It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World

We live in a mad world, in which the actions of one person caused a cascade where not one single person considered the possible consequences of their actions. I don't know who the original person was, but there must have been one; the very first person to post on social media about the miracle weight-loss drug, Ozempic. (They didn't mention, or bother to find out, that its primary purpose was to treat diabetes.)

Wow, everyone said, this is amazing, I'm gonna tell everyone I know.

Wow, the newsmedia said, this would make a great story. It won't do any harm, and heck, we don't give a damn if it does any harm, that would make another great story.

Wow, many people said, I'm gonna bug my doctor to prescribe it to me "off-label" (that is, a prescription for a medicine which uses it for something other than what its official purpose is).

Sure, many doctors said, it won't do any harm, it's only for one (two, three, five) of my patients.

Worldwide shortage of Ozempic ensues.

Oh, many doctors said, I'll prescribe Trulicity to my diabetic patients instead.

Worldwide shortage of Trulicity ensues.

And that affects me. Which makes me mad.