An injection seen on Instagram can give the impression of a shortcut. However, Mounjaro, Wegovy or Ozempic are not just a promise of silhouette: These injections are not ordinary slimming products. Their use off indication, without monitoring, or via a product purchased online, exposes them to real risks.
These medications are not made to lose a few pounds
Wegovy and Mounjaro belong to a class of treatments used for weight management in certain adults, in a specific medical context. Ozempic is an antidiabetic used in type 2 diabetes. Placing them on the same level as a slimming tea, a cure or a sporting challenge therefore completely confuses the message.
The nuance is essential: these drugs can represent progress for patients affected by obesity or type 2 diabetes. The problem is not their existence, but their misuse for rapid weight loss for aesthetic purposes. According to data recalled by health authorities,
they are not indicated for losing a few kilos for aesthetic purposes.
In France, Wegovy and Mounjaro can be reimbursed since June 15, 2026 in certain situations of severe or very severe obesity, with regulated prescription conditions. To understand this framework, True Medical details the eligibility criteria for Wegovy and Mounjaro. This framework explains why a prescription obtained lightly, or an injection recommended by imitation, must provoke a reaction.
Counterfeits, undesirable effects, relationship with the body: the risks are concrete
On social networks, weight loss is often described as a spectacular transformation, attributed to sport, diet or products sold alongside it. In The Parisian SundayLaura Marra, ex-reality TV candidate, accuses certain influencers of hiding the use of Mounjaro behind this type of story. This is not to say that all the transformations seen online can be explained in this way, but to remember that a video does not always say everything.
The first danger concerns out-of-channel purchases. The authorities are warning of the proliferation of illegal offers of aGLP-1 on the Internet and social networks. An Internet purchase is a major red flag : these products are often counterfeited, and their composition, quality, safety or effectiveness are not guaranteed. True Medical has already told of the dangers of fake Ozempic purchased to lose weight, an example which illustrates the risk of a product presented as medical but sold out of control.
Adverse effects are not theoretical. The 3rd pharmacovigilance report relayed by the National Order of Pharmacists indicates that between February 2025 and January 2026, more than 840,000 patients were treated in France with this class of drugs against obesity or type 2 diabetes. Over the same period, 2,801 cases of adverse effects were reported, including 515 serious. Among the uses not appropriate for weight loss, 36 reports were recorded, including 17 serious and 5 acute pancreatitis.
Digestive disorders (nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain) are among the effects known and monitored. Situations of deficiencies or malnutrition are also monitored by the authorities. The testimony of Constance Llorca, reported by Le Parisien Dimanche, illustrates another contextual risk: she says she used Mounjaro when she had no initial weight problem, then experienced vomiting, fatigue, obsession with weight and a degraded relationship with the body. His story remains an individual experience, not proof of general medical causation.
The signals that should make you give up before an injection
The trivialization is all the stronger since Ozempic, which went viral on social networks, established the idea that an injection could be enough to transform a body. However, these treatments must be part of real care. Professor Sébastien Czernichow, head of the nutrition department at the Georges-Pompidou European Hospital in Paris, sums it up this way:
“These treatments must be part of a care pathway, with regular monitoring, diet, and physical activity.”
Before any injection presented as a slimming solution, several signals must be given:
- Refuse any product purchased on the Internet, even presented as discreet, fast or cheaper;
- Be wary of a promise of spectacular weight loss without clear medical indications;
- Question content that simultaneously sells physical transformation and slimming products;
- Talk to a healthcare professional promptly if you experience adverse effects or a worsening body condition.
For people already being followed for obesity or diabetes, the issue is not to question the treatment, but to maintain dialogue with the prescriber. For others, tracking changes everything : an injection does not have the same meaning when it is part of a medical course as when it responds to social pressure or a viral video.