ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Doctors are warning teens and young adults about the risks of medications, like Oxempic and Wegovy, which are used to treat obesity, can have serious health effects.
Thousands of posts clutter social media with diet hacks and weight loss trends.
Fifteen percent of Americans admit to using a supplement to lose weight, according to a National Institutes of Health study.
The use of Oxempic and Wegovy was found to be on the rise, along with laxatives and diuretics for those who are unable to get a prescription.
“Taking those in higher doses and over a longer period of time, you are messing up with the body’s natural tendencies and mechanisms and making your body dependent on these medicines and supplements,” said Dr. Henna Muzaffar, with NIU’s School of Health Studies.
Muzaffar also said the pills are not helping patients lose the type of weight they want to be rid of.
“You lose water. You’re not actually losing fat, you’re losing water which can result in dramatic weight loss for a very short period of time from the dehydration. But, you’re actually not losing weight, not the kind of weight that you want to lose. And as soon as you rehydrate, that weight is going to come right back,” Mary O’Meara, nurse practitioner at OSF Healthcare, said