Wegovy is all the rage among those that can afford to pay the £200 a month for vials of the stuff.

It works the same as diabetes drugs like Ozempic that aid weight loss (it’s a GLP-1 receptor agonist, to be precise). These drugs have made headlines this year as people see them as an easy – and fast – way of bringing their weight down.

But with these drugs’ rise to fame has come another rise – in nasty side effects.

Common issues include intense nausea, stomach pain, constipation and vomiting. More extreme side effects include lowering blood sugar to dangerous levels, and pancreatitis.  There have been some reports of more severe stomach issues too, like gastroparesis.

Some reports say the medication can cause suicidal thoughts.

And then comes the problems with buying medication online: one woman told the Mail how she almost died after injecting herself with what she thought was Ozempic – and what turned out, instead, to be insulin.

Britain’s obesity problem costs the country just under £100 billion, and two thirds of adults in the UK are overweight or obese. Being too heavy can put you at risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer — and it costs the NHS just under £20bn a year.

It’s become so bad that there have been suggestions of introducing a junk food advertising watershed past 9pm or banning unhealthy "buy one get one free" foods.

These measures have been delayed until 2025 — but there have been recent calls, backed by the Tony Blair Institute, for more sugar taxes and the "rebalancing" of the food system "in favour of healthy, cost-effective choices".

The government’s department of health is keen not to impose advertising limits or food deal bans, and some ministers have suggested that drugs like Wegovy, which is actually now licensed for weight management, could be part of the answer to the obesity crisis.

But we still don’t quite understand the long term implications of these types of drugs being used for weight loss — and we already know these medications come with side effects.

Ultimately, quick fixes rarely work long term.

To live a healthy life, you have to understand why it’s important and in turn build good habits to ensure the health kick is sustainable.

It takes hard work, and good old fashioned diet and exercise are the key — as well as being an awful lot cheaper than buying slimming aids.

There are many reasons people can be overweight, and no-one should be made to feel bad about it. But more medication needn’t be the answer — and ordering drugs online without medical supervision can be dangerous.

Instead, there needs to be a positive shift in how we discuss weight and diet, how we educate people about health and the affordable food (and fitness) options available. And, in the Christmas spirit, how we can keep healthy while still enjoying ourselves.