The miraculous weight-loss jab that has just been approved for use by the NHS has been hailed by celebrities as a panacea.
Wegovy, which contains the powerful drug semaglutide, helps users lose weight by hijacking the brain to suppress appetite and reduce calorie intake.
As word spread about the jab’s “miraculous” weight-loss effects, demand has skyrocketed, leading to global shortages.
But does the jab, described as one of the “most powerful pharmaceuticals yet,” actually work?
MailOnline looks at three people who’ve been prescribed semaglutide, and they all swear by it.
Danielle Breckenridge (before weight loss photo, left and after, right) says she also lost more than 2nd after taking semaglutide injections
Danielle Breckenridge, Dublin
A mother in her thirties lost 2nd (28 lbs/12.7 kg) and was able to resist feasting after taking semaglutide.
Danielle Breckenridge, an office clerk, weighed 13th (182 lbs/82 kg) after the birth of her daughter – and had a BMI of 35, which classified her as “obese.”
Ms. Breckenridge said she gained 4th (56 lbs/25 kg) during pregnancy after developing gestational diabetes.
Mrs Breckenridge of Stevenage, Hertfordshire, had assumed she would lose the extra weight after giving birth.
But she struggled to get rid of it and a year later tests showed she had borderline diabetes, which came as a “huge shock.”
Her doctor recommended she go to Slimming World, but Ms Breckenridge said she “needed something more effective.”
After researching options online, she signed up for a four-week course of Saxenda — a weight-loss injection similar to Wegovy, but to be taken daily.
After this course, she switched to one month of Ozempic – which contains a lower dose of semaglutide than Wegovy and is aimed at patients with type 2 diabetes.
Mrs. Breckenbridge told The Telegraph in 2021: ‘I was a little nauseous (after the shots) but I just wasn’t hungry anymore and wasn’t even tempted for party meals, my usual weak spot.’
She said she switched to Ozempic because it required a weekly instead of a daily injection, admitting that she often forgot to take it every day.
Ciara Lawless, from Dublin, lost 2nd (28 lbs/12.7 kg) in May 2020 after receiving semaglutide injections when she weighed about 12 and a half stone. She said she maintained her weight after coming off the jab with a healthy diet and a weekly treat, but has since used the jab “for help” when she “needs it”
Alex Guevara, 47, (pictured) is a paramedic from Milton Keynes. He has three children and lives with his wife Christina, 29. He said: ‘When a friend told me about semaglutide, I felt like I had nothing to lose. I went to a private clinic and paid £250 a month for six months’
Ciara Lawless, Dublin
Ciara Lawless also lost 2nd (28 lbs/12.7 kg) after getting the Ozempic Weight Loss Injection.
The Dublin saleswoman told The Telegraph she signed up for the jab after seeing it on Instagram.
At that time she was 12.5th (79 kg).
After getting the injections in May 2020, she said, “All the diets I was on never seemed to work.
“I feel so much better about myself now and my confidence is so much higher.
“I’ve maintained my weight by eating clean and eating treats every week, but it’s nice to be able to come back for help if I need it.”
Alex Guevara, 47, Milton Keynes
Alex Guevara, 47, a paramedic from Milton Keynes, started gaining weight in 2021 after a serious lung infection confined him to his home for months.
The father of three says he always struggled with his weight because he had a sweet tooth.
He said his deteriorating health made him so miserable that all he could do was eat, so he started packing on the pounds.
In April last year, Mr. Guevara weighed almost 20 kilos, at just 5ft 11in tall.
He said his joints were painful and he had developed sleep apnea – in which the walls of the throat relax and narrow during sleep, interrupting normal breathing.
“I had no willpower,” he said. “I’d have three bowls of cereal and toast for breakfast.
“Meanwhile, I was on a barrage of medications for depression and asthma. I even felt suicidal.’
After a friend told Mr Guevara about semaglutide, he felt he had nothing to lose, so he went to a private clinic and paid £250 a month for six months.
He added, “Within a few days of starting the drug, I was no longer hungry.
“There were some side effects, such as nausea, constipation and diarrhea. But my sleep apnea went away and I felt so much happier.”
In December last year, Mr. Guevara started to come off the medication and had gotten into the habit of exercising and eating healthy. He is now back in 15th place and hopes to lose more.
Mr Guevara said: ‘Some people may see semaglutide as lazy or a quick fix.
“But I needed something dramatic to break the cycle and avoid hurtling to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke.”
“Semaglutide should be available to anyone who needs it.”