Kamloops resident Brandie Bugg takes a selfie after losing weight using Ozempic.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Brandie Bugg

Just a couple of years ago, Kamloops mom Brandie Bugg was so overweight she couldn’t walk for more than 20 minutes and had to ask for help putting her shoes on.

“I couldn’t get my socks on, I couldn’t get my shoes on and I had to rest when I was shopping,” she said. “It was humiliating having to ask for help. I’d get frustrated and my heart rate would go up.” 

Today Bugg is roughly 100 pounds lighter thanks to the drug Ozempic that is primarily used to treat Type 2 diabetes. The drug comes with a hefty price tag, has uncomfortable side effects, and is considered taboo by some.

Bugg said Ozempic saved her life and the cost was worth the benefits.

“Maybe it isn’t for everybody, but it works for me,” she said. “This has saved my life, and given me a brand new outlook with fewer health problems.”

In 2023, Bugg went to her doctor, who prescribed her the drug due to her weight-related health risks, and after 15 months using it, she was down 130 pounds.

She took a break from the drug for a year and regained 60 pounds. Five weeks ago, she started taking the drug again and is down 35 pounds.

Ozempic is a brand of injectable drug with the active ingredient semaglutide that helps the pancreas release the right amount of insulin when blood sugars are high, according to the BC government.

A side effect is weight loss, and the drug began gaining attention on social media as a weight-loss medication in 2022.

In early 2023, the province enacted a regulation to ensure there was enough supply for diabetes patients by putting conditions on the sale of the drug by pharmacists, and preventing mail-order sales to people who don’t live in Canada.

This was in response to the discovery the semaglutide drugs were being dispensed in vast amounts by internet pharmacies in BC to American residents. While there are demand driven shortages in various jurisdictions in the United States, there is no shortage in BC.

Bugg said the use of Ozempic is still taboo today.

“When people ask how I lost the weight and I tell them, some are happy and congratulate me, but others say I’m cheating to lose the weight or that I’m taking away medicine from diabetics, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,” she said. “Not all diabetics take this, some can’t handle it and there are other drug options to choose from.”

The drug works by minimizing food cravings and slowing down the digestive tract to make the user feel fuller longer, but it comes with unpleasant side effects, primarily nausea.

“You can’t eat as much because if you overeat, you’ll get sick, so it helps you have less calorie intake,” she said. “It stops the food cravings. For the first week back on Ozempic every time I looked at food, I didn’t want it. Since taking it, I haven’t wanted to drink (alcohol) anymore, I believe it does something in the brain to make you stop over consuming.”

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Another common side effect for some users is constipation.

“You have make sure you’re taking your fibre and drinking lots of water,” Bugg said. “People can develop a paralyzed stomach and can’t go, so you have to be aware and smart about it to keep everything moving.”

Bugg said after getting accustomed to the drug, the symptoms subsided as she learned what quantities of food to eat and when.

BC PharmaCare provides coverage for Ozempic as a second-line therapy for Type 2 diabetes to help patients manage blood-sugar levels when a drug called metformin is not effective.

For people like Bugg, who are using it for weight loss purposes, it comes with a hefty price tag. 

“Unfortunately, I have to pay $250 every four weeks because I don’t have a diabetes diagnosis, but honestly, it’s worth it," she said.

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Bugg’s goal is to get down to 190 pounds in order to safely have an operation on her umbilical hernia which comes with risks if left untreated. She is not bothered by others who disagree with her weight loss technique.

“Being overweight is hard on your health,” she said. “I’ve always struggled with my weight, and tried every single kind of diet and this seems to be a fit for me. I’m having success with Ozempic. I don’t want to change what's working.”

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