How an Ozempic overdose can put you in a coma, and how much is too much…as Lottie Moss is rushed to hospital
Semaglutide, available as Ozempic and Wegovy, is seen as a monumental breakthrough in the fight against obesity.
However, there are growing concerns about the number of healthy-weight and underweight patients using these drugs for cosmetic reasons.
Now the drug is receiving renewed attention after Lottie Moss revealed today that she was rushed to hospital after taking an overdose of Ozempic, taking too high a dosage.
The 26-year-old model was seriously ill, suffering a seizure and was severely dehydrated from taking the drug, while weighing around 60kg.
She claimed she got the shot from a friend who bought the vaccine over the counter from a doctor.
The drug is attracting renewed attention after Lottie Moss today revealed she was rushed to hospital after being given an overdose of Ozempic due to a high dosage
Here we show how, when used incorrectly, the jab can cause damage to the body within minutes of injection, putting some users at risk of falling into a coma.
Olympic saims to promote weight loss by mimicking the action of a hormone released in the gut after eating, called GLP-1.
The GLP-1 hormone not only tells the pancreas to produce more insulin, it also sends feedback to the brain and makes users feel full.
Semaglutide can therefore ensure that users do not eat too much.
But it also has side effects: users often complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhea after taking the drug.
Unlike the GLP-1 hormone, which is rapidly metabolized by the body, semaglutide has a much longer half-life. This means that the drug can build up in the body if not enough time passes between doses.
Lottie and Kate’s relationship soured after she started modelling for OnlyFans, but they recently got back together and celebrated their father’s 80th birthday together last week.
This triggers an Ozempic overdose. There is limited data available on how deadly an overdose can be.
However, according to case reports, the symptoms of semaglutide overdose may resemble those of potentially fatal hypoglycemia, also known as dangerously low blood sugar.
Symptoms may begin with increased heart rate, sweating, dizziness, and irritability. Most symptoms “last for days,” according to a reportpublished in the Journal of the American Pharmacists’ Association.
Without prompt treatment, patients become confused, disoriented, and eventually lose consciousness, sometimes even slipping into a coma.
To reduce the risk of side effects, people usually start with 0.25 mg for the first four weeks and gradually increase the dose.
Ozempic is not specifically available on the NHS for weight loss, but is intended to help control blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.
But another semaglutide drug — Wegovy, which, like Ozempic, is made by Novo Nordisk — was approved last year for weight loss in people with health problems related to body fat.
Semaglutide, the powerful ingredient behind Ozempic, promotes weight loss by mimicking the action of a hormone released in the gut after eating called GLP-1
With the official Ozempic pens, made by the Danish pharmaceutical company, it is difficult to overdose, because once the dose has been determined (usually by a doctor), you cannot change it.
This prevents accidental overdose. However, patients may still use pens with an automatic dosage that is too high.
The medicines prepared by pharmacies are often supplied in glass bottles, after which patients have to fill the syringes themselves.
According to Dr. Joseph Lambson, director of the New Mexico Poison and Drug Information Center, this makes it “easy” to overdose.
Lottie shared on her podcast that she weighed around 130 pounds before dropping to 135 pounds after her first dose and at her lowest point she weighed 115 pounds, which is just over 100 pounds.
“I think when we have to rely on the patient to determine, determine and administer the correct dose, there is a greater potential for error,” he added.
Although no studies have been done in healthy weight people, there is anecdotal evidence that they may be at greater risk.
Doctor Vicky Price of the Society for Acute Medicine told this website in July that there had been a “real increase” in the number of people abusing the drug and ending up in hospital with vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration.
Lottie Moss announced today that she would rather ‘die’ than take Ozempic again.
Her sister, supermodel Kate Moss, 50, was the poster child for “heroin chic” in the 1990s because of her slim figure, once saying: “Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels.”
Lottie told her podcast Dream On that the attack, caused by severe dehydration, was one of the “scariest” experiences she has ever endured.
She also said there were “little things I wish I had known before taking the drug” and reported that her weight dropped from 60kg (giving her a healthy BMI of around 21) to 53kg in just two weeks.
After being rushed to the hospital, the podcaster learned that the dose of Ozempic she injected into her leg would also be prescribed for someone weighing at least 220 pounds — nearly double her weight.
The OnlyFans star said: ‘When I took it, the amount I took was meant for people who weigh 100 kilos or more, whereas I’m in my 50s.
“It’s these little things that I wish I had known before I took it. But I took it, you inject it into your leg, and it was the worst decision I’ve ever made.
“This is a warning to everyone. If you’re thinking about taking it, don’t take it, it’s absolutely not worth it.”
She added: ‘I started out at about 130 pounds, and after the first dose I dropped to 130 pounds, then 130.
‘It was crazy, my lowest weight was 53. In terms of a few weeks, that’s not a healthy weight loss, not a healthy drop.
‘When I was in bed for those two days and it was almost over, I just wanted to stop. You can’t just stop, it’s not like a pill that you don’t take when you wake up in the morning. It’s in your system and it’s there.’
Lottie has spoken in the past about her childhood in the ‘toxic’ fashion industry and her time in rehab after battling drug addiction.
She started modeling at the age of 16, after being scouted at 13. She said she always felt like she was in her sister Kate’s shadow.
The eligibility criteria for people wishing to receive Wegovy through the NHS, at the standard rate of £9.90 in England, are strict.
It is only available if diet and exercise on their own have not helped, you have health problems caused by your weight, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, and you have a BMI of 35 or higher.
