Stephen Fry reveals ‘astonishing’ 5st weight loss after using fat jab Ozempic – but he was left vomiting ‘5 times a day’
STEPHEN Fry’s ‘astonishing’ weight loss from diabetes jab Ozempic came at a steep price, as the actor revealed it left him vomiting multiple times a day.
An ‘early adopter’ of the miracle jab that can make users shed weight by dulling food cravings, the 66-year-old said he was initially amazed by the results.
But Stephen soon had to stop taking the injections, as they left him feeling unwell and being violently sick.
Speaking to the Mirror, he recalled thinking: “I can’t do this.”
Ozempic is a once-weekly injection that’s prescribed to manage type 2 diabetes.
After it was observed that people taking it also lost weight and had fewer food cravings, the jab’s manufacturer Novo Nordisk rolled out drugs specifically geared towards weight loss, named Wegovy.
Limited supplies of the fat jab were first made available in the UK in September 2023.
Stephen tried said he tried Ozempic ‘years ago’ when he happened to be in the US.
He told the Mirror: “I’d read about it, and I asked my doctor in America, and he said, ‘I think I can get you some.’
“He tried me on it, and the first week or so, I was thinking, ‘This is astonishing. Not only do I not want to eat, I don’t want any alcohol of any kind. This is going to be brilliant.'”
But the actor’s euphoria was short-lived, as he began experiencing grim side effects.
“Then I started feeling sick, and I started getting sicker and sicker and sicker.
“I was literally throwing up four, five times a day and I thought, ‘I can’t do this.’ So that’s it.”
Both Ozempic and Wegovy use the active ingredient semaglutide.
It works by mimicking a naturally occurring hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 that’s usually released after eating, leading to a reduced appetite and reduced food cravings.
According to Novo Nordisk, common side effects from diabetes drug Ozempic include nausea and vomiting, as well as stomach pain, diarrhoea and constipation.
It advised that you speak to a doctor about side effects, especially if they’re bothersome and don’t go away.
Studies have found that the trendy fat jabs could put users at higher risk of conditions like of pancreatitis, bowel obstruction and stomach paralysis, even if they were previously healthy.
Meanwhile, a 34-year-old woman revealed she’d experienced “scary” heart palpitations from taking Ozempic.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast in 2019, Stephen said he’d gone on a health kick after his battle with prostate cancer.
At the time, the actor attributed his 5st weight loss and trimmer figure to “lots of walking”.
He’s not the only celeb to speak openly about his experiences with Ozempic.
Celebrity Big Brother star Sharon Stone revealed felt she was “too skinny” after turning to Ozempic weight-loss injections and ditched the jabs.
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
What you should know about Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda and Mounjaro
Weight loss jabs are a hot media topic at the moment, with hundreds of success stories sharing how they helped them shed the pounds.
In March 2023, the NHS announced it would make Wegovy, a drug made by Danish firm Novo Nordisk, available on prescription to thousands of obese Brits.
It contains the drug semaglutide, which is said to have helped reality star Kim Kardashian and Twitter boss Elon Musk lose weight.
Wegovy, which helped a third of people reduce their weight by 20 per cent in trials, is now available from pharmacies like Boots.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less calories and therefore lose weight.
To do this, an ingredient found in the fat-busting drug, known as Semaglutide, mimics the role of a natural hormone, called GLP-1.
GLP-1 is part of the signalling pathway that tells your body you have eaten, and prepares it to use the energy that comes from your food.
London GP and founder of wellgoodwellbeing.com, Dr Zoe Watson, said: “Your body naturally produces an appetite regulating hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1.
“These jabs work by regulating your appetite, which can lead to eating fewer calories and losing weight.”
Aren’t they diabetes drugs?
Semaglutide, the active drug in Wegovy, was originally sold under the name Ozempic specifically for diabetes patients.
But they started noticing it helped suppress their appetites, stopping them eating as much and helping them shed the pounds.
So Novo Nordisk developed Wegovy, which contains the same chemical but at higher doses specifically to aid weight loss.
Wegovy is not prescribed for diabetes patients.
Can I get them?
Wegovy is offered on prescription to obese adults given specialist weight loss treatment.
The NHS currently also offers a similar drug called Saxenda, or liraglutide.
Both are only available on Tier 3 and Tier 4 weight management services, which means you have to be referred to weight management clinics led by experts.
GPs can’t prescribe them on their own either, Dr Watson said.
The jabs have to be taken as part of an overall programme to help with lifestyle changes and psychological support to get the best effect from the medication prescribed.
But despite being approved for use, supply of Wegovy on the NHS has been postponed indefinitely because of a surge in worldwide demand.
Supply was also halved in the US because of the skyrocketing demand.
Are there any risks?
Like all medicines, the jabs do not come without side effects.
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, thyroid tumours, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
What other options are there?
Mounjaro (brand name for tirzepatide) also came onto the market in early 2024.
Like Wegovy, tirzepatide stems from a drug originally designed to treat diabetes.
The weekly injection helped overweight people drop more than two stone in 18 months.
It is available with to order with a prescription online from pharmacies including Superdrug and LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor.
It works in a similar way to Wegovy and Saxenda, but is more effective.
Dr Mitra Dutt from LloydsPharmacy says: “Based on clinical trials, 96 per cent of people were able to lose more than five per cent of their body fat using Mounjaro. In similar trials, 84 per cent of people lost more than five per cent of their body weight on Wegovy, and 60 per cent on Saxenda.
“Mounjaro works by activating two hormonal receptors (GIP and GLP-1), which enhance insulin production, improve insulin sensitivity, and work to decrease food intake.”