Women are reporting ‘Ozempic breasts’ – a bizarre side effect that’s stunned doctors
FROM floppy bums to sunken cheeks, drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have been linked to some bizarre bodily changes.
The rapid weight loss triggered by this class of drugs – referred to as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1) – can leave users with loose, sagging or wrinkled skin.
This has lead to the coining of terms like “Ozempic face” and “Ozempic butt”, although losing weight quickly by any other method could alter people’s appearance in the same way.
Now, women are reporting a side effect dubbed “Ozempic breasts”.
Most of us would jump to the conclusion that these women’s boobs responded to weight loss drugs in the same way as people’s bums and faces did, shrinking in size and sagging.
For some, this has indeed been the case.
As they shed pounds from taking the weight loss or diabetes drugs, they also lost fat tissue in their breasts, which doctors say is to be expected when someone rapidly slims down.
But experts have been left baffled by some women saying the drugs had actually made their boobs bigger.
In a recent Reddit post, one user said he and his wife had been taking taking 0.5mg of semaglutide – the active ingredient in diabetes drug Ozempic and weight loss drug Wegovy – for just over a month.
“Not only have we not lost ANY weight, her breasts are getting huge,” he wrote.
“She says she is more uncomfortable because now her tops are getting tighter,” he went on, saying he felt bad for his wife over how insecure she felt about her chest and her clothes not fitting right.
Responding to comments about whether his wife was pregnant, the Redditor said there was no chance of that.
One user shared they were also experiencing the weird breast side effect after taking GLP-1 drugs.
“I’m also experiencing this and am 100,000% sure there’s no way I’m pregnant,” she wrote.
But she added that her larger looking breasts might be caused by loosing fat in other areas of her body.
“I think in my case it’s actually that I’m losing the fat on my sides so my boobs both look and feel bigger,” she explained.
“This happened to me AND my friend!” a third commenter added.
“While I haven’t experienced this myself, I have seen posts in these subs about breast tenderness as a side effect for some,” a fourth said.
There were a number of theories as to what could be behind this bizarre side effect, from temporary surge in hormones like oestrogen caused by weight loss to holding onto excess water weight.
Experts weighed in on the “Ozempic breast” phenomenon, saying it was pretty unlikely to happen to most people.
Dr Andrew Peredo, a New York-based plastic surgeon, told DailyMail.com: “With Ozempic, what I have been noticing is a lot of people will take a high dose of the weight loss drug and then lose the weight really fast.
“And when that happens, the skin doesn’t have time to retract and bounce back.
“They will lose the weight everywhere, the breast will be totally deflated, the butt totally deflated, and they will lose weight in the face as well.”
Dr Smita Ramanadham, a New Jersey-based plastic surgeon, told the publication: “For our breasts, the majority of the tissue is actually fat and, in general, when you lose fat you lose that size in your breasts too.
“I think what we have to remember is that any weight loss affects the whole body, and one person’s experience will likely be different from another’s. It is best to consult your doctor before using the medications.”
Both surgeons said it was also “plausible” that fat loss could initially cause the breasts to swell – but they they stressed that this would be a “rare” side effect.
MORE BIZARRE SIDE EFFECTS
Both Ozempic and Wegovy use the active ingredient semaglutide.
It works by mimicking a naturally occurring hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 that’s usually released after eating, leading to a reduced appetite and reduced food cravings.
According to Novo Nordisk, common side effects from diabetes drug Ozempic include nausea and vomiting, as well as stomach pain, diarrhoea and constipation.
It advised that you speak to a doctor about side effects, especially if they’re bothersome and don’t go away.
Stephen Fry recently opened up about the “astonishing” weight loss he experienced while taking Ozempic, sharing that the once-weekly injection had left him “throwing up four, five times a day”.
Studies have found that the trendy fat jabs could put users at higher risk of conditions like of pancreatitis, bowel obstruction and stomach paralysis, even if they were previously healthy.
However, research also shows the drugs have potential to treat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, as well as heart disease, fatty liver disease, and chronic kidney disease.
And researchers say the fat-blasting jabs could also silence snoring by treating an underlying health condition called sleep apnoea.
Some women have reportedly become pregnant unexpectedly after taking semaglutide, as weight loss is thought to increase fertility.
But recent research on pregnant animals suggested that the treatment could lead to miscarriage and abnormalities.
The team of British scientists behind the study warned that semaglutide should not be taken within two months of trying to conceive.
Tricia Tan, from the department of metabolism, digestion and reproduction at Imperial College London, said: “Women need to know that these drugs should not be used during pregnancy.
“Animal studies did show that the animal babies born to animals who were given these medications had problems.”
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
What you should know about Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda and Mounjaro
Weight loss jabs are a hot media topic at the moment, with hundreds of success stories sharing how they helped them shed the pounds.
In March 2023, the NHS announced it would make Wegovy, a drug made by Danish firm Novo Nordisk, available on prescription to thousands of obese Brits.
It contains the drug semaglutide, which is said to have helped reality star Kim Kardashian and Twitter boss Elon Musk lose weight.
Wegovy, which helped a third of people reduce their weight by 20 per cent in trials, is now available from pharmacies like Boots.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less calories and therefore lose weight.
To do this, an ingredient found in the fat-busting drug, known as Semaglutide, mimics the role of a natural hormone, called GLP-1.
GLP-1 is part of the signalling pathway that tells your body you have eaten, and prepares it to use the energy that comes from your food.
London GP and founder of wellgoodwellbeing.com, Dr Zoe Watson, said: “Your body naturally produces an appetite regulating hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1.
“These jabs work by regulating your appetite, which can lead to eating fewer calories and losing weight.”
Aren’t they diabetes drugs?
Semaglutide, the active drug in Wegovy, was originally sold under the name Ozempic specifically for diabetes patients.
But they started noticing it helped suppress their appetites, stopping them eating as much and helping them shed the pounds.
So Novo Nordisk developed Wegovy, which contains the same chemical but at higher doses specifically to aid weight loss.
Wegovy is not prescribed for diabetes patients.
Can I get them?
Wegovy is offered on prescription to obese adults given specialist weight loss treatment.
The NHS currently also offers a similar drug called Saxenda, or liraglutide.
Both are only available on Tier 3 and Tier 4 weight management services, which means you have to be referred to weight management clinics led by experts.
GPs can’t prescribe them on their own either, Dr Watson said.
The jabs have to be taken as part of an overall programme to help with lifestyle changes and psychological support to get the best effect from the medication prescribed.
But despite being approved for use, supply of Wegovy on the NHS has been postponed indefinitely because of a surge in worldwide demand.
Supply was also halved in the US because of the skyrocketing demand.
Are there any risks?
Like all medicines, the jabs do not come without side effects.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, thyroid tumours, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
What other options are there?
Mounjaro (brand name for tirzepatide) also came onto the market in early 2024.
Like Wegovy, tirzepatide stems from a drug originally designed to treat diabetes.
The weekly injection helped overweight people drop more than two stone in 18 months.
It is available with to order with a prescription online from pharmacies including Superdrug and LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor.
It works in a similar way to Wegovy and Saxenda, but is more effective.
Dr Mitra Dutt from LloydsPharmacy says: “Based on clinical trials, 96 per cent of people were able to lose more than five per cent of their body fat using Mounjaro. In similar trials, 84 per cent of people lost more than five per cent of their body weight on Wegovy, and 60 per cent on Saxenda.
“Mounjaro works by activating two hormonal receptors (GIP and GLP-1), which enhance insulin production, improve insulin sensitivity, and work to decrease food intake.”