immoderate different section chemists are advertizing nan jabs astatine £149 connected a backstage ground for weight loss.

'It's nan aforesaid drug. Someone has sewage to measurement successful and extremity this because people's wellness is astatine risk.'

The kindness Diabetes UK has called for a prohibition connected off-label prescribing of Ozempic and akin narcotics while location is a shortage affecting glucosuria patients.

Wasim Hanif, a professor of diabetology and endocrinology astatine University Hospital Birmingham, told Good Health: 'It's a complete disaster for glucosuria patients. Many are going everyplace trying to get clasp of Ozempic — meantime their humor sweetener levels are each complete nan place.'

Diabetes UK urges patients affected by nan situation to interaction their GP room to spot if they tin beryllium switched to different drug. And it cautions against buying Ozempic aliases narcotics for illustration it online, informing 'there is simply a consequence that nan medicine whitethorn not beryllium what it says it is'.

An angry Pat Guntrip sums up nan measurement galore glucosuria patients now feel. 'I should beryllium capable to get nan medicine I need,' she says.

A spokesperson for nan Department of Health and Social Care said: 'Our guidance is clear — these narcotics are solely licensed to dainty type 2 glucosuria and should only beryllium utilized for that purpose, not routinely prescribed for weight loss. We are moving pinch manufacture to tackle these world proviso issues.'

Did you know? 

It's not conscionable your lungs and breathing that are affected by aerial pollution, mini aerial particles called PM2.5 tin besides harm nan digestive system, including nan liver, pancreas and intestines, according to a caller study successful nan diary eGastroenterology. 

Scientists astatine Wayne State University School of Medicine, successful nan U.S., recovered that PM2.5 triggers accent responses successful nan digestive system's cells, disrupting mini structures wrong nan compartment specified arsenic nan mitochondria (the compartment 'battery'), which successful move creates a concatenation guidance that tin lead to inflammation and disease.