Rob Lowe explains why he’s ‘concerned’ about Ozempic

Rob Lowe has candidly expressed his concern about drugs that are being used for weight loss, such as diabetes medication Ozempic.

The 59-year-old actor shared his thoughts about the injectable medication, which is typically used to treat type 2 diabetes, during an interview with People, published on 19 February. While Ozempic, which works by mimicking a hormone that regulates appetite by creating the feeling of fullness, has increased in popularity as a weight-loss method, there are also new GLP-1 drugs, like Wegovy and Mounjaro, that have been used to help people lose weight.

Speaking to People, Lowe noted that while there have been positive outcomes of taking Ozempic for some people, he does have one big concern about the long-term effects of the medication.

“I see people who are taking all the new weight loss drugs and that’s great, and it’s really changed their lives. But my concern always is, okay, now what?” he said. “What’s the plan for the longevity of everything?”

He added: “I never ever talk about diets, I talk about lifestyle.”

The 9-1-1: Lone Star actor went on to open up about his lifestyle, revealing that his daily habits consist of eating certain foods in moderation. He also specified that over the years, he realised that cutting certain sweets out entirely wasn’t the best way to go for him.

“I’m trying to be even more disciplined now as I’m older just because as you get older, you need to watch what you eat even more than when you were younger,” he explained. “So I tried to cut sugar completely as my new year’s resolution. And now I’m figuring, okay, that’s not sustainable for me, but how do I really watch my sugar consumption?”

Lowe isn’t the only celebrity to recently share their thoughts about weight loss drugs. Earlier this month, Kelly Osbourne sparked backlash for saying that she thought Ozempic is “amazing” and for hitting out at people who criticise others for using the once-weekly semaglutide injection. Her comments came months after she confessed that she’d begun taking Ozempic to “lose all [her] baby weight”, after welcoming her first child with Slipknot musician Sid Wilson in late 2022.

“I think it’s amazing,” Osbourne told E! News on 15 February. “There are a million ways to lose weight, why not do it through something that isn’t as boring as working out?”

Although some health experts have pushed back against people taking Ozempic for its off-label weight loss side effects, Osbourne claimed that those who scrutinise the drug simply “can’t afford it”.

“People hate on it because they want to do it,” the Osbournes alum said. “And the people who hate on it the most are the people who are secretly doing it, or pissed off that they can’t afford it. Unfortunately, right now it’s something that is very expensive but it eventually won’t be because it actually works.”

After Osbourne’s comments went viral, many people on X, formerly known as Twitter, pointed out that ever since Ozempic has risen in popularity, it’s created a global shortage of the drug needed for people with Type 2 diabetes. It’s been rumoured that many celebrities have used the diabetes medication as a quick fix for losing weight, with the price of Ozempic as high as $1,500 per month.

In January, fitness trainer Jillian Michaels also opened up about the “concerning” news regarding the increase of people announcing that they are taking the drug normally used to treat type 2 diabetes.

“With anything medical, whether we’re talking about a vaccine or antibiotics, there’s always side effects,” she explained to E! News, listing the potential downsides. “So let’s start out with the side effects that are on the f***ing website: We’ve got thyroid tumours, gallbladder problems, pancreatitis, kidney issues, vision loss, stomach problems now including stomach paralysis. There’s a class action lawsuit for stomach paralysis.”

Semaglutide injections such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are known to have many side effects. According to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the most common side effects of taking Wegovy include nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal pain, headache, fatigue, indigestion, dizziness, and digestive disorders.