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RHONJ’s Jennifer Fessler Still Taking Ozempic After Landing in Hospital With Impacted Bowel
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Jennifer Fessler is still taking Ozempic for weight loss, despite believing the type 2 diabetes drug landed her in the hospital with an impacted bowel.
“I’m not afraid of Ozempic and I will tell you I have had an experience that was not good — and I’m pretty positive it was about the semaglutide — where I had to go to the hospital for an impacted bowel,” Jennifer, 54, admitted in the first episode of her podcast, “Two Jersey Js,” on Monday, December 4, speaking of the drug using its generic name.
Though she described herself as a “raging hypochondriac” to her cohost, fellow RHONJ cast member Jackie Goldschneider, Jennifer said she has no reservations about continuing to use the drug after her medical scare.
“I’m still not nervous about it,” Jennifer told Jackie, 47, on the podcast. “When it comes to things having to do with my physical appearance, somehow that goes out the window. For instance, I’m not afraid at all of going into surgery for anything cosmetic.”
The Bravo star revealed she has been taking weekly injections of semaglutide for more than a year and has lost “maybe 22 pounds” total — but admitted she wasn’t taking care of herself during her early weeks on the drug.
“I was drinking no water, eating no vegetables,” Jennifer explained about her past health habits. “‘Cause something that happens, a new experience for me, is being able to eat what I want even when it’s not the most healthy choices and still lose weight. So maybe for the first time in my life, I’m losing weight on pizza and bagels and ice cream.”
Describing her worsening side effects from the diabetes drug that eventually sent her to the hospital for treatment, Jennifer didn’t hold back any details.
“Having said that, I noticed there was constipation, I didn’t do anything about it. I wasn’t taking Miralax, that you take every morning, or any kind of stool softener. I hadn’t gone in a week, then it was a week and a half,” she explained.
Despite her worsening condition, Jennifer said she chose not to seek treatment at first, admitting she was the one “to blame for ignoring [her side effects] and allowing them to escalate to the point where I became impacted.”
Since the scare, Jennifer said she is now being “proactive” and taking steps to prevent another blockage, including drinking more water, eating healthier, taking laxatives and exercising to build back her muscle tone.
“Am I worried about it? No,” Jennifer reiterated. “Am I aware of it and a little disappointed in myself for not addressing it sooner? Sure.”
Jackie has previously criticized the use of Ozempic for weight loss, calling it a “very dangerous trend,” but she said on the podcast she supports her friend’s decision to continue taking it.
Though Ozempic is prescription medication that is FDA-approved for treating type 2 diabetes, many people, including celebrities, are turning to the drug – which is known to impact satiety – to lose weight.
The possible gastrointestinal side effects of using Ozempic are being investigated. In June, the drug was linked to cases of severe gastroparesis, which the Mayo Clinic describes as “preventing your stomach from emptying properly.” Then, in September, the FDA warned of the drug’s potential to cause ileus, a life-threatening inability of the bowel to expel waste from the body.
