A mother gave Ozempic to her 12-year-old daughter: here’s what happened

Since she was little, Kait Handler had problems with food and her weight . He couldn’t stop eating cookies and, to prevent his parents from getting angry, he hid the wrappers. As an adult, she was always anxious about whether to order a salad or a burger for lunch, as she recounted The Wall Street Journal .

Even though she exercised and tried every fad diet, Handler I couldn’t lose weight. But when he learned of the existence of Ozempic went to the doctor and found a new obstacle: paying 1,000 dollars (about 900,000 Chilean pesos) per month for the famous medicine.

He opted for the cheap version – and was not approved by the FDA —, which was a medicine prepared with tirzepatide, the ingredient in some obesity treatments, but which is also included in the “fake” versions of Ozempic and Mounjaro, illegal in the United States.

And so He managed to lose 34 kilos.

But at the same time, another phenomenon occurred: her daughter Berdie, 12, began exhibiting behaviors similar to those she had at her age. He became obsessed with food, became angry when his cravings were not met, and despite his small size, ate up to two adult servings.

He also heard him comment negatively about his own body.

This is what he did to help her.

The first thing Kait Handler did was take a hard look at what her daughter was eating. He also chose to take her to therapy, motivate her to take a walk, but ultimately decided to send her to a weight loss camp, available in the United States.

The mother felt bad about the way he “helped” her, but The anxiety “because he would end up like me” was greater.

But in December 2022, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of Wegovy —a variation of Ozempic, but also using semaglutide— in adolescents aged 12 years or older who were obese.

And childhood obesity in the United States is on a worrying rise. THE American Academy of Pediatrics He recommended doctors take a “more aggressive approach.”

This is how, according to figures compiled by WSJ of an analysis of University of Michigan , More than 30,000 adolescents (between 12 and 17 years old) received this type of medication in 2023. Among them, 60% were women. And the trend continues.

Although there are cases where the use of Ozempic or Wegovy is not justified, doctors are convinced that This is an opportunity for obese children to have a healthier future, with a lower risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Anyway, There are other doctors who are still hesitant to prescribe these treatments to children and because they are relatively new, their long-term effects are not yet known.

Kait Handler’s Daughter Birdie Revealed The Wall Street Journal that At the age of 8, he saw a television series in which jokes were made about the food addiction of a character who ate a lot but had a thin build.

“That’s when I realized I had a larger body shape. And then “I felt bad about myself.”

Then a classmate at school made fun of her body and she began to feel ashamed even for wearing shorts in public.

Despite this, I couldn’t help but buy desserts every day, or suddenly have a second lunch. But he still felt bad afterwards.

His mother then decided to take him to the pediatrician. As he reported, The doctor felt “uncomfortable” about prescribing Ozempic to the 12-year-old girl and decided not to do so. Well, Birdie didn’t have prediabetes or diabetes, although she did have high levels of “bad” cholesterol.

But after several new attempts to lose weight the traditional way, They decided to make an appointment at a telehealth clinic that prescribes Ozempic without barriers, and Birdie began her treatment.

Of course, Handler made it clear that her daughter could stop treatment whenever she wanted.

“He struggles with his own self-esteem and this could alleviate those issues.” “Why don’t I give him the tool he needs to do this?” the mother asked.

The clinic membership and medications cost him approximately 178 dollars (approximately $175,000) paid monthly while treatment is ongoing.

Since the start of treatment, Birdie managed to lose the weight that was bothering her. She said she felt more confident in her clothes. although the negative part was annoying symptoms such as mild nausea that you experience after receiving the weekly injection.

However, he reported that You no longer feel the impulsiveness to buy desserts or any type of junk food and you feel like you have better control over the decisions you make when it comes to eating.

As explained in the same article WSJ, Various doctors, nutritionists and health professionals are concerned about the use of semaglutide during adolescence.

And it is could contribute to eating disorders, metabolic disorders, among other consequences for which there is no data, due to the fact that this drug is in the early stages of testing.

The fear lies in particular in the fact that Adolescents between 12 and 17 years old are still developing, so insufficient nutrition could harm bone growth, for example, or the poor relationship with exercise, necessary to stay healthy.

“We know that if bone mineralization is not sufficient between the ages of 11 and 25, it is extremely difficult to add new minerals to the bones. During this critical period, the factors that will determine bone mineralization are nutrition and exercise. » said Dan Cooper, professor of pediatrics at the University of California .

In addition, They worry that parents will pressure their children to take medication to lose weight “easily.”

According to Tom Hildebrandt, chief of the eating and weight disorders program at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital , A teenage patient has come to you. He was not overweight but was taking Ozempic to lose weight before graduation.

The young man, like the other patients he treated, I had starvation syndrome, which is caused by excessive weight loss by not eating, and is accompanied by symptoms such as slowed digestion and pain when eating.

“They are now being treated for anorexia nervosa. »