Ozempic is a diabetes and weight-loss drug that's become very popular in Hollywood. It does seem to have a range of side effects, though, despite being considered "safe," whatever that means in this day and age. Here are some of the minor side effects, aside from so-called "Ozempic face" (see here, too):
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- flatulence
- constipation
- stomach ache
- abdominal pain
- fatigue
- injection-site reactions
And some possible major side effects:
- vision changes
- kidney problems
- gall bladder disease
- severe allergic reactions
- increased risk of thyroid cancer
- hypoglycemia
- pancreatitis
Look deeply enough, and almost all drugs have severe side effects of some kind or other; it's a statistical game: do you fall within the narrow band of an unlucky demographic? At the same time, the taking of drugs can become a values question along the lines of, "If this magic potion cured all of your ills but gave you a 5% chance of being struck and killed by lightning within a year, would you still take the potion?" You know—one of those ethical posers.
And there's also the famous wisdom of Paracelsus: The dose is the poison. It's another way of saying that too much of anything can be harmful, even water.
Anyway, Ozempic is tempting—an easy way out, perhaps, but for the moment, I'm not at all interested in it, especially since I'm on enough drugs already. Maybe if I get desperate, but I'm an old man, now, and no longer so concerned about preserving my high-school figure (not that I ever had much of a figure in high school).
Speaking of being on drugs, last night was my first night of taking the new, reduced prescription from the hospital, and without an insulin injection (since I currently lack needles—to be resolved tomorrow morning with a trip to the med-supply store). This morning's numbers looked good except for blood sugar, which was back up in the 150s because I'd indulged on Friday after coming back from the hospital. (I fasted Saturday except for a single smoothie in the late morning.) BS ought to be down by the end of the coming week as I resume my walking. The slog continues.
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