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Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
Lottie Moss has revealed she was rushed to the hospital after taking a high dosage of Ozempic, which left her violently ill and severely dehydrated.
The model, 26, opened up about her health scare during a recent episode of her podcast, Dream On. Moss, who is the younger sister of supermodel Kate Moss, discussed how she had taken Ozempic – a once-weekly injectable medication for Type 2 diabetes – for two weeks and “never felt so sick in my life.”
“A few months ago, I was not feeling happy about my weight,” the OnlyFans star began the episode, which was released on September 12. Moss explained that she could obtain Ozempic through a friend, which she later described as “the worst decision I ever made.”
“It was from a doctor, but it wasn’t like you go into a doctor’s office and he prescribes it for you, takes your blood pressure, and takes tests – which is what you need when you go on something like Ozempic,” she said. The model revealed that at the time of taking Ozempic, she weighed around 60kg (132lbs).
Ozempic, manufactured by pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, is an FDA-approved medication designed to treat Type 2 diabetes. However, the drug has risen in popularity for its off-label weight loss side effects, as dozens of celebrities have admitted to using similar medications containing Ozempic’s active ingredient, semaglutide.
Moss explained that she initially began taking a low dosage of Ozempic, which typically begins at 0.25 mg injected once weekly for four weeks when prescribed by a doctor. However, the model began taking a higher dose and “ended up being in bed for two days.”
“I was throwing up, it was horrible,” she said. In just two weeks, Moss revealed she had dropped from 60kg (132lbs) to 53kg (116lbs). “That’s not a healthy weight loss, that’s not a healthy drop,” she admitted.
Moss recalled telling her friend that she was unable to keep any water or food in her system, and she ultimately visited the emergency room at three in the morning.
“We go and see one of the nurses and she’s like, ‘How much of a dose are you taking?’ I was like, however much, and she said, ‘Oh my god, that’s so not what you’re meant to be taking,’” she recalled.
While in the emergency room, Moss experienced a seizure, which she said was caused by dehydration. The model claimed that her “face was clenching up,” her “whole body was tense,” and she couldn’t move her hands during the seizure. “[It] was honestly one of the scariest things that has ever happened to me in my life,” she said.
“I would rather die any day than take it again,” Moss maintained, before sharing an important message to her fans about body image.
“I hope that by talking about this, it can maybe be a lesson to some people that it’s not worth it. It’s for diabetes, it’s not for weight loss really,” she stressed. “I get that, in the media, everyone and all these celebrities are on it right now. And it’s so hard to look at that and see these dramatic weight losses, especially for people with eating disorders and problems with eating. It’s so hard to see that when maybe you’re not someone who drops weight quickly or you’re struggling with recovering.”
“This should not be a trend right now,” Moss added. “Where did the body positivity go?”
Ozempic works by mimicking the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) hormone to regulate blood sugar levels and slow down the rate at which food leaves the stomach – often creating the feeling of fullness. Meanwhile, prescription medications Wegovy and Mounjaro have also risen in popularity for their weight loss side effects. Wegovy is another semaglutide injection specifically approved for the treatment of obesity and weight loss, while Mounjaro is the first diabetes drug to target a second hormone, GIP.
According to the FDA, the most common side effects of taking weight loss medications include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain, headache, fatigue, indigestion, dizziness, and digestive disorders.
The FDA has also warned about more serious complications that can occur from the use of the Wegovy or Mounjaro, such as the “potential risk of thyroid C-cell tumors,” pancreatitis, gallbladder problems, acute kidney injury, increased heart rate, and suicidal behavior or thinking.
Taking Ozempic can also lead to possible thyroid tumors, including cancer, pancreatitis, changes in vision, and kidney and gallbladder problems.