I’m a doctor who lost 25 pounds on Ozempic. The drug left me ‘mildly depressed’ and ‘totally wiped out by 8pm’

A doctor who was left 'mildly depressed' and 'completely wiped out' at 8pm while on Ozempic has revealed he has found a new life after quitting the drug.

The 42-year-old from the Mid-West, who was not named, took Ozempic for two years to lose weight – but knew he didn't want to stay on the medication forever.

Within days of coming off the drug, he said his energy levels had soared and his mood was brighter – with his wife previously suggesting he had 'mild depression'.

His old appetite returned, but the doctor said he did not eat as much as before taking the medicine; he lived on three modest meals a day and hardly needed snacks.

He's only two months into his Ozempic-free life, but says he hasn't regained any of the 25 pounds he's lost. The doctor does not rule out that the drug will be used again in the future.

More than nine million Americans use Ozempic and similar weight-loss drugs, statistics show – which help people lose weight by suppressing appetite.

But many have difficulty coming off the drug, with some regaining all the weight they lost after stopping the medication.

For example, a large study in Britain found that obese patients taking Wegovy – which uses the same drug as Ozempic – lost 18 percent of their body weight after taking the drug for just over a year. But a year after they stopped taking the drug, results showed they had regained 12 percent of the weight they lost.

Speak with Business insidersaid the doctor, 'I can tell you that my old appetite has returned and my hunger is much stronger than when I took the medicine.

“Back then, I couldn't even make room for side dishes like a small green salad with dinner.

'But I notice that, for whatever reason, I still eat less now than before Ozempic.

'I can generally get by on a modest breakfast, a small to medium lunch and then dinner with the family, which is usually my largest meal of the day.

'I feel like I don't need snacks and treats like I used to, and my three meals last me all day.

'Maybe my stomach has gotten smaller? Maybe I've just been really busy lately. Who knows.'

A British study found that people taking Wegovy experienced rapid weight loss, losing 18% of their weight in 68 weeks. They regained two-thirds of that weight, or 12% of their original body weight, in the year after they stopped the weekly injections. Experts say the drug must be used for a lifetime to keep the pounds off

When asked if there were any benefits to quitting the drug, he said he now seemed “more energetic and happier” than before.

“This could all be in my head,” he said, “but I feel like I had more low energy days when I was on Ozempic, and I was often completely wiped out by 8 or 9 p.m.”

'My wife also said that it seemed like I was more negative overall, and that she had never seen me so down, almost as if I had… some kind of mild depression.

'I now recognize that it is possible that the subtle amount of extra calories I eat these days is boosting my mood, or perhaps there is something else we don't fully understand about how the drug works that is negatively impacting my mood. '

He said he was also taking metformin and had recently increased his dose from 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams (mg).

The drug is available by prescription for diabetics and works by reducing the amount of glucose released into the body by the liver – and by helping the cells absorb that sugar from the bloodstream.

He was now also taking rapamycin, also available by prescription, which can also cause cells to become more sensitive to insulin.

The drug is also loved by biohackers for its purported ability to slow aging in cells.

Ozempic uses the active drug semaglutide that is administered to patients via weekly injections.

Known as Hollywood's worst-kept secret, the drug's popularity skyrocketed when it was revealed that many celebrities were using it to help with weight loss.

Recently, Oprah Winfrey, who helps others lose weight, revealed that she was taking weight loss medications to help her lose weight.

However, not everyone who has used the drug has seen success.

TikTok star Remi Bader has revealed how she gained back 'double the weight' she lost when she quit the drug, and said she won't take it again.