Kate Moss’ sister Lottie says she had a seizure because of Ozempic. The expert examines the importance of using these medicines correctly.

Model Lottie Moss is speaking out against the use of diabetes medication for weight loss after she allegedly suffered a seizure after taking Ozempic.

The 26-year-old sister of 1990s fashion icon Kate Moss, spoke on a podcast this week about how she tried Ozempic – which she got through a friend – and experienced the health effects.

Moss initially sought the drug when she felt insecure about her weight and hoped to use it to shed pounds. He said his friend helped him contact a doctor who could provide medicine. “It was kind of below the board, not gonna lie, it was from a doctor, but it wasn’t like you walk into a doctor’s office and order it, you get the pressure of blood, you take all these tests, which is what you need when you’re going on something like Ozempic,” Moss said.

Ozempic contains the active ingredient semaglutide and is used to control diabetes. However, it is not clear whether Moss received Ozempic, specifically, or another type of drug.

“I took it for two weeks, and you get like a pen, and it comes in different dosages,” Moss shared. “And you take one injection one week, one injection the next week, and you take it every week. And I have never felt so sick in my life. I was vomiting. It was scary. “I took a low dose the first time I took it, then I went up, and I ended up in bed for two days.”

Moss said she ended up having a seizure in hospital due to “dehydration”, describing the ordeal as “one of the scariest things that has ever happened to me.”

“I hope that by talking about this issue, maybe it can be a lesson for other people that it is useless. It’s for diabetes,” he said.

What the expert says

Dr. Melanie Jay, an assistant professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and director of the Comprehensive Obesity Program, told Yahoo Life that it’s important to note that Moss was not under a doctor’s care, so “she was not a good candidate for medication.” He also noticed that Moss was not taking the medicine as intended by the drug makers. For Ozempic, in particular, “he begins [on a] 0.25 mg dose every week for one month before going to the next dose so that your body can get used to it, ” Jay says. Then go to the next dose every week for a month one.

However, Moss took a high dose the next week, after which he became very ill.

Jay also said it was unclear whether Moss was on Ozempic or a different type of weight loss drug, which could explain the dosing discrepancy. When you receive a box of Ozempic from the pharmacy, you get four pens of the same dose for a month.

How common is an overdose of Ozempic?

In December 2023, poison control centers reported a 1,500% increase in calls related to weight loss drugs. Earlier this month, the Utah Poison Control Center reported a 640% increase in calls from 2020, with more calls in 2024 than in previous years.

In July, the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about the overdose of semaglutide, which is also an active ingredient in Wegovy, a drug made by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk specifically for weight loss. bodies.

The FDA said that people who have taken too much semaglutide have symptoms such as:

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

• Fainting

• Headache

• Migraine

• Dehydration

• Acute pancreatitis

• Gallstones

Some people sought hospitalization for their symptoms, the FDA reported.

However, the warning was not about the drugs made by Novo Nordisk but about the combined versions of semaglutide. Compounded semaglutide is made by compounding pharmacies, which produce conventional medicines by combining or changing ingredients to meet the specific needs of the patient. These alternatives may not meet the same standards as FDA-approved drugs because they are not subject to the same regulatory oversight.

In this case, the issue was dosing: while Ozempic and Wegovy come in pre-filled pens, the combined versions often come in vials, so patients can accidentally give themselves a higher dose than recommended.

Joseph Lambson, director of the New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center, previously explained to Healthline: “Most of these pens will only give one dose, and you press the pen to make it work. You insert it like an EpiPen, and you have your dose. But these compounds, which make them more likely to cause an overdose, are often put in a vial and come with a needle and syringe.

If you choose to use a combination drug, be aware that it “poses a greater risk to patients than FDA-approved drugs because combination drugs are not subject to FDA review for safety, efficacy or quality,” according to the FDA. .

“Compound drugs should only be used to meet the patient’s needs if the patient’s medical needs cannot be met by an existing drug approved by the FDA,” the government agency explained.

Important point

If you are interested in taking semaglutide for weight loss, it is important to talk to your doctor, who can help you get a prescription for one of the drugs on the market. They can also check if these drugs are really right for you, as they should only be given to people who meet certain health criteria, such as having a BMI above a certain target or a condition associated with weight gain such as blood pressure.

Compounding pharmacies are a way for people to get medication during the drug shortages that many people looking for weight loss drugs are facing. It may also be an option for people who may benefit from these drugs but cannot get them through their insurance because of cost concerns. (Out of pocket, Ozempic and Wegovy can cost upwards of $1,000 a month.)

However, it is important to know that these combined drugs also come with risks, such as more difficult drinking. A doctor can guide you through this process, which is why it’s best to seek medical help before embarking on a weight loss journey.