As a nutritionist I read story upon story in the media about weight loss jabs with increasing horror. The ease of bypassing safety checks, selling them on to friends… But stories are not just confined to the media. I often hear through friends and clients alike to take themselves from normal/skinny to super-skinny/gaunt. (I went to a school reunion recently and could pick out at first glance the girls who had turned to the jabs from the hollowed cheeks and the slightly grey pallor). 

In this article I want to talk about what they are, what are the side effects, and how they have been showing up in my clinic. 

What are they?

There are three popular weight loss jabs at the moment:

• Wegovy and Ozempic are both semaglutides: they mimic the action of GLP-1, a hormone naturally released in the gut after eating to tell the brain that you are full, therefore suppressing appetite. As well as reducing hunger, it slows stomach emptying so that you feel physically fuller for longer. It also stimulates insulin release, keeping blood sugar levels low (this is why the medicines were developed: to help diabetic patients with poor blood sugar control). 
• The difference between Wegovy and ozempic is the dose: Wegovy is a higher dose, with more pronounced effects and potential side effects. 
• Mounjaro is slightly different: it has the same actions as semaglutides, with an added mechanism on stimulating insulin release. Studies show that Mounjaro is more effective in promoting weight loss compared to Ozempic. 

(Sources: go.drugbank.com)

Yes, they all quickly promote weight loss - a huge problem in this country, as excess weight significantly increases risk of diseases including heart disease and cancer. But is there such a thing as a quick fix? Weight loss jabs, zero calorie sweeteners… like the miracles of DDT and asbestos, they just seem too good to be true to me. We can’t outsmart millions of years of human biology with something invented less than 30 years ago. 

What are the risks?

Weight loss jabs are now so widespread it’s like it has been normalised. And it isn't just people within a significant risk category for weight getting help - as intended. Normal weighted people seem to be feeling insecure and taking the jabs to become skinnier. In the world of social media, what effect is this having on everybody else’s body image? Not to mention the teenagers and children of today. 

And no drug is without its side effects. The mental side effects of weight loss jabs are now becoming more spoken about. Research into the mental health effects of weight loss injections on mental health are still fairly limited to case reports, so it is hard to say how many people out of 100 on various drugs are likely to experience negative mental health effects. But bigger studies are emerging. 

One recently published study (June 2025) found that those on semaglutides (such as Wegovy and Ozempic) were nearly twice as likely to suffer depression, and 70% more likely to report suicidal thoughts or self-harm, compared to those on other weight loss injections. The number of cases reporting negative mental health outcomes are increasing especially in Europe and the US since semaglutides have been made available for weight loss rather than for its original target of treating diabetes (PMID: 40523410)

These studies are of course limited to those who decided to report their experiences of depression and suicidal thoughts: something that is perhaps even now often swept under the rug, making these reports a likely underestimate of what is really going on in weight loss injection users. 

And are patients warned of this by the drug companies? Not at all. Neither Wegovy, nor Ozempic, mention anything about side effects in mental health on their Patient Leaflets. 

What is very well known are the adverse gastrointestinal effects. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation, or abdominal pain are all listed as ‘very common’ (more than 1 in 10) on the side effects list. In one study, nearly 60% of people on weight loss jabs reported severe abdominal pain (PMID: 36578889).

The chances, therefore, of taking these drugs with zero side effects appear very slim. Nausea and vomiting to promote weight loss, even as a ‘very common’ side effect of a medicine, reminds me of my own teenage experience of bulimia in an attempt to be skinnier than I should have been. None of these side effects sound fun, and nor should they be normalised as just a part of the package, worth it to become skinnier.

And then there are concerns for what the drugs do for your health. There is limited data on micronutrient deficiencies or the long term effects on bone and muscle composition from taking the drugs.

Of the kilograms lost on semaglutides, some studies report that up to 40% of weight loss comes from burning muscle in obese patients (PMID: 38629387).

This could be even higher in people taking the drug who do not have so much fat to burn through (i.e., those in a normal BMI range). Muscle is the last thing that one wants to burn through, not least in women post menopause. 

And then bones: our bones are possibly our Achilles heel when it comes to longevity - we lose bone mass at 0.5% per year from our late 20s (and as much at 5% per year for women post menopause.) We do not know the long-term effects of weight loss jabs, but since they suppress appetite, and therefore nutrient intake in a potentially already depleted diet, my guess is it’s not good news for the potential micronutrient depletions they trigger. And this can have innumerable effects around the body beyond bones. 

Sadly, given the drugs are so new on the market (Novo Nordisk invented the semaglutide molecule in the 90s, first trialled it in humans in 2008, and it was only approved for use in diabetics in 2019 in the UK), we just don't have the evidence of long term use. (Does that remind anyone else of the OxyContin or Thalidamide fables?)

Whatever the long term effects after use, what we do have is consistent evidence that once stopping the drugs, significant weight gain is likely. (PMID: 35441470). This study showed participants regained two thirds of their prior weight loss after one year of withdrawal. Is this not just creating a delicious loop to hook people on and off jabs for the rest of their lives in order to stay in their target weight? One thing is clear to me: these drugs are a temporary plaster for a bigger problem (that being notoriously poor diet and lifestyle management in this country, where less than a third of people eat the minimum suggestion of 5 fruit and veg per day), while possibly creating more (new eating disorders, long term health issues, reliance on drugs). 

What about the other options?

Working with a professional on both mind and body to find a healthy solution!

Let me tell you a tale of two weight loss journeys… Sarah* came to me back in January. She didn’t tell me until much later on in our journey that she was deciding between signing up for a programme with me, and taking Ozempic. Fast forward 4 months, and Sarah had lost 10kg in a steady and measured way. We worked proper nutrition into her diet, focused on meals and she never went hungry. We also worked on the negative self beliefs that Sarah had, such as “I’ll never lose weight unless I go to the gym 5 times a week and train really hard”. Sarah says she feels 10 years younger. Her skin is glowing, her smile is radiant, and she feels at peace with herself and in love with her body.

Sarah's* friend, Jeanette* meanwhile started taking the jab in January. She didn’t go hungry either, because the jab suppresses appetite. She has lost weight, not that she was much overweight to begin with. Her face is pallid, her cheeks have sunk in, and she looks and feels older and slower. She has now come to me having seen the improvements in her friend, and we are working to restore nutrients as well as her connection to self, and develop healthy new eating patterns.

Another client of mine took an Ozempic course 2 years ago. She lost weight, and immediately piled it back on. Since working with me, she has steadily lost 9kg in a 3 month programme and says that she is feeling more confident and in love with her body than ever. She also feels positive that she now has the tools she needs to continue living a healthy life. She still wants to lose a bit more weight, and that is okay. She doesn’t need to rely on an external source (either me, or the drug) to do that.

The jabs might seem a quick fix but what about the long term? Not enough is known and we need to be really considerate about what we are putting in our bodies, whether that is food, medicine or weightloss drugs, where healthy ageing is the goal. 

Disclaimer: if you have been prescribed any medicines by your doctor, do not alter usage without first speaking with your doctor. None of the information in this article is a substitute for medical advice. 

Helena is a Nutritional Therapist and Functional Medicine Practitioner who runs her own practice, Nourish&Be. With a background in biochemistry, nutrition, catering, and yoga, she is passionate about creating holistic programmes for her clients that focus on physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. She works with extensive cutting edge blood testing technology to create highly personalised interventions in clients.