mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,564
Oct 2, 2017 23:20:46 GMT
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Post by mich5481 on Dec 18, 2023 15:23:30 GMT
I started Wegovy in April, and have lost about 60 pounds on it. Now that my job is ending early next year, not sure what I'll do.
My weight of weight loss is about 1.7 pounds/week - not earth shattering, but enough to make a huge difference.
I get burps, but that is less frequent than it used to be. I very rarely get nauseous (like maybe twice since I started). I bumped up to 1.7 in June, when there was a shortage of 1.0. I bumped up to 2.4 in October because I had stalled a bit.
I'm a little worried about side effects, but those are unknown. The side effects of too much weight are known. I still have a bunch to lose (we're talking 30 pounds to no longer be obese, and a little more than 30 more to be "normal" weight), but I look and feel much better.
I did have a big NSV on Friday - I flew home from a work trip, and I had several extra inches in my seat belt on the plane. When I flew earlier this year, it was tight to get it to fit - I think I was nearing the ask for an extender phase.
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Gennifer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,998
Jun 26, 2014 8:22:26 GMT
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Post by Gennifer on Dec 18, 2023 15:38:23 GMT
Here’s the bottom line: Are there risks? Yes. But there are also risks to being obese, having weight loss surgery, or even just staring an exercise regimen when your body isn’t used to it.
Lots of people are injecting things into their bodies on a regular basis, but I’m not being bombarded with articles about the dangers of doing Botox or fillers. People take Accutane for extended periods to control acne, and I haven’t seen multiple threads here about that. Ozempic has been around for years, being injected weekly by hundreds of thousands of people for their diabetes, but I never heard the term “Ozempic butt” until recently. Because it’s completely acceptable to use medication if you’re vain about your wrinkles or acne, but the minute someone thinks you’re doing semaglutide just for your appearance? NOT COOL, YOU SO LAZY.
There’s a stigma to being fat, and it’s acceptable to villainize it.
I’m not trying to convince anyone they should take it. But there are a lot of people taking it who are ashamed to tell anyone they are because of the judgmental mindset so many here have displayed. And I can’t speak for everyone, but I suspect most of us went into it with our eyes wide open… we spoke with our doctors, we weighed the pros and cons.
We didn’t make the choice because we wanted to wear a bikini.
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Gennifer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,998
Jun 26, 2014 8:22:26 GMT
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Post by Gennifer on Dec 18, 2023 15:40:15 GMT
Man, there’s a lot of misinformation on this thread and a lot of viewing obesity as a character flaw instead of the medical condition it is. Succinct and accurate.
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Post by heckofagal on Dec 18, 2023 15:41:10 GMT
I've been on Ozempic since the end of September. I am pre-diabetic and my dr prescribed this for me as I am insulin resistant. My A1c is good, but my fasting glucose was always 120-125, and my most recent bloodwork showed my insulin level as very high. I battle with vestibular migraines and the hope was that reducing the extra insulin in my body might help with the migraines as well. So far I've lost 23 pounds (my goal is to lose 100) and my fasting blood sugar was looking much better. I should have increased my meds but I had to stop for a bit earlier in Dec as I had a colonoscopy scheduled. My Dr told me to stop a week ahead but it was 9 days since my last shot and my Dr did not have any problems with my colonoscopy. I still have not increased my starting dose as I am hosting Christmas Eve for my DHs family and Christmas Day for my family and I cannot afford to be sick before Christmas. My symptoms previously have not been bad, a bit of nausea and extremely tired a few days. I feel the same as dewryce in that there is probably more risk to my health for me to remain at the weight that I am than there is for me taking this med. Also, I don't feel like this is the easy way out. I've been tracking my foods and will be exercising along with taking the meds. I don't try to have extremely low calorie days, I eat even on days when I don't want to as I know that can mess up your metabolism and because I don't want to lose too fast. And I also feel like I am modeling positive health habits for my DDs. I'm eating healthier and taking steps to lose weight to improve my health. Edited to add: I've not told my closest friends yet that I am on this med. We've had different political views and differing views on Covid and i just did not want to add this into the mix. If any of them were to ask me how I am losing weight I would tell them. They may already know, as one of their friends is on a Facebook group that I've joined. My family and extended family is aware I am on them.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Dec 18, 2023 15:48:12 GMT
I haven’t noticed any changes to my mental health. I have had quite a few bouts with depression this year, but that’s not at all unusual. And they’re no worse than usual. And I have had maybe one hypomanic cycle since I started it. Also not unusual for my past few years as, oddly, I’m getting them less and less. I’ve wondered about it’s affects on quitting smoking since it seems it might treat other addictions. This is good to know. I'm glad you aren't feeling any mental health effects that you can discern. Not that I want to swing toward depression either because that's no good, but I would even settle for being hypomanic most of the time over having these manias that can get so very out of control. I have to take lithium now and I totally shamed myself about it for years telling myself it was the medication of last resort for the truly crazy. I have even thought about asking my doctor if I would qualify for that new schizophrenia drug that injects every six months and then I'd only have to take mood stabilizing meds. I want to try the weight loss drugs, but I so don't want to be pushed over the edge.
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Post by monklady123 on Dec 18, 2023 16:13:21 GMT
I have mixed feelings about these drugs. I know at least one of them -- Ozempic? -- is a diabetes drug and our local news has reported that diabetics have been having a hard time finding medications that they need. I don't know if this was one of those, but if so then I think obviously the diabetics should have it first, not someone who wants it to lose weight if they could be losing weight by diet and exercise. This kind of thinking blows my mind. Why not use the medication to PREVENT someone from getting diabetes, instead of waiting until they do? Why aren’t we mad at the big pharma companies who are gatekeeping? The base peptide is out there and readily available, which is why people can get it compounded. Also, I can’t speak for everyone who takes this medication, but I am following a diet and doing exercise. This is a tool, used in conjunction. It’s not a magic solution. When I say "legitimate medical reasons" I do not mean for someone like me who is overweight because I don't eat right. When I crack down and stop eating a lot of junk and cut back on the white carbs (bread, pasta, etc.) then I lose weight. This is what I used to think about myself, too… that it was just a matter of willpower. It’s not. But preventing diabetes *is* a legitimate medical reason. Why wouldn't it be considered that? To me there's a difference between overweight people whose doctor has said their A1C is high, or they're at risk for something else because they're overweight, and those of us who just like cake and chocolate too much. -- But for me personally -- ME PERSONALLY -- my A1C is fine and I know it's willpower because the minute I eat better I lose weight.
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huskergal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,992
Jun 25, 2014 20:22:13 GMT
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Post by huskergal on Dec 18, 2023 16:21:52 GMT
While the thought of taking a medication to help me lose weight intrigues me, I am not diabetic so I feel like I shouldn't be taking a medication that is for a specific group of people. I also don't like the possible side effects.
I also know people who have gained weight back when they stopped.
I won't judge anyone for doing what they think is best for their weight loss journey.
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Gennifer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,998
Jun 26, 2014 8:22:26 GMT
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Post by Gennifer on Dec 18, 2023 16:27:26 GMT
But preventing diabetes *is* a legitimate medical reason. Why wouldn't it be considered that? To me there's a difference between overweight people whose doctor has said their A1C is high, or they're at risk for something else because they're overweight, and those of us who just like cake and chocolate too much. -- But for me personally -- ME PERSONALLY -- my A1C is fine and I know it's willpower because the minute I eat better I lose weight. But insurance companies don’t agree, unfortunately. For the vast majority of our country, if this IS approved prior to having full-blown diabetes, the copay is still ridiculously prohibitive… mine would have been $1100/month if I had gone that route. I’m pretty solidly middle-class, but I can’t afford that! Obesity (and therefore diabetes) is disproportionately a poor man’s disease. A year ago I thought it was just my willpower, too. I can assure you that, now, I realize that my attitude toward food was not normal. The “willpower” I need to skip certain foods or eat less now is significantly different.
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Post by peano on Dec 18, 2023 16:35:37 GMT
When these people stop taking it, they will gain the weight back within 1 year. I read that you can really only safely take them for about 6 months and then your appetite will return within 6 months. To me, it is a quick gimmick that doesn't really teach people how to eat properly. I doubt there's a person on this thread that doesn't know all about how to eat properly. We fatsos get it--no whites, lots of green vegetables and fiber, no eating between meals yadda, yadda, yadda. The sad reality is, that's not all that drives weight issues. For example, there's the addiction part to food--the sugar and the flour that keep people coming back for another hit and another...That serotonin kick is self-rewarding and self-perpetuating--a feedback loop. We are like junkies with food. So I completely understand the decision to try these drugs--how powerful it is to have food thoughts disappear and have your body satisfied with less. You don't say if you've had/have a weight problem. If you haven't, you really don't need to weigh in(haha) on this issue. What I'm not sure about: the long-term side-effects of taking Ozempic for medical reasons. What I AM sure about: having people unimpacted by this disease butt into the experiences of me and others looking for better health and hope.
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Gennifer
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,998
Jun 26, 2014 8:22:26 GMT
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Post by Gennifer on Dec 18, 2023 16:38:13 GMT
Thank you, peano. I tried to type a response out multiple times to that comment, and couldn’t find the right words. Well said.
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Post by peano on Dec 18, 2023 16:41:45 GMT
I’m on Ozempic, started it last December when we could not get my blood sugar under control even on several other medications. It was in the 400s. Stayed on a really low dose for a while and it definitely helped my blood glucose levels, though I did not lose any weight or notice any of the symptoms like fuller faster, not thinking about food, not being hungry, or nausea. Several months ago we started increasing it and the weight starting dropping pretty rapidly. That only lasted for a little while and then I stopped feeling full as quickly and I was definitely having hormonal hunger issues. I fluctuated within a 5 pound range for a couple of months, pretty frustrating. I think that’s because the body gets upset that you’re eating so few calories, so it ups the production of a different hunger hormone. I read that, but never checked the validity of the source and now can’t find it. Whatever it was, the medication is starting to work again in that I can’t eat as much and I’m starting to take a while to feel hungry again. I’m still thinking about it pretty often. And I started to s l o w l y lose again, just barely. As for concerns about unknown side effects, I get that, I really do. And I have health anxiety and am especially concerned about cancer due to family history and just in general. So if I had a lot less weight to lose I would have tried to come off it once my glucose was under control. But my weight will for sure have me in an early grave and it greatly negatively impacts my life in many ways. It definitely reduces my quality of life. And I have tried absolutely everything to lose weight, most several different times. I have to lose weight. So I’m willing to take the risks. For me, I can’t fathom taking the risk if my health wasn’t impacted, but just to lose a relatively small amount of weight. The stigma I just don’t understand. Your health is being impacted, why wouldn’t you do everything possible to fix it? Most people aren’t just jumping into this willy nilly and have tried everything to lose weight over a long period of time. Should we continue to suffer because some people don’t think we’re doing it the “right way?” If the right way worked for everyone obesity wouldn’t be such an issue. This is medication. It helps the body function mostly the way it is intended to. Not the slowing down the stomach emptying, but that’s temporary. It’s been life changing. To not be gnaw your arm off hungry literally the large majority of the time I’m awake is so…magnificent. For my stomach not to feel empty and like it’s turning itself inside out less than 30 minutes after I’ve eaten a huge meal is so foreign. Feeling full? Very rare unless I have way over eaten. Not to be thinking about food the entire time I’m awake. I never realized just how very bad these issues were until they weren’t there. Like I said, life changing. And if “normal” people feel like this most of the time? They.have.no.clue. what we have been through, what we live with 24/7 and I’m not particularly concerned about their judgmental opinion. My husband does feel nauseated often, which is a potential side effect. Not one I’ve experienced, though. Once I hit the higher doses, I always felt pretty sick for about 48 hours. A trash can lived by my bed as it was worse at night, I’d eat chicken soup and not much else for at least the first day, and I felt awful. My husband actually asked me to stop taking it. But I knew the side effects were temporary for some and my weight is literally killing me so I was willing to keep with it. It’s hasn’t been nearly as bad recently, I didn’t throw up at all last week and this week I oddly threw up on Day 6. To be fair, it was while I was brushing my teeth and I have occasionally thrown up while doing that while not on the medication. I've been taking Ozempic for around 5 years for diabetes (now pre-diabetes due to diet and exercise, and presumably the medication). I just wish I could get the medication now. There's a shortage of the med because of people using it for weight loss--I understand the sentiment, but it's kind of annoying. Last month I missed two doses due to shortage of the drug, and this month the same. CVS tells me it can no longer obtain the medication and asked me to ask my doctor to prescribe something else. Have you tried other pharmacies? Since my local Walgreen’s said it was a distribution center issue I assumed that was a regional thing. But different pharmacies can use different places. DH called around for me and found a place we were able to get mine filled. Can’t hurt to try. I am at this point, but I am on so much medication, I dread going back and getting new rxs from my various doctors. I've been putting it off to see if the CVS situation (lots of problems with our local CVS) resolved, but it doesn't look like it will. The Walgreen's in our town has also had it's share of staffing problems. It looks like Costco might be a solution, but I'll miss that drive-up window. Sigh. I'll deal with it after the first of the year.
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Post by busy on Dec 18, 2023 16:42:37 GMT
When these people stop taking it, they will gain the weight back within 1 year. I read that you can really only safely take them for about 6 months and then your appetite will return within 6 months. To me, it is a quick gimmick that doesn't really teach people how to eat properly. “these people” - really? Like everything else about bodily autonomy, these are decisions to be made between medical providers and their patients. Your information from whatever inaccurate sources you’re reading is irrelevant. The underlying tone of your post is very judgmental of people who struggle with weight. Weight issues are not only about eating properly and if you don’t know that, you don’t need to comment.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Dec 18, 2023 16:47:06 GMT
That serotonin kick is self-rewarding and self-perpetuating--a feedback loop. This is why a lot of people with depression/bipolar struggle with their weight. We can't regulate these things in our brains like most people do. (add in a bipolar prefrontal cortex with its impulsivity problem for me) I am highly sensitive to EVERYTHING. Everything I eat. Every exercise I do. Every choice I make. Every bit of stress. Everything surrounding me impacts how my brain works. I'm doing what I can. I'm making the best choices that I can. But my brain is broken. Food sometimes makes things feel better. Literally. Chemically. This is why I'm trying so hard to avoid processed foods. I figure at the very least, if I can increase my veggie intake and prepare everything from scratch, I'm cutting out the worst of it. Even if I make the choice of a cookie, it can either be one I've baked from scratch or a processed box cookie. I choose scratch. ETA: I just read a NYT article about how Christmas music can release prolactin in the brain and this might explain why some people love it so much. I happen to love Christmas music. So brains respond to God knows what.
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Post by peano on Dec 18, 2023 16:53:41 GMT
I have mixed feelings about these drugs. I know at least one of them -- Ozempic? -- is a diabetes drug and our local news has reported that diabetics have been having a hard time finding medications that they need. I don't know if this was one of those, but if so then I think obviously the diabetics should have it first, not someone who wants it to lose weight if they could be losing weight by diet and exercise. This kind of thinking blows my mind. Why not use the medication to PREVENT someone from getting diabetes, instead of waiting until they do? Why aren’t we mad at the big pharma companies who are gatekeeping? The base peptide is out there and readily available, which is why people can get it compounded. Also, I can’t speak for everyone who takes this medication, but I am following a diet and doing exercise. This is a tool, used in conjunction. It’s not a magic solution. When I say "legitimate medical reasons" I do not mean for someone like me who is overweight because I don't eat right. When I crack down and stop eating a lot of junk and cut back on the white carbs (bread, pasta, etc.) then I lose weight. This is what I used to think about myself, too… that it was just a matter of willpower. It’s not. Ugh, Gennifer, don't get me started on the self-righteous naturally slender people who paint the overweight into a lazy, piggish, uncaring group who lack willpower and just NEED. TO. LEARN. TO. EAT. RIGHT. Believe me, I've done everything possible to make myself less unpleasant to these people. I finally learned that's not the way to solve the problem. Learning to like myself more is the way to go. And also having disordered eating so long, my body can no longer tolerate certain foods, but that's another story.
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Post by Merge on Dec 18, 2023 16:59:08 GMT
Here’s the bottom line: Are there risks? Yes. But there are also risks to being obese, having weight loss surgery, or even just staring an exercise regimen when your body isn’t used to it. Lots of people are injecting things into their bodies on a regular basis, but I’m not being bombarded with articles about the dangers of doing Botox or fillers. People take Accutane for extended periods to control acne, and I haven’t seen multiple threads here about that. Ozempic has been around for years, being injected weekly by hundreds of thousands of people for their diabetes, but I never heard the term “Ozempic butt” until recently. Because it’s completely acceptable to use medication if you’re vain about your wrinkles or acne, but the minute someone thinks you’re doing semaglutide just for your appearance? NOT COOL, YOU SO LAZY. There’s a stigma to being fat, and it’s acceptable to villainize it. I’m not trying to convince anyone they should take it. But there are a lot of people taking it who are ashamed to tell anyone they are because of the judgmental mindset so many here have displayed. And I can’t speak for everyone, but I suspect most of us went into it with our eyes wide open… we spoke with our doctors, we weighed the pros and cons. We didn’t make the choice because we wanted to wear a bikini. 100% agree, and thank you for sharing all of this. I'm in the frustrating position, I guess, of being perfectly healthy. Maybe at some point I will develop weight-related conditions, but it hasn't happened so far. I've also stopped being obsessed with food since I stopped dieting a few years ago. I actually eat very little compared to most people I know and I don't spend time between meals thinking about food or feeling hungry. So I'd be taking it solely for appearance reasons. Which again, fine, if that's what you want. But I couldn't afford the copays regardless. I've also seen some chatter online about how there's no longer any "excuse" for anyone to be fat, since supposedly we can all just take this drug and become visually acceptable in the eyes of society. But as you point out, people also get judged for taking the drug and getting thinner. It seems we all are damned if we do and damned if we don't. Especially women. And I'm ornery enough that I'd rather give society the middle finger than change myself to meet some arbitrary standard. I'm thrilled for you, and everyone else that takes it, that this drug has made such a positive change in your life and I hope it continues to do so. And I hope no one makes a choice to take it or not take it based on what society thinks. Those of us who have been fat most of our lives know that society can shove it where our bodies and health choices are concerned.
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scrapngranny
Pearl Clutcher
Only slightly senile
Posts: 4,763
Jun 25, 2014 23:21:30 GMT
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Post by scrapngranny on Dec 18, 2023 17:04:46 GMT
The weight loss break through will help a lot of people. My friend talked to her doctor about trying one. The doctor’s one concern was that you have to stay on the drug indefinitely or you gain the weight back.
My concern is it doesn’t solve the root problem, the horrific eating habits of the American population. Fast food, sugar, bad oils, snacking and portion sizes are killing us. We have to be more responsible for what we eat to really be healthy.
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Post by monklady123 on Dec 18, 2023 17:07:19 GMT
This kind of thinking blows my mind. Why not use the medication to PREVENT someone from getting diabetes, instead of waiting until they do? Why aren’t we mad at the big pharma companies who are gatekeeping? The base peptide is out there and readily available, which is why people can get it compounded. Also, I can’t speak for everyone who takes this medication, but I am following a diet and doing exercise. This is a tool, used in conjunction. It’s not a magic solution. This is what I used to think about myself, too… that it was just a matter of willpower. It’s not. Ugh, Gennifer , don't get me started on the self-righteous naturally slender people who paint the overweight into a lazy, piggish, uncaring group who lack willpower and just NEED. TO. LEARN. TO. EAT. RIGHT. Believe me, I've done everything possible to make myself less unpleasant to these people. I finally learned that's not the way to solve the problem. Learning to like myself more is the way to go. And also having disordered eating so long, my body can no longer tolerate certain foods, but that's another story. Hopefully you're not talking about me since you don't know me at all. "Naturally slender" does not in any way describe me. But for me -- as I've said several times in this thread, FOR ME PERSONALLY -- I do not have an eating disorder, and I PERSONALLY do not have an elevated A1C, and I PERSONALLY do know how to "eat right" even though I often don't. And my doctor is happy with the weight loss that I've achieved over the past several months. But all of that has nothing to do with anyone else, and everyone knows their own situation and should talk to their own doctor about their own situation and their own relationship to food. I PERSONALLY would never take a weight loss drug unless my doctor said I had to, because I don't want the side effects and I don't want the cost. But everyone's personal situation is different.
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Post by withapea on Dec 18, 2023 17:08:54 GMT
My husband has been on Ozempic for about nine months and it’s been great for him. He’s really struggled and worked hard for years to lose weight and for a multitude of reasons he hasn’t been very successful or has had yo-yo loss and gain. He is a paramedic with a high stress job, crazy hours and a wife with terminal cancer. I’m grateful he’s found something to help him. We know there are possible negatives but as with everything in life, you try to be as informed as possible and weigh the risks. He has a very good relationship with his doctor who he sees regularly to monitor things. I feel like no matter what you do where weight is concerned someone’s going to say you’re doing it wrong.
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Post by busy on Dec 18, 2023 17:17:12 GMT
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Post by Tearisci on Dec 18, 2023 17:30:18 GMT
I was on semaglutide for a few months earlier this year and didn't see much weight loss but then again, I wasn't really watching what I was eating. I tend to eat not because I'm hungry but for other reasons people have already mentioned. I'm on a lot of medication for mood balancing and I know that these types of medicines can play havoc with weight. I'm also post-menopausal and just can't lose quickly.
I'm going back on WW after the first of the year and will start up the meds again. I'm hoping that the weight will come off faster doing both. I lost 30 pounds on WW a couple of years ago so I know the program works for me if I stick with it.
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Post by busy on Dec 18, 2023 17:36:48 GMT
The weight loss break through will help a lot of people. My friend talked to her doctor about trying one. The doctor’s one concern was that you have to stay on the drug indefinitely or you gain the weight back. My concern is it doesn’t solve the root problem, the horrific eating habits of the American population. Fast food, sugar, bad oils, snacking and portion sizes are killing us. We have to be more responsible for what we eat to really be healthy. 39% of the *world* population has obesity. It’s not just an American problem, and our way of eating. time.com/6264865/global-obesity-rates-increasing/#
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Gennifer
Pearl Clutcher
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Jun 26, 2014 8:22:26 GMT
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Post by Gennifer on Dec 18, 2023 17:38:05 GMT
My friend talked to her doctor about trying one. The doctor’s one concern was that you have to stay on the drug indefinitely or you gain the weight back. SO WHAT? That’s how most medical interventions work… Would anyone ever be concerned that someone who takes anti-depressants would have to stay on the drug indefinitely, so they might as well not take it? Anti-seizure medicine? Blood thinners? Hell, even 10-year-old me knew when I started wearing glasses that it would be for life. My concern is it doesn’t solve the root problem, the horrific eating habits of the American population. Fast food, sugar, bad oils, snacking and portion sizes are killing us. We have to be more responsible for what we eat to really be healthy. You are, like so many others, saying obesity’s root is bad eating habits. What if it’s not? What if we look deeper than that, and treat what triggers us to make those choices? Why can we look at drug and alcohol as addictions, acknowledging that it’s not just as simple as stopping the consumption or usage, and not recognize the same thing for food? It’s a million times harder, because you can’t just eliminate food from your life completely like you can alcohol or drugs.
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mamallama
Full Member
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Sept 14, 2018 7:30:33 GMT
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Post by mamallama on Dec 18, 2023 19:05:00 GMT
I am not in the “that’s cheating” category. My reason for not taking them currently is that my doctor made it clear that these are drugs that are long term. Once the weight loss is achieved and people quit, if they haven’t also done a lifestyle change then they gain weight back pretty quickly. It’s like any other “diet” in that respect. I did just get diagnosed as diabetic and she said that I could take one of these and since I’m diabetic I would be on it long term. But seeing people I know have side effects has made me wary.
My friend started Ozempic last spring. She lost about 40lbs fairly quickly and felt great. No side effects. But she also managed to gain all of it back while still on the Ozempic and is talking about how she needs to work out etc. She may need a higher dose? I don’t know why it worked so well then didn’t. Another friend is on one and has lost a lot but seriously doesn’t feel hungry. Like ever. And when she eats it’s maybe 10 bites. She also struggles on shot days and a couple days after with feeling sick and fatigued. She is taking it for diabetes and her blood sugar numbers have improved drastically so she will stick with it. She did keto and really cut her carbs back and was still struggling with high sugars so I do feel this is right for her, I just hate that she has to feel yucky. Another friend who has a lot of weight to lose tried it for a year and all it did was make her horribly constipated. I have another friend who has gastroparesis (not from one of these meds but from weight loss surgery) and she has been very close to dying because she has lost so much weight and has to have 24 hour IV nutrition. She’s a young mom. Another friend tried it for her diabetes, never lost weight and her numbers didn’t really go down.
All that to say that out if everyone I know that has tried it, the majority have rough side effects and it doesn’t make everyone lose weight. Because of that I’m wary. I know it can work and I know that I need to do something even though my A1C is still pretty low. I’m just very nervous about it.
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Post by Merge on Dec 18, 2023 19:08:14 GMT
One question I have about those whose insurance is covering it - will they continue to cover it for a lifetime, even if you’re no longer overweight and/or diabetic? The cost is not insubstantial if you’re paying out of pocket.
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mamallama
Full Member
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Sept 14, 2018 7:30:33 GMT
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Post by mamallama on Dec 18, 2023 19:31:47 GMT
For a lot of people these may be life long medications. Just like thyroid meds, or blood pressure meds, they get the symptoms/disease under control but they don't cure it. So even when a person's blood pressure is normal - they still stay on the medication. If people have some of these metabolic issues that the weight loss drugs correct, then it's likely that they will need these drugs for long term weight maintenance. It’s my understanding, though, that they don’t correct the underlying metabolic issues. They simply slow the movement of food through the GI tract so you stay full longer and eat a lot less. Perhaps I’m wrong. IDK. I was under the impression that it works with your pancreas on insulin resistance and that’s why it’s a diabetes drug.
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mamallama
Full Member
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Sept 14, 2018 7:30:33 GMT
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Post by mamallama on Dec 18, 2023 19:34:03 GMT
One question I have about those whose insurance is covering it - will they continue to cover it for a lifetime, even if you’re no longer overweight and/or diabetic? The cost is not insubstantial if you’re paying out of pocket. I think once you’re diabetic you remain diabetic even if you A1C is under control. Because the meds are keeping that A1C under control I would assume that insurance would continue to pay for it like any other diabetic med. I am not sure how it works for weight loss though.
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Post by Charlotte on Dec 18, 2023 19:50:03 GMT
My NP has been helping me find the one that works for me and my insurance. She gave me a free month of Ozempic and Wegovy. I also was on Victoza and a compounded version. But when the FDA approved Mounjaro for weight loss my insurance finally agreed to pay. My insurance wouldn't cover anything "off-label."
Since May I have lost about 40 pounds. I have about 75-100 more pounds to go. The only side effect I have experienced on any of them was slight nausea if I overeat.
Other "side effects" include, reduce in blood pressure, improved cholesterol, my CRP went from over 7 to 2.43.
I have been more active and exercise regularly now. My thoughts around food have been silenced, meaning I don't use food as an excuse to take a break from work. Or eat to deal with emotions.
My friend (and accountability partner) had weight loss surgery over two years ago, but when she went to plastic surgeon, they wanted her to lose 50lbs more. The Wegovy has helped her with those final pounds. Bringing her total weight loss to 180lbs.
It has been life changing for me and if I have to stay on it the rest of my life, so be it.
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huskergal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,992
Jun 25, 2014 20:22:13 GMT
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Post by huskergal on Dec 18, 2023 20:01:21 GMT
I applaud all of you who are pointing out the stigma against overweight people. If you have never had a weight issue, you cannot understand.
I lost 40 pounds in 2019. Starting with July 2020, I have regained all of it. ALL OF IT! I work out. I try to eat healthy, but as someone said, it isn't just about eating. I am a stress eater. I try and cut sugar. As soon as I eat something with sugar, I have to fight off the addiction.
I know how to lose weight. I know all the right things to do. Talk to alcoholics, drug addicts, and smokers. It isn't that easy.
I have been battling my weight since I hit puberty.
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milocat
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,429
Location: 55 degrees north in Alberta, Canada
Mar 18, 2015 4:10:31 GMT
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Post by milocat on Dec 18, 2023 21:02:32 GMT
Here’s the bottom line: Are there risks? Yes. But there are also risks to being obese, having weight loss surgery, or even just staring an exercise regimen when your body isn’t used to it. Lots of people are injecting things into their bodies on a regular basis, but I’m not being bombarded with articles about the dangers of doing Botox or fillers. People take Accutane for extended periods to control acne, and I haven’t seen multiple threads here about that. Ozempic has been around for years, being injected weekly by hundreds of thousands of people for their diabetes, but I never heard the term “Ozempic butt” until recently. Because it’s completely acceptable to use medication if you’re vain about your wrinkles or acne, but the minute someone thinks you’re doing semaglutide just for your appearance? NOT COOL, YOU SO LAZY. There’s a stigma to being fat, and it’s acceptable to villainize it. I’m not trying to convince anyone they should take it. But there are a lot of people taking it who are ashamed to tell anyone they are because of the judgmental mindset so many here have displayed. And I can’t speak for everyone, but I suspect most of us went into it with our eyes wide open… we spoke with our doctors, we weighed the pros and cons. We didn’t make the choice because we wanted to wear a bikini. Agree with determining if the risks for taking a weight loss medication greater than the risks of the state you are currently in. Maybe a person would be able to get off a bunch of their other medications they are on because of their size and that's worth something. All of those other medications certainly don't have zero risk but no one is judge for taking those medications. Weight is so much more than calories in and calories out or willpower. There are plenty of skinny people who eat horribly, no one side eyes them when they are eating something "bad". Being overweight causes inflammation, inflammation can cause weight gain. All kinds of things like hunger signals, insulin resistance, hormones are messing up your "willpower". Metabolism isn't functioning well because of years of crazy diets. So if medication can give back this area of someone's life why are we judging it. Weight and mental health can be so harshly judged but want some botox and it's all about empowering yourself, if that's what makes you feel good. It won't be prescribed to prevent diabetes because "health care" isn't about health and prevention it's sick care. I'm sure some will be told when your numbers are high enough then we'll discuss putting you on something.
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Post by pjaye on Dec 18, 2023 22:32:31 GMT
One question I have about those whose insurance is covering it - will they continue to cover it for a lifetime, even if you’re no longer overweight and/or diabetic? The cost is not insubstantial if you’re paying out of pocket. I don't know about American insurance, so i can't comment on that part. There are now 3 legitimate options and a few more in the trial phase. The patent for semaglutide (Ozempic & Wegovy) runs out in 3 years and then other companies can make generic versions. Therefore in the next 5-10 years there is going to be more competition in pharmaceutical sector and more drug options so the price is going to drop significantly. Currently it's so high because there's only 1 company making the two most popular versions, and with all new drugs, they are looking to make as much money as they can while they have the exclusive patent, because after that runs out the profits drop significantly. For those who don't know the big pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars on research and testing, so if they are able to produce a drug that works successfully, then they get exclusive rights to make that drug for the next 20 years, during that time, no other drug company is allowed to make it. In simple terms they apply for the patent as soon as they think they have a legitimate option, but the patent also includes the trial phase. So if they spend 10 years testing the drug before it hits the market, then they'll have 10years where only that company can make that drug, and understandably they look to make as much money from it as possible during that time. Once the 20 year patent is up - then the other drug companies are allowed to start manufacturing their own versions of the drug (generic) and once those hit the market the price starts to drop because there's now competition for the first version and they usually make the generic version much cheaper because they didn't have to spend the original millions/billions to create the drug in the first place. All of that to say that over the next few years these drugs are going to get cheaper and cheaper, it won't be a situation in 10 years' time where they cost several hundred dollars per month, so for a lot of people the insurance issue won't matter as much. If they are able to make a tablet version then the costs will plummet again because some of the high costs associated with the current injectable versions are due to the injector pens.
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