Irish Woman Lost Half Her Weight On Ozempic. Here's What Happened After She Stopped

Ashley O'Driscoll, a mother from Dublin, faced persistent weight challenges following childbirth 16 years ago. Despite efforts to "move more and eat less", she reached 22 stone (approximately 140 kg) at her heaviest, impacting her health and self-esteem, according to The Metro. Turning to Ozempic, a medication originally for type 2 diabetes, she experienced significant weight loss, shedding nearly half her body weight. 

However, discontinuing the treatment due to financial constraints led to weight regain and issues like loose skin. Determined to maintain her progress, Ashley resumed the injections with her partner's support and shares her journey through her podcast, "Ozempic and Me", highlighting both the benefits and challenges of using such medications for weight management. 

Having endured years of failed diets, slimming clubs and exercise regimes, Ashley admits the jab felt like a last resort - and she wasn't entirely convinced it would work.

"It was great; it started coming off very quickly, and I noticed the "food noise" disappear," she remembers.

You're not constantly thinking about your next meal and what you're going to eat. It decreases your appetite and makes you feel full for longer.

"Ozempic transformed my life completely. I'm a totally different person, physically and mentally," she told The Metro. But while Ashley was overjoyed to have lost the weight, she was dismayed by what was left behind.

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But last summer, Ashley fell ill with gallstones, six months before she stopped taking Ozempic, but she doesn't blame the medication. Rapid weight loss causes the body to metabolise fat, which means the liver releases extra cholesterol into the bile, leading to gallstones. She had her gallbladder removed in July but felt it was a 'small price to pay' for the weight loss. Especially as by November last year, she had reached her target weight of 65 kilos. 

However, a new study of over 6,000 people by scientists at Oxford University has reported that those who use GLP-1 drugs will put their weight back on within 10 months of stopping if they don't continue to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

In total, Ashley spent more than 5,000 pounds over the two years, and her doctor believes she will need to take weight loss injections for the rest of her life - another issue that has been raised following the results of the study.

One of the researchers, Professor Susan Jebb, said, "Either people really have to accept this as a treatment for life; you're going to have to keep going forever, or we in science need to think really, really hard about how to support people when they stop the drug."