Ozempic users are traveling 1,000 MILES to find doses amid shortages of weight ... trends now
Patients are traveling more than 1,000 miles to fill prescriptions for weight loss drugs amid national shortages and a sprint to slim down for summer.
Doctors told DailyMail.com they are struggling to keep up with demand for Wegovy and Ozempic, while the FDA reports Mounjaro and Zepbound are expected to be out of stock until at least July.
Dr Angela Fitch, an obesity medicine expert in New York City, said she has had patients fly in from as far afield as Florida, Virginia and Ohio to fill prescriptions.
She has also had others who have driven to her from Maine, a distance of about 400 miles — or seven hours in the car.
Marlee Bruno, who works at Medspa Mind, Body and Soul Medical in Pensacola, Florida, told DailyMail.com that people are looking to boost their weight-loss goals to get beach ready.
Among those to have used Ozempic to lose weight was Real Housewives of Orange County star Emily Simpson, 47, who lost 40lbs on the drug last year
Pictured above is Anna, from Alabama, who lost 50lbs after using Wegovy last summer
Among the patients struggling to fill a script is Tara Dykens from Massachusetts who said finding Zepbound was 'very frustrating'. 'I didn't want to mess it up. I didn't want to miss doses,' she added.
Other patients have taken to posting tearful videos on social media when they fill their prescriptions, or empty boxes worrying about getting their next dose.
Ms Bruno told DailyMail.com they have had patients drive out of state to get their doses from her clinic.
'We do try and ship it to patients, but this does increase costs and some of them want to get the named brands,' she said.
'We have patients who drove into Alabama and into Mississippi from here to get Mounjaro, so that's at least a hundred miles.'
Because of the shortages, pharmacies are able to make compound versions — or their own doses — of the drugs.
But many patients are still opting for the brand name versions because they believe they will be more effective for weight loss.
Those who have previously used the drugs to get summer ready include Emily Simpson, 47, from the Real Housewives of Orange County, who lost 40lbs on the drug and was so confident that she posted a snap of herself in a bikini.
Patients are sharing their frustration over being unable to get hold of
