Authentic Housewives star Emily Simpson's controversial GLP-1 tip slammed by physician: 'Not suggested'

A doctor has sounded the alarm on a controversial GLP-1 tip broadcasted by Real Housewives of Orange County star Emily Simpson, warning that it can have some serious negative side effects. 

Simpson, 50, has been on a weight-loss journey over the past few years, as documented on the hit Bravo show.

She’s lost 50 pounds with the help of a GLP-1 medication, targeted plastic surgery and working out, but now that she’s reached her goal weight, Simpson recently admitted that she only takes the fat jab when she feels like she is ‘gaining weight.’

‘I do still [use a GLP-1, but] not much as I did,’ Simpson revealed in a new interview with Us Weekly.

‘I use it now to just kind of, like, maintain. So I’ll go a few weeks and not use it, and then I’ll feel like I’m starting to gain weight and then I’ll use it again,’ she shared.

However, according to doctors, this is not how the medication is intended to be taken, and only taking it sporadically can have negative impacts.

Dr Joseph Eid, Medical Director at Cumberland Bariatric Institute, noted to the Daily Mail that while he didn’t treat Simpson so he doesn’t know her exact dose or whether she is under the care of a qualified physician, he would not recommend the tactic. 

‘What we can say definitively is that taking GLP-1 medication only when you feel like you’re beginning to gain weight is not the typical way these medications are prescribed or taken,’ Eid told the Daily Mail.

She’s lost 50 pounds with the help of a GLP-1 medication, targeted plastic surgery and working out, as she’s seen on the left in 2022 and on the right in June 2026

‘Generally speaking, we want to see a consistent drug exposure rather than using it as a rescue or emergency treatment for perceived weight gain.’

Eid explained that having such a large gap between injections allows the ‘medication levels in the body to fall substantially.’ 

‘At that point, restarting at a relatively higher dose, even if it was previously tolerated, may increase the risk of side effects, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation and abdominal discomfort,’ he stressed.

‘In fact, the prescribing information for Wegovy, for example, includes a message about this concern.

‘If you miss two or more consecutive doses, you may need to restart the dose escalation process to keep side effects at bay.’

The medications are typically taken as a weekly shot, and the dose starts low, only to build its way up over time.  

These blockbuster fat jabs have allowed many to shed monumental amounts of weight, as various studies have shown patients to lose about 15 to 20 percent of their starting body weight.

One in eight adults now say they are taking the medications, a November poll by KFF found.

But now that she’s reached her goal weight, Simpson recently admitted that she only takes the fat jab when she feels like she is ‘gaining weight.’ She’s seen in June 

But taking the shots only once every few weeks can make both side effects and weight loss results ‘unpredictable,’ the doctor said.   

‘This is assuming the patient is taking the drug only for weight management. For people needing to manage diabetes as well, it could hamper glucose management,’ Eid said.

‘I do want to stress that no matter how you have previously reacted to these drugs, starting your own dosing schedule is not recommended.

‘You need to speak with the prescribing physician to understand what is best for your situation and to monitor for potential issues.’

He added that celebrities discussing their dosing regimen is specific to them – and should ‘not be considered appropriate for anyone else.’  

‘So much depends on the medication, the dose, one’s medical history, and other medications… very little of which we will find out from a TV interview,’ he said. 

Elsewhere in the interview, Simpson opened up about her previous struggles with food.  

She divulged that before she lost the weight, she was ‘mindlessly eating.’

‘I was just mindlessly eating, which I was very guilty of doing, especially when you have three kids that are eating chicken nuggets or eating mac and cheese,’ she told the outlet.

‘I would just pick and eat [my food]. And then, at the end of the night, I’d be like, “I didn’t eat anything today,” and of course I did. So now I’m just more conscientious of what I’m eating,’ she explained.