Ozempic — a medication designed for people with Type 2 diabetes — is being prescribed to socialites and celebrities to help them lose weight despite some alarming potential side effects.

Injected once per week into the stomach, thigh or arm, Ozempic and sister drug Wegovy are comprised of semaglutide, a compound that helpsthe pancreas release the right amount of insulin when blood sugar levels are high.

“Semaglutide is produced while we eat; it tells the brain that we are full,” Dr. Kathleen H. Saunders, an NYC physician and Weill Cornell Medicine faculty member, told The Post.

Chelsea Handler (right) has admitted to using the drug, while Khloe Kardashian (inset with sister Kim) blasted claims she misused the medication to shed pounds.

Retired Wall Street exec Beth Rubin lost 19 pounds after taking the drug, but told The Post last year that she was plagued by acid reflux and heartburn for the first five to six weeks.

Earlier this month, Chelsea Handler, 47, implied that many in Hollywood were taking the drugs, saying on stage at the Critics’ Choice Awards: “For those of you who don’t know, gaslighting is when someone tries to convince you that your own perceptions of reality are wrong.