I was wiping down the kitchen surfaces and humming to myself when I felt a pair of hands on my waist. Normally, I would have turned to my husband with a smile, pressing myself against him in promise of what would come next. But now, strangely, all he felt was irritation.
The hands went up. I felt anger, irrational and deep in my stomach.
“Don’t touch me,” I told him. His face was shocked and hurt. I felt terrible, but at the same time detached.
My husband Jim and I have always had a passionate, fun and inventive sex life. From exciting role-playing to handcuffing and making love at any time of the day, sex has always been an intrinsic part of our 20-year relationship.
However, eight weeks ago I started using Ozempic injections. All the desire I normally feel for Jim has vanished along with the extra pounds.
I feel better about my body than I have in years, but I have no desire to have sex. The only emotion I feel when he approaches me is anger and a slight feeling of repulsion.
Understandably, Jim is very keen for me to stop the injections.
I am a nurse in a very busy clinic and I am always in a hurry. When you work 11 hours a day, you tend to eat when you can.
The author and her husband, Jim, have always had a passionate, fun, and inventive sex life. But after starting Ozempic, all the desire I used to feel for him has vanished.
Patients bring cakes and cookies all the time and it is impossible to resist. I never feel full and I am an emotional eater. Whether I’m happy, sad, grieving, or overwhelmed, my go-to is chocolate chip cookies, potato chips, or a bottle of wine.
I knew I needed to make long-term changes, but I found it impossible to get started. I would try to stay away from food during the day and if I succeeded, I would binge at night.
My weight gain really started during Covid and by January of this year I had gained over 12 kilos. All my clothes were tight and I felt uncomfortable with my appearance.
I’m in my 40s and I knew that much of the weight gain carried future health risks. We had a vacation planned for August and I didn’t want to feel like the mom people talk about in hushed tones because I had gotten carried away.
As I have a 15 year old daughter, I am extremely cautious when it comes to dieting or restricting foods, so I would never skip meals. We don’t have a scale at home, I weigh myself at work and that’s why Ozempic seemed like a good solution: I could continue eating with the family, but with smaller portions.
Before using Ozempic I did a lot of research. I knew the most common side effects: mainly headaches and nausea. And I talked it over with Jim, who told me that if I felt like I needed to do it, he was right behind me. I would say that he now regrets that decision.
I found an online pharmacy that sold it for $330, which would last me four weeks. I had to take a long questionnaire. They then asked for a photo, which I sent, and then a GP had to approve the prescription, which was done the next day.
24 hours after my first injection I lost my appetite. It was extraordinary. It was lunchtime at work and I usually tried to convince myself to eat a salad instead of a high-calorie sandwich, but I realized I had no desire to eat.
‘Before using Ozempic I did a lot of research. “He knew the most common side effects, especially headaches and nausea,” says the author. However, no one told him about the loss of libido.
Normally it takes a while for medications to take effect, but this was less than a day. It was an exciting feeling.
That afternoon I marveled at how different I felt. At that point I would be heading straight for the cookie jar, but I had no desire to do so. I was excited. Clearly, the weight was going to come off and I would feel great about myself in no time.
During that week I felt more and more satisfied with my decision. I wondered if I would feel less energetic because I was eating less, but I substantially increased my water intake and woke up each morning feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. It was fabulous.
I didn’t see much of Jim that week. He is a technical engineer and we were on opposite shifts. But we both had the weekend free and thought we’d go do something good. For us that would always culminate in sex. That’s when I went to hug him in the kitchen and I realized I couldn’t stand him touching me. I wasn’t even remotely interested.
The situation did not improve in the following weeks. I don’t want to deny him sex, why should he suffer too? But I’ve been very honest with him and told him I won’t get anything out of it. God help me, but when he started kissing me I even used the words, “Keep going.”
I respond physically, kiss him back and touch him, but I don’t feel anything. He has tried everything. And I mean everything. He has put a lot of effort into massages and has tried different ways to turn me on. But I’m just not interested. I can’t get excited in any way. Normally, I orgasm easily, but now there’s nothing there.
Not only has all the pleasure of food gone (I have to force myself to eat), but I don’t feel like drinking alcohol either. I stopped making plans to go out with friends or have dinner with my husband. And what’s the point of Jim and I dating or leaving if I don’t want to have sex?
I feel like I’ve lost the pleasures that make life so rich. There’s nothing like a delicious, crisp glass of white wine, a creamy curry, or the pure sweaty pleasure of amazing sex. But I don’t enjoy any of those anymore? I’m thinner, but I’m miserable.
Since this happened I googled “Ozempic and lost libido” and see that others have reported it as a side effect.
Now Jim asks me how long I plan to stay at the Ozempic. I have said that for now I am going to move on. I lost half a kilo in a matter of days and have enough for four more weeks. But I can see that more than a month like this could start to damage our marriage. And it’s too valuable to risk.
So in April I will stop the weekly injections and hope everything returns to normal. I’m dying to put on beautiful underwear, feel sexy again with my slimmer figure and seduce my husband as he deserves!
As he told Alice Smellie. northmy name has been changed
- Disclaimer: Ozempic is only approved for the treatment of diabetes in Australia. Although some doctors may prescribe it for weight loss After a thorough assessment of its patients’ needs, Daily Mail Australia does not endorse its use for this purpose. You should always seek advice from a medical professional.