Ozempic is used to treat diabetes but has now become popular on social media platforms like TikTok for weight loss. One doctor tells News 12 Connecticut this is not a miracle instant gratification medicine to be taken lightly.

A 14-year-old girl from New Haven used Ozempic for diabetes. Her mother says it was prescribed by her doctor but that she had a bad reaction to it and ended up in the hospital for a week with acute pancreatitis.

"It was just a horrific experience for me, just watching your baby there in so much pain," said the girl's mother Ana Rosales.

Dr. Andrew Wong, an internal medicine specialist with Hartford HealthCare, says Ozempic is becoming popular with people trying to lose weight.

"The side effect has been significant weight loss. We're talking anywhere from 5% to 20% body weight in the average person," said Wong.

But people on social media are looking at the drug as a weight loss miracle - all part of the Ozempic TikTok challenge.

"Two-week update: I've lost 20 pounds. So, is it working? Yes," said one woman on TikTok.

Many others though say it has made them sick.

"Admittedly, I'm not doing great," said another woman on TikTok.

Wong says now the diabetics who need the drug are having a hard time getting it.

"There's been a real supply chain issue with Ozempic, and the company has been unable to meet demand for all the people who are consuming it, and so many diabetics have had to resort to other medicines," said Wong.

You'll need a prescription in order to get Ozempic, but it's not stopping people from getting it.

Doctors hope at some point there will be some regulations put in place. Doctors say Ozempic side effects can also cause kidney failure and thyroid cancer.