Ozempic is all the rage in the weight loss space right now, promising to help people shed pounds with nothing more than a weekly injection.
But the prohibitively high price tag — nearly $900 per dose without insurance — is causing many to turn to “budget” alternatives like laxatives, which can help people lose weight by speeding up the digestive tract and expelling food from the body more quickly.
But Dr. Swrajit Sarkar, a nutritionist at City, University of London, said laxatives do not help people lose fat – they only remove water weight.
Dr. Sarkar said, “Though the use of laxatives causes water loss, it does not lead to fat loss.
‘This means that any weight a person loses from using laxatives is only temporary – and any water lost will be regained.’
Additionally, removing too much water from the body can lead to a number of dangerous side effects, including muscle cramps, diarrhea and seizures.
As laxatives become increasingly popular as budget Ozempic, a shortage of them has emerged in the US (stock image)
People take laxatives as a kind of budget Ozempic, causing national shortages
Laxatives come in different forms, including stimulant laxatives – which cause more frequent bowel movements – and osmotic laxatives – which draw water into the intestine to flush out contents more quickly.
Although laxatives may be recommended occasionally in some situations, such as to clear the bowels for screening tests or to help with constipation, using them for up to a week puts patients at risk for complications.
Laxatives are purchased without a prescription, with many pills costing less than 50 cents and their effect lasting from two to sixteen hours.
They have become so popular for weight loss that there was a shortage of them in 2023, with teenagers reportedly stocking up on the products.
A person who has very frequent bowel movements will initially lose a pound or two because digested food and water are quickly flushed from the body, but he does not lose weight through fat and the moment he drinks or has another meal, it becomes lost weight achieved. all found.
And if someone uses too many laxatives too often, he or she can become dependent on them and be unable to poop without them.
Laxatives differ from the way Ozempic causes weight loss, which is by mimicking hormones that reduce hunger and slow the movement of the intestines, helping people feel full longer.
While some may use laxatives to shed pounds cheaply and quickly, Dr. Sarkar wrote about possible risks The conversationwhich reveals the four dangers people should be aware of if they use laxatives too often:
Muscle cramps
Dr. Sarkar said laxatives can put a person at risk for muscle cramps caused by dehydration.
Laxatives Can Cause Muscle Cramps, Doctors Warn (Stock)
The human body is made up of 60 percent water and adults are advised to drink about 15 cups of water per day to maintain this level.
But when a person takes the over-the-counter medications, they cause the body to lose water quickly by speeding up the digestive system, causing it to suck water from the body.
If a person does not drink enough to compensate for the loss, this can cause dehydration.
This leads to cramps due to the lack of water, which reduces blood flow to the muscles, depriving them of the nutrients and oxygen needed to function properly.
To attack
The “flushing” of water from the body caused by laxatives can also increase the risk of seizures, doctors say.
Water in the body contains electrolytes, which are essential for several biological processes and communication between nerves.
But these are quickly lost with each bowel movement, increasing the risk of complications.
An electrolyte deficiency can lead to irregular heartbeat, confusion and even seizures.
Doctors from Decipher Your Health, a Canadian company that aims to educate the public about healthcare, warned of this serious complication.
In a video on Tiktok, an emergency medicine (EM) doctor said: ‘(Laxatives) can cause problems where you reduce certain electrolytes to such low levels that you risk seizures, dehydration and death.
‘All these short-lived benefits of seeing the change in scale with just a pound or two are just not worth it.
Seizures can occur due to a nutrient imbalance in the nerves, increasing the risk of ‘nervous irritability’ – or cells sending out abnormal electrical impulses that trigger a seizure.
The imbalance also increases the risk of other complications, including headaches, fatigue, nausea and numbness in the extremities.
Nutrient deficiencies
People who use laxatives are also at risk of shortages (stockpile)
Dr. Sarkar also warned that laxatives can cause nutrient deficiencies, including too few vitamins, carbohydrates and proteins in the body.
Foods provide hundreds of vitamins and minerals crucial to overall health and are normally absorbed through the small intestine.
But because laxatives increase the speed at which food moves through the intestines, there isn’t enough time for the body to fully absorb the nutrients, which can lead to deficiencies.
One study suggests that people who use laxatives absorb up to 12 percent fewer nutrients from their diet.
And 92 percent of Americans are already deficient in at least one nutrient.
Inadequate nutritional levels can lead to fatigue, hair loss, ulcers, poor vision, muscle wasting and stunted growth.
Diarrhea and stomach cramps
Laxatives increase the risk of numerous intestinal complications, including diarrhea and stomach cramps.
Some laxatives – such as stimulant laxatives – can irritate the lining of the gastrointestinal tract, leading to inflammation and diarrhea.
The over-the-counter medications cause more water to be flushed from the body into the intestine, which also increases the risk of diarrhea and stomach cramps.
Dr. Sarkar said, ‘The reason laxatives cause diarrhea is because they cause waste to be transported quickly through the intestine and water to be secreted into the intestine.
‘This, in turn, can also lead to an imbalance in mineral and salt levels in your body.’