Former co-host of The View Meghan McCain said she was told to take a "miracle shot" to drop weight following the birth of her second child.
McCain's Daily Mail op-ed details her experience fielding questions and suggestions the former View host should take semaglutide, also branded as Ozempic and Wegovy, which aids diabetic patients in controlling blood sugar levels.
"In case you’re unaware, there is a craze sweeping the nation: a new ‘miracle’ drug. One injection, once a week, for a cool $1,000 a pop, and you can just melt the pounds away," she wrote, noting the diabetic medication also suppressed appetite and led to users taking the drug to assist in weight loss.
McCain criticized users taking the medication for weight loss saying, "diabetes sufferers are now struggling to find the potentially life-saving drug, because otherwise healthy people are using it to lose a few pounds."
"You can't get more Hollywood than that. And surprise, surprise – that's where it's apparently popular," she continued.
"Chelsea Handler has publicly copped to taking 'the shot' but claims she didn't realize she was on it. Elon Musk says he uses it. Kyle Richards, of ‘Real Housewives’ fame, who recently flaunted newly emerged abs, has denied taking it," the column continued. "Fellow reality TV star Jackie Goldschneider claimed ‘a lot’ of her fellow cast members are on it."
"I understand some people legitimately struggle with obesity and need Ozempic," she continued, noting she had no interest in using the medication for weight loss.
McCain said she's been encouraged to use the drug by casual friends and industry acquaintances who suggested "everyone is doing it," claiming she was offered a "black market freebie" from someone who had extra doses of the medication.
"There's a clear moral issue here. It's hard to take a drug because swimsuit season is around the corner, while others need it to stay alive," she said. "How can this be healthy?"
McCain cited the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) listed side effects for Ozempic including nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation and dizziness.
"I was just pregnant for 9 months – I'll take a pass on that, thank you very much," she continued, citing reports claiming that "at least 50% of patients" lost "more muscle than fat."
"I am also concerned — as I believe everyone else should be — about Big Pharma capitalizing off culture's fat phobia," McCain continued. "For me, there simply is not enough research to make me feel comfortable reaching for the syringe."
McCain suggested there was a "hyper-skinny body type of the 1990s" becoming popular in modern fashion.
"I truly fear this trend. I know the kind of damage that it did to so many women who grew up in that era. We came of age when the most celebrated beauty standard was emaciated," she said. "Today, the buff look – complete with chiselled abs and defined arms – is in vogue. But like the 'heroin chic' look of the 90s, it is just not realistic for many women — especially women who just had a baby!"
"As for Ozempic, I would rather have a few extra pounds than shoot myself up with medicine."
