The Price of a Quick Fix
The Medic Society studies the risky rise of trendy treatments such as Accutane, Ozempic and vitamin Drips.
The Medic Society
LVI
Artwork by Ele Del Zompo
Art Editor, 2026
Accutane, Ozempic, and vitamin drips may look like unrelated wellness trends, but they share a common story: powerful medical treatments being repackaged online as quick fixes. Across social media platforms, complex therapies are portrayed as quick “hacks”, ignoring the risks associated with all these practices.
Another look at Accutane
Accutane, the brand name for isotretinoin, is having something of a comeback, with TikTok playing a big role in bringing it back into the spotlight. Accutane is a highly effective oral retinoid used to treat acne, first approved as treatment by the FDA in 1982. Traditionally, it’s prescribed in relatively high doses over a 4–6-month course, and it quickly became the gold standard of dermatological treatment; despite this, it comes with serious side effects including severe dryness of skin, severe stomach pain, and even possible birth defects.
Unfortunately, many of these side effects have been overlooked amidst its rapid rise in online popularity. Uses of hashtags like #AccutaneCheck or just simply #Accutane have shot up on TikTok, with the top 50 TikTok videos demonstrating over 18 million likes and 137,000.
Most videos focus on before and after improvement in acne severity, often pushing it as the one-size-fits-all solution for acne.
However, what gets lost behind these magnificent before-and-afters is that Accutane is a tightly regulated prescription medicine. Patients in the US must enroll in the iPLEDGE program, requiring monthly registration, negative pregnancy tests for patients of childbearing potential, and strict pharmacy compliance to get access to Accutane in the first place.
By framing Accutane as a “beauty hack,” its risks are downplayed, potentially leading patients to request the medication from their doctors without fully understanding the seriousness of the treatment.
Social media trends have also promoted “low-dose” or “microdosing” regimens, sometimes referred to as the “Hollywood dose.”
While some dermatologists do prescribe lower does over longer periods to reduce side effects, this approach is still medical treatment. Even at lower doses, risks are not eliminated, and suitability depends on a person’s medical history, acne severity, and overall health.
Ozempic: an injection of truth
Ozempic, the pharmaceutical sidekick recently repurposing from helping manage blood sugar, to helping manage the scales.
Recently, the term ‘Ozempic Face’ has been introduced to us through social media, leaving viewers with misconceptions on its intended purpose.
Ozempic is not a diet hack, but rather a prescribed medication.
From a pharmaceutical view, this is used by people with type 2 diabetes to manage blood sugar, controlling insulin levels and slowing down digestion, making people less hungry.
However, recent Ozempic success stories (with dramatically misleading before and after photographs) have sparked online debated over whether or not recreational use of this is safe, or a quick weight loss fix without the kale smoothies.
The truth is that Ozempic has severe physical side effects: nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, constipation, dizziness and headaches among many other potential dangers.
Not only is the non-medical use of Ozempic dangerous to the person directly ingesting it, but also to the culture created around weight loss and body image. Ozempic is not a long-term fix; weight can, and often is, very quickly regained when you decide to stop taking it.
The promotion of Ozempic on social media contributes to existing expectations surrounding body image, setting naturally unattainable body shapes and extreme weight loss measures as the golden target and diluting healthy, body positive social media content coming from those trying to encourage healthy living for healthier bodies.
The promotion of a prescribed medication as a “weight loss hack” for those looking to avoid the Stairmaster and not wanting to take care of what they eat is not only dangerous, but also not the message that should be sent to others or to ourselves. While quick fixes promoted on social media might be tempting, the best way to feel good about yourself both inside and out is taking care of your body in a safe way, and leaving the Ozempic injections to those treating diabetes and not treating trends.
Vitamin Drips or Fibs
Once confined to hospital environments, vitamin drips have moved into high street clinics and luxury wellness lounges. They were rebranded as quick fixes for low energy, weak immunity and even dull skin. The global IV hydration market is now worth billions, fuelled by social media and celebrity campaigns, using the appeal of instant results. These infusions typically deliver concentrated doses of nutrients such as vitamin C and B, directly into the bloodstream, passing the digestive system entirely.
Medically, IV therapy is a treatment used in hospitals for severe dehydration, malnutrition and diagnosed deficiencies.
However, for generally healthy individuals, strong clinical evidence supporting vitamin infusions is limited, because many of the commonly used vitamins are water soluble, the body excretes excess amounts relatively quickly, reducing the likelihood of long-term benefits. While often marketed as harmless, ‘wellness boosts’ IV drips can carry risks including infection, vein inflammation and electrolyte imbalance.
Overall, vitamin drips are a real medical intervention, but in the context of everyday wellness, their popularity is driven more by consumer demands and marketing then scientific evidence of need.