Supermodel hospitalized after semaglutide reaction: Doctors address black market GLP-1 surge
Key Takeaways
More and more patients have been taking semaglutide weight loss drugs (GLP-1s), including those who do not medically need it.
Doctors are prescribing it off-label for weight loss more often, and some patients are even accessing it on the black market.
There are risks associated with these drugs, especially for patients for whom the drugs aren’t intended. Kate Moss’s sister, Lottie Moss, was recently hospitalized after taking Ozempic without medical need or supervision.
Recently, supermodel Kate Moss’s 26-year-old sister, Lottie Moss, was hospitalized after taking semaglutide. She said she lost a lot of weight, felt nauseous, couldn’t keep water down, and that her eyes were “almost concaving in.”[]
Specifically, semaglutide was designed for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of or over 30 or of or over 27 with at least one weight-related comorbidity, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, or dyslipidemia, according to the Journal of Pharmacy Technology.[]
The problem? GLP-1s have caught on with the general public, specifically among people who do not have diabetes and who are not obese or even overweight.[] Doctors are even prescribing it off-label for weight loss.[]
In fact, people are turning to drugs like Ozempic to get “beach-body ready”—a major misuse of a drug that is supposed to be taken under medical supervision.[]
So many people are using these drugs that Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide was the most prescribed GLP-1 in 2023.[] In fact, it made up 88% of all new prescriptions.
The semaglutide problem has many facets. First, the drug faces shortages for people who actually need it. Some patients call it their “lifeline.”[]
More so, the drug’s popularity—spurred on by Hollywood body image obsession, social media, and nonstop advertisements—has meant that people are gaining access to it in any way they can, including on the black market or in random shops and salons, according to the BBC.[]
The casual use of the drug is also becoming normalized. “Hair, makeup and styling teams for celebrities have come to accept the injections as part of grooming rituals ahead of major events,” Variety reports.[]
Overdose symptoms
As People Magazine reports, Moss “met with a nurse who told her that she was taking the incorrect amount of Ozempic and ended up having a seizure as a result of how dehydrated she was.”
"It was the worst decision I ever made, so if this is a warning to anyone, please, if you’re thinking about doing it, do not take it. Like, it’s so not worth it. I would rather die at any day than take that again,” Moss told the magazine.
Moss also noted that she obtained the drugs through questionable means: "I had a friend, and she could get it for me. It was kind of below board. I'm not going to lie.” She also said that the nurse told her the drug wasn’t intended for people her size—around 110 pounds.
Beyond the risks of obtaining GLP-1s via the black market, without supervision, or without medical need, the drugs come with a clear warning: In rodents, semaglutide causes thyroid C-cell tumors.[] It’s not currently known whether Ozempic specifically causes these same tumors in humans. Patients who have a family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma or Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 are also warned to avoid the drug.
Garrett Garner, MD, FACOG, tells MDLinx that other risks include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pancreatitis, loss of appetite, headaches, and acute kidney injury.
MDs sound off on misuse
There is a right patient for these types of drugs, Dr. Garner says. “Most people struggle to maintain a healthy weight as they age due to changes in their metabolic rate. The amount of calories they ingest doesn’t change as they get older, and we have become a more sedentary population, which decreases the amount of calories people burn during the day. Weight loss is hard, and these meds can help, especially in the right patient population.”
Jorge Moreno, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Yale University, echoes those sentiments. “GLP-1s are safe and efficacious. These medications are FDA-approved to treat obesity: a chronic, relapsing, and progressive disease,” he tells MDLinx. He notes that obesity prevalence is set to hit 50% by 2030, and that having effective treatments is key.
The wrong patient, however, is clear: “I have patients ask for [GLP-1s] when they just want to lose 5–10 pounds. I feel this type of patient can achieve that level of weight loss just with diet and exercise,” Dr. Garner says.
Dr. Moreno also notes that doctors can prescribe medications off-label if they deem it medically necessary, but that it’s clear that Moss wasn’t the right patient for Ozempic.
“It appears Ms. Moss was using the medication without a clear indication for it. Per the story, she was taking Ozempic, and she was not closely followed by a doctor to assess for side effects. This is critical. These medications require close medical follow-up to avoid any potential complications,” Dr. Moreno says. He also adds that GLP-1s require slow dose titrations to monitor for efficacy and side effects: “Starting at a high dose suddenly can result in severe and frequent side effects.” If the patient doesn’t actually meet the FDA indications for these medications, physicians cannot adequately foresee what sorts of side effects may occur.
What does this mean for you?
Educating patients on the risks of semaglutide is key. “I think education on the side effects of the meds is key,” Dr. Garner says. “Most patients just hear that the meds will help them lose weight and do not hear about the side effects or even the proper way to dose the meds. I feel patients should need to get the meds through a physician-supervised program that can adjust the doses of the meds as needed.”