Ozempic changed my life – I have lost 33kg and will always support it, Dublin mum says

OZEMPIC has recently made headlines after people criticized celebrities for using the type-two diabetes drug for weight loss.

But a woman from Dublin has told how Ozympic has changed her life, urging people not to be too harsh on those who rely on the drug to lose weight.

Ashley O’Driscoll, 36, lives in Dun Laoghaire in Dublin and started her weight loss journey on June 27, 2022.

At first she weighed 134kg (22 stone) and at only 5’11” was too big for someone. [her] height”

Her weight began to take a toll on her mental and physical health, preventing her from going out with family and friends.

Ozympic was recently approved for weight loss, and Ashley decided to try it, gradually increasing the dose.

Ozempic is a once-weekly injection that lowers your blood sugar and makes your stomach feel fuller – making you feel fuller for longer.

Having tried several times to lose weight since 2009, it was Ashley’s last resort before opting for surgery.

Now, nine months later, Ashley is down to 101kg (15.9 stone) and has lost a total of 33kg (5 stone) since last June.

She told the Irish Sun: “It’s completely changed my life, I’m a different person physically and mentally.

“I’m now half the size I was this time last year – it’s a miracle to be honest.”

Talking about the side effects, she said, “Initially I had a few things like headaches and nausea but that was it.

The benefits outweighed the side effects by a million, so I quickly quit.

“Once you get past the initial nausea and headache, your life will change.”

Ozimpik explained that it wasn’t the only thing that helped her: “You have to be in a calorie deficit, you have to walk and get your steps in.”

Speaking about the controversy surrounding the drug’s use for weight loss, she said: “There is a lot of controversy surrounding it because it’s hard to find a reason why so many people use it for weight loss.

“What people need to understand is that obesity, especially morbid obesity, is a disease as well as diabetes, and it’s an underdiagnosed disease.

“Putting something on the market to help people, it shouldn’t be any different than someone with diabetes or another health condition.

I will never stop supporting him because he has changed my life, but there is also a lot of hard work behind the scenes.

Ashley posted her weight loss journey on TikTok where she completed challenges of hitting 20,000 steps a day.

You all have type 2 diabetes [who are saying] “We can’t find it now because everyone uses it for weight loss” – people need to see it, ok because of that it’s hard to find but it’s helping people who are trying to lose weight. To do it in other ways.

“For me, this was the last resort before weight loss surgery.

“Weight loss surgery is a life-changing decision, not only is it very expensive, but you go under general anesthesia to have half your stomach pretty much stitched up or taken out.

“With Ozympic, your body doesn’t change because your stomach isn’t shrinking and it’s all about different eating habits.”

She continued: “It’s not something I say to people who have the controversy and hate people in the weight loss community, because we have a disease and we need help just as much as you need help – whatever. We need this to improve our lives on a different level – obesity is a silent killer.

“I have a 14-year-old daughter, she’s 14 next month, and if I hadn’t done this when I did, I don’t know how long I would have lived to see her grow up.”

In conclusion, “Olympic and losing weight has given me back my confidence and made me feel positive.

“If I can do this, anyone can.”