Jackie Goldschneider has blasted the controversial new diet drug Ozempic as ‘an eating disorder in a needle.’
The Real Housewives Of New Jersey star, 46, who last year revealed she had been secretly battling anorexia for 18 years, slammed the medication in the comments section of a People Instagram post describing the side effects of the drug.
Known by the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, the medication semaglutide has been hailed as a major breakthrough, helping people who take it shed almost a fifth of their weight. It works by suppressing the appetite, with users saying they crave less and sometimes forget to eat.
Slam: Jackie Goldschneider has blasted the controversial new diet drug Ozempic as ‘an eating disorder in a needle’
In February, NHS spending watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) approved the weekly jab for obese patients with a weight-related illness, such as type 2 diabetes, or at high risk of a heart attack, as slimming down can help protect against these problems. The drug is taken via an easy-to-use self-injection pen.
Predictably, Hollywood has been aware of Ozempic for a lot longer than us – Variety magazine recently quipped that the drug deserved its own thank-you speech at the Emmys, as so many stars on the podium had obviously been taking it.
Elon Musk raved about its more powerful sister drug, Wegovy, on Twitter; Kim Kardashian, it is hotly rumoured, used semaglutide to lose 16lb in order to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s dress for the Met Ball. On TikTok the hashtag #ozempic has had more than 285 million views.
Last year it was revealed that a TikTok-fuelled stampede for the pioneering obesity drug had led to a global shortage, leaving desperate patients with serious health problems such as type 2 diabetes without vital treatment.
The drug went viral on TikTok over summer as a boon for those looking to slim down, and unfounded allegations that stars like the Kardashian family was using them for weight loss began to rise.
Not mincing her words: Goldschneider didn’t hold back as she weighed in on the controversial product
Bravolebrity: Goldschneider is of The Real Housewives Of New Jersey fame
Glamour reports that Google searches for the drug boomed after Kim shared that she had dropped her body fat percentage from 25 to 18, though she never confirmed use of the drug.
Although semaglutide is licensed for use only in people with obesity suffering health problems, specialists can legally offer it to anyone they feel might benefit – this is known as ‘off-label’ use. It has allowed doctors to prescribe semaglutide to high-risk patients as a preventative measure, rather than wait for them to develop an illness.
Jackie went pubic with her battle with anorexia last year, revealing that she has finally begun her ‘recovery’ from the eating disorder that ‘took over her mind, her body, and her life.’
’18 years of dangerous habits’: Jackie went pubic with her battle with anorexia last year, revealing that she has finally begun her ‘recovery’ from the eating disorder that ‘took over her mind, her body, and her life’
The lawyer revealed in a lengthy Instagram post last year that she had secretly been battling an eating disorder for nearly two decades, explaining that the most recent episode of her Bravo reality show ‘marked the beginning of her recovery’.
Sharing a throwback image of herself and her husband Evan, Jackie wrote: ’18 years of dangerous habits, secretive behaviors and obsessive eating and exercise patterns that I was terrified to let go of, because I wrapped so much of my identity around being thin.
‘I was ashamed of my behavior around food and scared that people wouldn’t understand why or how I could do this to myself. I also didn’t know how to get help, as a middle aged woman with 4 young children.’
Jackie described wanting to ‘desperately’ find someone to look up to who had overcome the same struggles she was facing during her ‘darkest days’.
After recovering, Jackie decided to become that role model she so badly wanted for other people going through the some journey she went through.
‘Having these conversations on camera was terrifying at times and heartbreaking to watch back, but I am so thankful that I’m finally on this road and I’m grateful to Bravo for allowing me to break my silence so publicly, so that people know there is no shame in having an eating disorder or in asking for help, and that help is available for anyone at any stage of life.’