I moved a stone of baby’s weight on Ozempic – but then I stopped and the results were devastating

Artemis Bayandor was initially thrilled with the weight loss success she achieved with the blockbuster Wegovy vaccine.

The 41-year-old lost just over a stone (around 7kg) of her stubborn baby weight in six months in 2021.

But, forced to abandon vaccines in April 2022 after a price increase, the Illinois flight attendant said she not only ended up regaining the weight she lost, but she had become heavier than at the beginning.

Within 18 months she had gained two stone and was 16lbs heavier than before she started injecting.

Ms Bayandor said her appetite became “insatiable” when she stopped taking the drug, leading her to snack constantly and take larger portions at dinner.

“As soon as I stop eating it, I realize, ‘Oh no, this little portion is not enough. I need more. I’m still hungry,” she said.

And she’s not alone. Experts recently pointed out that the majority of people who stopped weight loss programs like Wegovy, which contains the same ingredient as Ozempic, regained two-thirds of the weight they lost within a year.

TikTok star Remi Bader experienced a similar phenomenon, saying she gained back “double the weight” she lost while taking Ozempic.

Artemis Bayandor, 41, of Illinois, says she now (right) weighs about 20 pounds more than before using Wegovy (left), which contains the same ingredient as Ozempic. She lost 15 pounds over six months on treatment, but quickly gained all the weight back and then some.

Bader, who previously sought treatment for binge eating disorder, also detailed how his binges worsened after he stopped taking the medication.

Another celebrity who has failed to lose weight on the drug is comedian and actor Tracy Morgan, who revealed earlier this year that he had “run out” of Ozempic and gained 40 pounds (18 kg). by taking it.

Many patients, as experts point out, have also reported regaining some of the weight they lost.

One of them is Meredith Schorr, a nurse in Arizona. The 25-year-old had gained three and a half stone during the Covid pandemic.

She turned to the use of semaglutide after diet and exercise failed and lost the pandemic weight she had gained in 11 months.

However, after stopping taking medication to try for a baby, she found she had gained back almost a stone of the weight she had lost.

Sam Tejada, 36, from Florida, told MailOnline he lost just over four stone using semgalutide and tirzepatide, the active ingredient in the Mounjaro weight loss vaccine last year.

Mr Tejada, who works in the wellness industry, dropped to just under 13 stone while taking medication.

TikTok star Remi Bader experienced a similar phenomenon, saying she gained back “double the weight” she lost while taking Ozempic. She’s pictured here at the premiere of “Wicked” in Los Angeles earlier this month.

But less than a month after quitting, he noticed his weight starting to creep back up.

However, he said he was able to maintain his weight by increasing his exercise regime.

Many studies, including the original trials that led to the drug’s approval in the United States and the United Kingdom, have shown that patients regain the weight they lost if they stop taking the drug.

This has raised concerns that patients will have to take the drugs for life in order not to lose weight.

Experts also noted that people who stopped taking these medications had various indicators of poorer health, including higher blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as an increased risk of heart disease.

All major vaccines currently on the market work by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1 that makes people feel full, reducing their appetite and thus helping with weight loss.

Although it is primarily a weight loss drug, studies suggest that vaccines also have a range of other benefits, including reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke. And kidney diseases, and even recently certain cancers.

However, the injections have also been associated with a host of side effects that vary in frequency and severity.

Meredith Schorr, 25, of Arizona, said she lost 50 pounds while taking semaglutide — the drug used in both Ozempic and Wegovy — for 11 months (left before and just after ). She gained 10 pounds back but said she was able to keep the majority of her weight off.

Sam Tejada, 36, from Florida, lost 60 pounds after taking Ozempic and then Mounjaro. He gained a few pounds back after stopping medication, but says a change in his daily life – now incorporating more exercise – has helped him maintain his weight.

Experts recently pointed out that the majority of people who stopped weight loss programs like Wegovy, which contains the same ingredient as Ozempic, regained two-thirds of the weight they lost.

Reported problems include nausea, constipation, diarrhea, fatigue, stomach pain, headaches and dizziness.

Bizarre symptoms, such as hair loss, have also been reported in some patients.

Much more serious problems, such as kidney damage, a dangerous inflammation of the pancreas called pancreatitis, and stomach paralysis, have also been reported.

Earlier this month, the first official death linked to a weight loss vaccine was recorded in the UK.

Susan McGowan, 58, a nurse from Lanarkshire, died in September from multiple organ failure, septic shock and pancreatitis after receiving two low-dose injections of tirzepatide.

Anti-fat vaccines have become the essential weight loss vaccine for celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk, Sharon Osbourne, Chelsea manager And Robbie Williams.

While this is a “potential game changer” in the fight against obesity, the number of healthy weight or underweight patients who need A&E care after receiving the vaccines with the aim of becoming “beach ready” is causing growing concern.