Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
Dolores Cataniais explaining the real reason she’s been takingOzempic.
In an upcoming episode of PageSix’sVirtual Reali-Teapodcast, theReal Housewives of New Jerseystar — who recently admitted she started taking the medication for weight loss — explained that “there are layers” to her being prescribed Ozempic and she’s actually using it for medical reasons.
"I’m going through menopause, I have a thyroid issue, I have inflammation and weight is hard to take off," the 52-year-old explained. “And I work out, and I don’t eat crazy, and I was gaining weight, and it’s a lot of different layers…Let’s just let everybody know.”
Ozempic is an FDA-approved prescription medication intended for people with type 2 diabetes which has becomepopular among celebritiesbecause of its appetite-regulating effects.
Man preparing semaglutide Ozempic injection.Getty
Last week, Catania first revealed that she’s been taking Ozempic toAndy CohenonWatch What Happens Live.
“You look thin… Are you on Ozempic?,” Cohen asked her, to which she responded, “Yeah.”
Cohen jokingly questioned, “What housewife isn’t on Ozempic?”
“Not one… I wasn’t going to come to [the] reunion looking bigger than anyone else, so I got on the bandwagon,” the 52-year-old explained.
When Cohen asked her if she had experienced any side effects from using Ozempic so far, she said, “No, just not hungry.”
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Shortly after, Dr. Rocio Salas-Whalen — the physician at New York Endocrinology who prescribed Catania Ozempic — spoke toTodayand explained that no one should be judging whether someone needs to be on a medication like Ozempic simply based on their appearance.
“Whenever we see somebody that we may think they don’t need the medication, unless you’re their doctor, you don’t know their medical history,” she told the outlet. “You don’t know what medications they’re taking, you don’t know their internal health and the reasoning for a patient … to be on this type of medication.”
Salas-Whalen explained that a lot of middle-aged women in perimenopause or menopause can experience weight gain or struggle to lose weight due to the hormonal changes, regardless of if they are living a healthy lifestyle.
“Menopause comes with many health complications,” she said. “There’s higher risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia — and if you add to that mix being overweight or having obesity, then we increase the risk for disease for the patient.”
“Entering menopause [at] a healthy weight is very preventative for long-term complications from aging and weight and menopause,” she continued. “Many middle-aged women, they benefit from this medication because it’s out of their control.”
source: people.com
