Kerry Toneguzzi has tried everything to lose weight.

From low-calorie and liquid diets to Weight Watchers, nothing worked. In 2007, she had bariatric surgery and lost 100 pounds B次元官网网址� only to gain it all back.

When she was diagnosed with diabetes in the fall of 2020, her doctor suggested she try Ozempic B次元官网网址� a drug approved in Canada to treat diabetes, with a frequent side effect of weight loss.

B次元官网网址淚n the beginning, I didnB次元官网网址檛 think it would ever work for me because nothing really had worked for me,B次元官网网址� Toneguzzi, 55, said.

But it did. The Ottawa-area insurance underwriter lost 115 pounds over about two years. What she finds even more remarkable is that she hasnB次元官网网址檛 gained any of it back.

B次元官网网址淔or me to maintain my weight for a year, itB次元官网网址檚 a win,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭his drug has given me a second chance at life.B次元官网网址�

Like Toneguzzi, many Canadian obesity specialists and endocrinologists are welcoming Ozempic as a drug that actually works in treating what they say is a genetic, medical condition.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e failed to have success in pharmacotherapy until now,B次元官网网址� said Dr. Sean Wharton, an internal medicine specialist who runs a weight and diabetes management clinic in Burlington, Ont.

With the advent of Ozempic, people living with obesity finally have a drug that can make a difference and can be an alternative to bariatric surgery, he said.

But Ozempic has gained notoriety in recent months, with celebrities singing the drugB次元官网网址檚 praises and many people posting success stories in weight loss they attribute to the drug.

Demand for Ozempic in Canada has risen steadily over the last year, according to the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada, which represents most of the major pharmacy chains in Canada, as well as many community drugstores.

The problem with that, some doctors and pharmacists say, is that Ozempic isnB次元官网网址檛 intended for patients who want to drop a few pounds of B次元官网网址渃osmetic weight.B次元官网网址� Plus, people who need Ozempic likely need it for life B次元官网网址� studies have shown that once they stop taking it, the weight often comes back.

B次元官网网址�(There) should be no question about that. Nobody should think that theyB次元官网网址檙e using this for short term and going to stop it,B次元官网网址� Wharton said.

B次元官网网址淭his is a forever medication because (obesity is) a genetic disease.B次元官网网址�

Ozempic costs between $200 and $300 per month in Canada. Its manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, also got Health Canada approval in 2021 for a drug called Wegovy. Ozempic and Wegovy have the identical active ingredient B次元官网网址� semaglutide B次元官网网址� but Wegovy is a higher dose to specifically treat obesity.

Health Canada has also approved Wegovy for people who are overweight and also suffering from a serious weight-related condition such as hypertension, diabetes or obstructive sleep apnea.

Semaglutide works by acting like a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which promotes insulin production and also stimulates part of the brain that controls appetite. Patients take it by injection once a week.

Because Wegovy is not yet available in Canada B次元官网网址� and Novo Nordisk has not given a date when it will be B次元官网网址� some doctors are prescribing Ozempic at higher doses for their patients suffering from obesity.

Dr. Ehud Ur, an endocrinologist at St. PaulB次元官网网址檚 Hospital and Vancouver General Hospital, said itB次元官网网址檚 important to look at Ozempic and Wegovy as a medical solution to treat a life-threatening medical condition, in conjunction with changes to diet, exercise and sleep habits.

B次元官网网址淢ost people donB次元官网网址檛 understand that obesity is not a cosmetic problem. ItB次元官网网址檚 a significant disease. People with obesity will have a 10, 15, 20-year reduction in their life expectancy because of their weight problems,B次元官网网址� said Ur.

But on the front lines of primary care, family doctors have been fielding a growing number of pleas from patients who want an Ozempic prescription, even though theyB次元官网网址檙e not suffering from obesity, said Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, a family physician in Toronto.

B次元官网网址淧eople who are coming to me as a family doctor B次元官网网址� are people who, you know, theyB次元官网网址檙e struggling with the belly fat, theyB次元官网网址檙e not even diabetic, theyB次元官网网址檙e not even pre-diabetic and theyB次元官网网址檙e asking for the drug,B次元官网网址� she said.

Shelita Dattani, vice-president of pharmacy affairs for the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada, also practices on a family health team that is dealing with patients looking for Ozempic as a B次元官网网址渜uick fixB次元官网网址� for weight loss.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e had people ask me, IB次元官网网址檝e had friends ask me B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址榶ou know, I have a wedding coming upB次元官网网址� or B次元官网网址業 need to be in a bikiniB次元官网网址� or whatever it is,B次元官网网址� Dattani said.

Gorfinkel and Dattani both say those requests require thoughtful conversations with patients about weight loss and other measures they can take.

B次元官网网址淥besity is a holistic problem. It is a biopsychosocial problem,B次元官网网址� Gorfinkel said.

Those conversations take a lot longer than just saying yes and writing a prescription, she said.

Gorfinkel also worries about potential side effects.

According to Novo NordiskB次元官网网址檚 Ozempic information website, the most common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and abdominal pain.

Those symptoms go away after a few weeks, said Ur.

The website also lists more serious potential side effects including inflammation of the pancreas, gallbladder problems, kidney problems and low blood sugar.

It also notes that studies in rats showed thyroid tumours. Both Ur and Wharton said thereB次元官网网址檚 no reason to believe that would happen in humans.

The health risks of living with obesity often outweigh the potential risks of taking the drug, they said.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 important to understand who are the appropriate patients to treat because not everyone is a candidate for Ozempic,B次元官网网址� Ur said.

B次元官网网址淭he simple point to make is that in any treatment in medicine youB次元官网网址檙e balancing risk against benefit.B次元官网网址�

Gorfinkel said she would consider prescribing Ozempic along with lifestyle changes if the patient met the medical criteria for obesity.

But so far, that hasnB次元官网网址檛 happened.

B次元官网网址淚 have yet to prescribe it to any patients,B次元官网网址� Gorfinkel said.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 extremely skeptical. I worry tremendously that if I do prescribe it what may happen is that when they come off of it, they may experience significant weight gain.B次元官网网址�

When asked if Ozempic and Wegovy are meant to be taken for the rest of patientsB次元官网网址� lives, Novo Nordisk Canada said in an email, B次元官网网址淛ust like other chronic diseases, type 2 diabetes and obesity both require long-term management.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淒ecisions about the appropriateness and duration of any medication should be made on an individual basis in consultation with a health-care professional,B次元官网网址� spokeswoman Amy Snow said.

Toneguzzi, who has started a Facebook group in Ottawa for others who are considering Ozempic, has no illusions that the drug is anything short of a lifelong commitment to help maintain her weight.

She also wants to help others be realistic in their expectations, noting that along with taking Ozempic, she worked hard on her weight loss, including a B次元官网网址渧ery regimentedB次元官网网址� approach to her diet.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 not a miracle,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淚t wasnB次元官网网址檛 just the medication. I had to change my complete lifestyle.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址擭icole Ireland, The Canadian Press