All too often celebrities will tell a white lie when asked the secret to their new figure after drastic weight loss, but Amy Schumer is the exception.
The comedian has opened up about her use of Ozempic, and crucially, why she stopped taking it.
She isn't the first celebrity to own up to using the semaglutide drug, which was originally created to help treat type 2 diabetes and is not licensed to be sued for weight management.
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However, it has been adopted by many as a weight loss tool due to the fact it can reduce your appetite, but despite success on the medication, Amy had to stop taking it.
She opened up about her experience with Ozempic when she appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.
“I was one of those people that felt so sick and couldn’t play with my son,” Schumer revealed.
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“I was so skinny and he’s throwing a ball at me and [I couldn’t].”
It's worth noting that the drug hasn't been approved by the FDA for weight loss purposes, and according to the official website it can have many side effects.
They are listed as nausea, stomach pain, constipation, diarrhoea and vomiting.
Schumer confessed she felt ‘immediately invested’ in the drug, but said she soon came to realise that taking it wasn't 'liveable' for her.
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Earlier this year, Schumer also appeared on The Howard Stern Show on January 29 where she elaborated about her experiences with side effects.
“I have this gene, GDF15, which makes you extremely prone to nausea, which is why I was so sick during my pregnancy,” she told the host.
“So, I tried Ozempic almost three years ago and I was like, bedridden. I was like, vomiting — and then you have no energy. But other people take it and they’re all good. God bless them.”
Amy even went on to say that the drugs are 'red flags' with the promises they are offering people.
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“You’re like, ‘Wait a minute. Can we slow down?’ The side effects are you have a better personality,” she said.
"I lost 30 pounds so quick. I looked great and I couldn't lift my head off the pillow, so what's the point?"
She opened up again about the impact it had on parenting her son.
“I tried it and I was vomiting and I’m in bed and my son’s like, ‘Can you play tag?’ I’m like, ‘I can’t.’ I was shrivelling.”
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The star also challenged other celebrities for not being upfront about their choices, telling them they should stop lying to fans and the press.
Amy has always prided herself on honesty, calling back to her surgery in January 2022.
“When I got lipo, I was like, I got lipo,” she said.
“Everyone’s like: ‘Smaller portions,’” she joked.
“Shut the f*** up. You’re on Ozempic, or one of those things.”
She added: "Just stop. Just be real with the people.”
In March, Amy shared an Instagram video revealing she had started taking medication for the perimenopause and had also started taking Mounjaro, a similar drug to Ozempic.
She shared she was prescribed oestrogen and progesterone, and she explained how she is feeling: "My symptoms of being in perimenopause have disappeared. My hair is fuller, my skin is better, I have more energy. I want to get down more, if you know what I mean — I’m talking about sex.
“So, yeah, that's been great. Mounjaro's been great...I'm having a really good experience, so I wanted to keep it real with you about that.”
A Novo Nordisk spokesperson told Tyla: "Patient safety is of the utmost importance to Novo Nordisk. We recommend patients take these prescription-only medications for their approved indications and under the supervision of a healthcare professional.
"Use of GLP-1 medicines such as Ozempic® (semaglutide injection) and Wegovy®▼ (semaglutide injection) may be associated with gastrointestinal (GI) side effects. In the phase 3a clinical trials with Wegovy® for weight management, GI side effects (such as nausea, vomiting, constipation and diarrhoea) were among the most frequently reported during dose escalation, most were mild to moderate in severity and resolved without permanent treatment discontinuation.
"We continuously collect safety data on our marketed medicines and work closely with the authorities to ensure patient safety. We recommend that any patients experiencing side effects while taking GLP-1 medicines report them to their healthcare provider and via the MHRA Yellow Card scheme: https://yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/."
Jen Thomas