Vomiting
Both Stephen Fry and Boris Johnson have admitted to vomiting while trying to shed weight with the jabs.
The 66-year-old QI presenter admitted he was an “early adopter” of the jab and used Ozempic to curb all his food and alcohol cravings.
But he had to stop the injections after becoming violently ill and throwing up.
“I was throwing up four, five times a day and I thought, ‘I can’t do this.’ So that’s it,” the TV star recently admitted.
“The new variant Tirzepatide Mounjaro it’s called makes it even worse apparently,” the Mirror reports.
Boris Johnson admitted to experiencing similar side effects which ultimately also made him ditch the jabs.
“Effortlessly, I pushed aside the puddings and the second helpings. I must have been losing four or five pounds a week – maybe more,” he wrote in the Daily Mail.
However, it wasn’t long until Boris started to “dread” the injections because they were making him feel unwell.
“One minute I would be fine, and the next minute I would be talking to Ralph on the big white phone; and I am afraid that I decided that I couldn’t go on,” he explained.
For now, he is “back to exercise and willpower”.
NASTY SIDE EFFECTS CELEBS WON’T ADMIT
Trout pout
One thing that’s noticeable with people taking the jabs is that features such as their lips can appear more pronounced.
Dr Ed Robinson, who owns his own aesthetic clinic, says: “Ozempic does not increase the size of your lips. However, if you are someone who has had lip filler in the past, if your face gets smaller it will then by contrast make your lips look very overfilled.
“This can disharmonise your face. In those cases, I suggest that patients have their lip filler dissolved as it no longer looks natural on their face.”
Ozempic butt
The term ‘Ozempic butt’ has been circulating online in recent months as fat loss jabs have become more mainstream.
It refers to the butt losing fat at a quick rate – resulting in flat cheeks and sagging skin.
Dr Robinson adds: “Like in the face, a significant amount of our buttocks are made up of fat. Rapid weight loss (as can happen in the face) results in reduction in fat, which can cause tissues to sag.
“This effect is enhanced with age as proteins like collagen and elastin are lost in the skin meaning when the weight is lost, the skin does not have the elasticity to return to its pre-weight gain state.”
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases.
Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK.
Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market.
Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.
They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients’ sugar levels are too high.
Can I get them?
NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics.
Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.
GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss.
Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.
Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health.
Are there any risks?
Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild.
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, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients’ mental health.
Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.
Sunken eyes
Yet another side effect from the fat-busting jabs is sunken under eyes.
This is largely due to the rapid fat loss in that area which can dissolve the fat pads below the eyes giving a more youthful appearance.
Dr Ed Robinson explains: “If you use Ozempic, and you experience rapid weight loss, this process is accelerated. If you are a peri-menopausal or menopausal woman, you are also losing hormones (oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone) which are very important in terms of maintaining these fat pads.
“When you add Ozempic to the mix, it quite dramatically accelerates these cosmetic changes (explaining the sunken eyes).”
Ozempic neck
Dr Robinson says one of the negatives to losing weight quickly is getting a ‘saggy neck’.
“Fat is very important for maintaining the youth in your skin and the fat pads, which are tightly packed in your face, split apart as you get older and then some increase in size and they move down the face with gravity,” says Dr Robinson.
“They flop over various ligaments, increasing the signs of ageing.
“Medications which alter fat balance in the neck causes this increase of sagging which is now known as Ozempic Neck.”
Hair loss
While hair loss itself is not considered a side effect of taking fat loss jabs like Ozempic, it can be caused by significant and quick weight loss of any kind.
Rapid weight loss of any kind can lead to telogen effluvium, excessive hair shedding, which can be caused by stress on the body and any quick changes to the body such as weight loss or even childbirth.
Trichologist Deborah Maguire explains: “When the body experiences a calorie deficit, it reallocates nutrients to sustain essential organs, often leaving hair follicles deprived.
“Weight loss medications like Ozempic that suppress the appetite, mean individuals may not consume enough of the key nutrients required to support healthy hair growth.
“Hair growth relies on a steady supply of vitamins and minerals. When your intake drops significantly or becomes unbalanced, hair follicles can enter a resting phase, leading to excessive shedding.”
Bulldog cheeks
One of the key signs of the fat loss jabs is sagging cheeks due to the loss of fat, also known as ‘bulldog cheeks’.
Dr Robinson says: “When the fat pads drop down your face, this can cause jowls to develop in the lower part of your face.
“Losing fat lessens the mid-face support from fat pads which gives this sagging, bulldog-like appearance.”
