Millions of people have resolved to lose weight in the New Year, and for some that may include trying a weight loss drug.
For one Florida woman, that demand is putting her heart health at risk.
Rebecca Krawczyk works hard to stay active after having a heart attack in 2021.
Despite her efforts -- including eating a low carb diet -- her cardiologist warned it wasn’t enough. So Krawczyk was prescribed the injectable drug called Wegovy.
That was in June, and it worked by helping her shed some of the weight that was putting a strain on her heart.
A few months later, the results are fading fast, as pharmacies struggle to keep the drug stocked.
“I checked Walgreens, Publix, Amazon, all the other places that have pharmacies, and nobody had it, and they got to the point where they were pretty much laughing at me when I would call them and ask them about it because it’s like, nowhere to be found,” Krawczyk said.
Krawcyzk doesn’t believe she’ll be able to get her prescription refilled until April.
A possible connection between weight loss drugs, like Wegovy and Ozempic, and higher risk of suicidal ideation appears to be unfounded.
Researchers looked at more than 100 million patient records backed by the National Institutes of Health.
According to their findings, six months after starting the medicines, people taking the drug for weight loss had a 73% lower risk of first-time suicidal ideation and a 56% lower risk of recurrent suicidal ideation.
The lower risks were also observed three years out.