Not rich and famous enough to get an Ozempic prescription? TikTok has a viral hack for that. Enter berberine, the diarrhea-inducing dietary supplement that has recently taken wellness TikTok by storm.

Nicknamed “nature’s ozempic,” referencing the ultra-buzzy weight loss injection celebrities are swearing by, several fitness creators have taken to the platform to try out berberine for themselves, documenting all the dirty details of their experience with the plant compound to their thousands of followers.

“Okay, so I’m on the way to get nature’s ozempic,” creator Zoey Zauzig – a.k.a. @joeyzauzig – explained in their initial video on the substance, uploaded on May 23. “Basically it makes you like, stop storing like sugars and fats, and let’s see if it works!"

@joeyzauzig

Natures ozempy

? original sound - Joey Zauzig

Though it’s unclear whether the supplement managed to follow through on the aforementioned claims, Zauzig says berberine has made a difference in their appetite.

“Usually I’m on, like, at least number two Crunchwrap Supreme of the day,” they quipped in a video flaunting their lunch consisting of a green smoothie and shrimp rolls. Yet these apparent results aren’t without their fair share of side effects – namely, a metric fuckton of diarrhea.

“Let’s start with like, the gut because guess what, bitch, the gut is gutting,” they explained in a clip updating their 653.8k followers on their Berberine journey.

“Like I thought I had to fart. It wasn’t a fart babe. It was not a fart.” they recalled, noting that despite this sharting incident, they had been “really regular for the past two days.”

@joeyzauzig Replying to @Sum Hayes ? original sound - Joey Zauzig

Zauzig was far from alone in their initial bathroom troubles. Knitting and baking creator Amanda – a.k.a. @kniteatlift – offered a stark warning to her “polycystic ovarian friends” starting the supplement: There will be poop.

“Don’t make any plans that involve you being away from your home for probably about 3-4 days and apologize to your significant others for the bathroom situation,”

@kniteatlift #poop #pooptalk #pcos #berberine #insulinresistance #polycysticovariansyndrome #fuckpcos #TWDSurvivalChallenge #electrolytes @nuunhydration ? original sound - Amanda

Wellness creator Jillian – @jillian_lum – shared similar words of wisdom with her following, advising those picking up berberine to “prepare to be a little … stinky.”

@jillian_lum Replying to @Cassandra Kilgore #berberine #insulinresistance #pcos #supplementsforpcos #supplementsforinsulinresistance #endocrinehealth #supplements #supplementsthatwork #guthealth #dieoff ♬ Zou Bisou Bisou - Gillian Hills

Berberine–making influencers broadcast their bathroom emergencies since May 2023.