Women taking Ozempic are noticing more unusual — and unflattering — side effects while on the weight-loss shot.
Slimmers who lost up to 40lbs say their backsides have now ‘completely disappeared’ and shrunk so much they can ‘feel every bone’.
Some even said the problem — dubbed ‘Ozempic butt’ — was so bad that they were constantly covering up their butt.
Meanwhile, an increasing number of women say their hair is ‘falling out in clumps’, posting tear-jerking videos from the shower where they hold handfuls of lost hair.
One bride-to-be has also posted saying she fears she could be left nearly bald by her wedding day in just four months.
Pictured above is a mother-of-four who lost 60lbs over nine months on Wegovy, Ozempic’s sister medication. She is pictured before and after her weight loss. She is thrilled with the transformation and weight loss she has seen
Pictured above are examples of people who have posted online saying Ozempic or similar weight loss drugs have led them to suffer from hair loss. On the left, the woman said she feared she was going bald, and on the right, a patient posted concerns about hair loss in the shower
Neither symptom is officially recognized as a side-effect of Ozempic, but doctors say Ozempic butt is to be expected because of the rapid weight loss the drug causes which leaves the skin too little time to adjust — causing it to sag.
The backside is one of the main areas where subcutaneous fat — or fat directly beneath the skin — accumulates, which is quickly lost during weight loss.
It also contains a group of three large muscles, called the glutes, which may also shrink if someone takes the drug without exercising and eating a high-protein diet.
The FDA is currently investigating reports that Ozempic has led to permanent hair loss, or alopecia, but is yet to require it to be mentioned on a label.
It is poorly understood how Ozempic may cause permanent or temporary hair loss, although experts have suggested several theories.
In one of these, it is suggested that the action Ozempic has on the brain can trigger shifts in levels of stress hormones like cortisol could lead to a temporary shut off of hair follicles, causing them to shed hair and not grow another.
There are also suggestions that nutritional deficiencies triggered by the drug could also cause hair loss as the body seeks to conserve resources.
It is not clear how Ozempic may lead to alopecia or permanent hair loss.
The above woman lost 50lbs while she was on Mounjaro, another weight loss medication, for six months. She said she had managed to maintain her butt in part via regular squats at the gym
On the left, this woman said she had started losing hair after losing 45lbs on weight loss drugs, adding she was worried she might be bald for her wedding. On the right is another picture shared online of weight-loss-drug-related hair loss
Both side effects are being talked about by hundreds of women on Reddit, TikTok and other social media platforms where they share their stories.
In one case, a woman who has lost 40lbs of Ozempic said online: ‘Today I was talking to a fellow Ozempic user about how I was having trouble finding new jeans.
‘I mentioned I feel like my butt had completely disappeared and she completely agreed. Not only is it gone, there’s like a flap as well.
‘They talk a lot about “Ozempic face”, but so far the biggest issue for me has been Ozempic butt.’
Another woman who lost 70lbs on the drug added: ‘My tush is gone. I always had white girl butt, but now it’s GONE, like flat.
‘I was trying on my bathing suits because I have to clean out clothes now and see what fits. My butt was SHOCKING… I am going to have to cover it up.’
Doctors say the sagging skin can be corrected through weight-lifting exercises such as squats and lunges — which can help someone grow muscles to fill the space.
But they warn it could still take a year or more for the skin to recover, with some doctors pointing patients towards BBLs and skin tightening procedures instead.
There are also suggestions that weight-bearing exercises can boost the thickness of skin, helping it to become more taught and avoid any sagging.
Similarly, there are also reports of women who say they are losing their hair while on Ozempic or similar weight-loss medications.
Among patients reporting this was a bride-to-be who had lost 45lbs while taking Wegovy in recent months.
Posting pictures of her hair loss online, she said: ‘My hair has been coming out in clumps and my scalp has been very sensitive. [But] my wedding is in four months.
‘I’ve just started a course of rogaine, rosemary oil and others… do you think this will be enough to start some hair growth and stop the loss in time by September? Or will these only make the shedding WORSE? Help please!’
In a second case, a woman posted an image of her losing most of her hair online saying: ‘Anyone else loosing hair like crazy? I’m going bald.’
Influencer Claudia Oshry, 29, has even come forward to say that her hair was coming out in clumps while on Ozempic — although she did lose 70lbs.
Writing on Instagram, she said: ‘[My hair] didn’t thin but it started SHEDDING -which is literally worse. Overall, I’d say it took six to nine months to get back to normal.’
The FDA revealed in January that it was looking into these reports and establishing whether there was a link to Ozempic.
‘The appearance of a drug on this list does not mean that FDA has concluded that the rug has the listed risk,’ they noted.
‘It means the FDA has identified a potential safety issue, but it does not mean that FDA has identified a causal relationship between the drug and the listed risk.’
Evidence so far suggests semaglutide does not directly bind to hair follicles, but the drug has been linked to a higher risk of thyroid issues — which could have a link to hair loss.
Ozempic and similar weight loss medications have surged in popularity in the US, with an estimated 8.2million prescriptions written in 2021.
Ozempic is only approved for use in diabetic patients, but many doctors are also prescribing it ‘off-label’ to those looking to lose a few pounds.
MedSpas say they are seeing a surge in requests for the drug during the current months amid the impending arrival of summer.
