Magic Pills

 

 About a month ago, I paid a visit to the local chemist to pick up my stepdad's prescriptions while he was away on a trip. I got everything except Ozempic, they told me they had run out so if he was running low he should contact his Doctors to source a replacement. That's annoying but nothing new, there've been noticeable supply chain issues for a long time now, exacerbated by a protracted transfer of ownership of the chemists in my area. 

The day after, I was watching the local BBC news station, and it was interviewing a man complaining about his difficulties acquiring Ozempic. I paid close attention to the story. It emerged that the reason for the scarcity of Ozempic over here isn't part of the normal supply chain issues, the COVID lockdowns, surge in fuel and cargo prices, war in Ukraine, ships getting stuck in the Suez Canal etc. No, the main cause for the rarity of the powder blue stabbers is apparently a massive celebrity and influencer (I hate that word) craze over a wonderful weight loss drug called... Ozempic. 

After the report, which included clips from some California award show with Hollywood actors I didn't recognize making jokes about how Ozempic is the reason for that super skinny look that's popular in those parts, I got my phone out, went on several social media sites and searched #Ozempic. I was flooded with comments, tweets, videos, photos, gifs and memes all chiming in about this wonderful, amazing new weight loss drug. So, I can say that the news wasn't exaggerating, there is a real push to get in on the buzz.

I was left quite worried. Worried because my stepdad still hasn't been able to find a replacement that doesn't come with severe and unpleasant side effects, though he did manage to find another months supply, we've been told no one in the region can get more until August 2024. I'm also worried about the people who are buying it up in large quantities, because Ozempic is not a weightloss medication, it is prescribed for diabetic patients, they need to take it in order to live.  I know it can be hard to lose weight, I'm one of those people who seem to be a roundabout, lose some weight one month only to get it back the next and changes in diet and exercise don't seem to make much difference. And yes, Ozempic can assist in weightloss as one of the effects is a suppression of appetite, but it's designed for diabetic patients who again need it to treat a life limiting condition. Diabetes will kill if not monitored and treated. There are many other things out there that can suppress appetite, my ADHD medication does that, and I've noticed some consistent reduction in weight, which is why I won't tell you what it is, it's difficult enough for me to source my medication already without some clout chasing instastreamer shilling it as the wonder drug of the month.

I was furious at the people who are taking it because it's the latest fad, and still am to a degree, their actions are playing a role in scarcity of an important resource. But, with reflection, there's more blame to go around. They are part of the problem and the ones who are pushing this for monetary gain or purely for social media popularity, which appears to be what the majority of them are doing this for, are worthy of contempt, but this is a symptom and not the cause. We're at a moment in history where the question of production is largely solved, there are few products that cannot be produced at scale and one of the supposed benefits of capitalism is the so-called law of supply and demand, which is a guarantee that needs (demand) will be taken care of (supply) with little delay. Well, we all can see that that is a lie and this is just one of the proofs. That's the true horror here, the vast majority of medical research and production is not done for need but for a profit on a market. While the terminology refers to the takers of medication as patients, the reality is that they are a consumer base.

In this particular case, we have two conflicting consumer bases, diabetics who are long term customers, but numbers are limited, and the weight loss customers whose potential numbers outstrip the diabetics so most of the supply is going to the demand of the latter. It's not a new thing, I've spoken to friends and acquaintances that are on long term medications, and they've noticed that sometimes difficulties getting their medication correlate with some surge in popularity for some other effect. It's probably killed a lot of people and made others lives much worse. I wasn't being flippant when I said I will not disclose what medication I take, it took me years to get a prescription, and it's a constant hassle to get it every month, and while it's a controlled substance in the UK it isn't in parts of the United States where it's made, just one minor e-celeb recommending it to fuck me over completely. 

And one other issue with this system we have, I didn't know where to place it, so I'm ending the blog on this point. Part of the reason this horrifies me is that I don't think most of the people buying Ozempic because of the hype campaign know what they're doing. When I was searching through the hashtags and such, I saw multiple posts "revealing" that not only is Ozempic the magic cure to an expanding waistline, but it also apparently has the ability to fix your heart. This alarmed me because it's not a secret that Ozempic has beneficial effects for people with heart conditions, it's on the packaging and is a major factor in why Ozempic is prescribed over other alternative Diabetic treatments. It's the reason my stepdad was put on it, he has diabetes and heart issues and thanks to Ozempic he doesn't have to juggle heart and diabetes medication. It removed a tonne of stress and worry over keeping on top of 20+ pills a week. 

So, if lots of people are taking a diabetic medication that affects the heart without supervision, and they weren't even aware of these effects, then that is a very worrying sign. Medicine doesn't work like it does in video games, it isn't a totally beneficial for everyone who takes it. It helps my stepdad regulate his insulin and sugar levels and his heart, but that doesn't mean it will for you or everyone else. I would not recommend anyone take anything that affects your heart without some form of monitoring and supervision. My ADHD medication is controlled because it does very destructive things to normal people, over a 100mgs can kill you. For me, it gives me focus and aside from some light nausea it's been negative free. I'm the only one in my support group that's on it, everyone else is on other medications because mine didn't work for them, some of them have been on dozens with multiple changes in dosage, times of taking them etc, and some have had very nasty side effects.

 Treating medication as a commodity that can just be bought and used or abused is a very dangerous thing. This system doesn't benefit anyone except for the small few who own it.