Prescriptions for drugs like Ozempic are soaring, and so is misinformation. Here is how to separate fact from fiction.

Bateman said these drugs work by blocking receptors that can cause hunger.  According to the Mayo Clinic, drugs that use Semaglutides, like Ozempic or Wegovy, specifically mimic the GLP-1 hormone. In turn, this helps people produce insulin and help correct a hormone imbalance, which often exists in people with obesity.

“It’s slowing everything down in your gut," Bateman said. "It’s making you feel full.”

In the end, this sends a message to the brain that decreases the cravings for food or water.

Since the drugs became more commonly used, reports have been coming in suggesting additional benefits of these weight-loss drugs, from heart improvements to unexpected pregnancy.

“These medications have become very interesting,” said Dr. Martha Gulati with Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, "We are finding that not only does it help patients lose weight, which is fantastic, but we finally have a trial that shows that we improve outcomes, meaning we reduce the risk of dying from any cardiovascular problems and reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke."

The study from the New England Journal of Medicine suggests those Semaglutide medications lowers certain people’s risk for a heart attack or stroke by as much as 20%. According to Bateman, this is done by addressing the underlying factors involved in heart disease, including excessive weight and high blood sugar.

This same balance of hormones and weight loss also has an effect on fertility. Recently, several women have reported surprise pregnancies after taking a weight loss drug.

"The fertility actually gets impacted, and women who are obese or overweight...their periods can be irregular," said Dr. Payal Kohli, cardiologist at Cherry Creek Heart. "They can have syndromes like PCOS, or polycystic ovarian syndrome, that suppress their fertility."

“So you see a lot of women with insulin resistance and things like that, which could be the underlying reason for the infertility,” Bateman said.

In the event someone does find themselves pregnant while taking a weight-loss drug, Bateman said they will need to be taken off of it immediately.

The most common side effects for drugs like Ozempic include:

• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Stomach pain
• Vomiting
• Constipation

Other side effects may also include inflamed pancreas, kidney or gallbladder, in which case it may also be recommended to stop using the drug.

There has been a growing concern of drugs like Ozempic causing gastroparesis due to online claims. Gastroparesis causes the stomach not to empty properly and can often be a side effect of diabetes or surgery.

"Gastroparesis is really a problem where the nerves that go to your stomach don't work very well," said Dr. Maria Escobar-Vasco, assistant professor in the Division of Endocrinology at the UT Health San Antonio. "And so then your stomach doesn't work very well, but the medications won't affect the nerve system. They just slow down the stomach." 

However, while the side effects of the medication may seem like gastroparesis, they should only be temporary, and go away once you stop taking the medication.

Since the medicine began gaining popularity, the main ingredient in those drugs, Semaglutide, has become a hot commodity, with pharmacies across the United States experiencing shortages. At last check, the FDA still lists Semaglutide injections as currently in shortage. 

"We recognize that the demand definitely is outpacing the supply that we have," said Negelle Morris, senior vice president at Novo Nordisk, the company behind Ozempic and Wegovy.

Novo Nordisk has announced it would be investing $6.5 billion in order to increase production so 20,000 patients could be prescribed Wegovy a week. However, at the moment, those shortages are here to stay, since there will be a delay before the increased drugs hit the market.

According to a study by Epic Research, there has been a 930% increase in Semaglutide prescriptions over the past four years. However, according to Dr. Catherine Varney with UVA Health, not even 2% of patients who qualify for those weight-loss drugs have actually received a prescription.

Some weight-loss drugs are not permanent solutions. Ozempic itself is only meant to be used weekly for a maximum of two years, meaning at some point, a patient will likely need to come off of it for a period of time.

Last year, the National Institutes of Health released a study that found that out of a group of participants who stopped using Semaglutide-based drugs, the average weight regain was about two-thirds of the weight they lost.

According to Bateman, drugs like Ozempic are not meant to be the sole solution toward a person's weight-loss goals and should be one step of a greater solution with lifestyle changes. In order to develop a comprehensive plan, Bateman suggests working directly with your physician who prescribed the drug.

“Really hone in on what you’re eating, the exercise, this is not a time to cheat," Bateman said. "…This is a great opportunity to see if those lifestyle modifications are making any influence along with the drug.”

To avoid regaining weight, doctors at Boston Direct Health recommend:

• Eating foods with fiber, healthy fats and protein
• Tracking your weight and calorie intake
• Exercising for 30 minutes for five days a week
• Going to bed around the same time every night
• Start developing a plan while you are still taking the weight-loss drug