Can you GAIN weight on Ozempic? Experts reveal how the drug can become useless…as Tracy Morgan says he gained 40 pounds while taking it

It is the blockbuster drug known to shift weight quickly, even in those who have been struggling to lose weight for years and are unable to do so.

But this week, reports emerged indicating that weight loss with Ozempic is not a given. You may even gain extra pounds while taking the drug.

Comedian Tracy Morgan told Jimmy Fallon on a recent episode of the Tonight Show that he gained 40 pounds while injecting the drug, which suppresses hormones that make you hungry.

The comedian, who first said he had used the drug in August 2023, nevertheless seemed in good spirits about life and joked in his typical way.

But Morgan’s experience appears to run counter to the weight-loss transformation stories that have long been associated with the drug, including that of Oprah, who lost more than 40 pounds while taking it.

Comedian and actor Tracy Morgan said he still managed to gain weight with Ozempic because he was ‘eating’ its impact on his appetite.

But what is the truth: is weight gain possible?

Ozempic contains a drug called semaglutide, which is part of a family of medications called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They work by suppressing the activity of a hormone called GLP-1, which makes us feel hungry.

However, experts say it’s still possible to gain weight with the drug — or fail to lose it.

Gastroenterologist Dr. Steven Batash told Forbes that after a person initially loses weight with Ozempic, “the body adapts and may slow progress or temporarily stagnate.”

So you still need to make informed diet and exercise choices to lose or maintain your weight while taking Ozempic International Association of Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine wrote on a forum for the drug.

If you eat a very high-calorie diet, you may actually start to gain weight, said Dr. Sharon Giese.

This appears to be the case for Tracy Morgan, who told Fallon he would “outdo Ozempic.”

In the interview, Morgan mentions his love of cooking and his plans for dinner after the show.

‘Do you know what I’m having for dinner tonight? Lasagna,” the comedian told Fallon.

Anyone who takes this drug will eventually reach a weight loss plateau, because “you can’t lose weight forever,” Dr. Robert Gabbay of the American Diabetes Association told me. the New York Times.

Experts also say that those who have some insulin resistance may see a plateau sooner than others.

Another reason why the drug might make you gain weight has to do with the dosage.

If your dose is too low, you may not experience much of the drug’s appetite-suppressing effects and can continue your normal routine, Dr. Batash told me. Business insider.

He has seen this in his own practice. Some patients now find that ‘this dosage, which used to really work its magic, no longer works. And I’m starting to fall back into my old bad habits, and I’m finding that suppressing hunger isn’t as effective.”

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that participants who took small doses of semaglutide, between 0.25 mg and 0.5 mg, gained weight.

The rest of the cohort, who received 2.4 mg of the drug, lost almost 15 percent of their body weight.

Across the board, it is much more common for people to lose weight with Ozempic than to gain weight. Studies have shown that more than 86 percent of patients do.

So if you’re in a pinch, there may be ways to personalize your weight loss plan so it works for you. Dr. Todd Worley, a bariatric surgeon, told Healthline.

‘Treating each patient as an individual, with a personalized treatment plan, means that all patients are individually connected and may require a different treatment regimen.’