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Post by jeremysgirl on Nov 21, 2024 20:11:50 GMT
Rybelsus no longer provides any appetite suppressant for me. Rybelsus no longer provides any appetite suppressant for me. Thank you for sharing. I have been on a wild mental health ride myself for 23 years and have seen my brain adapt to medications over and over again. In my observations and interactions in.FB groups,I have also noticed a worrying trend, particularly among people that are taking the medication for weight loss only. There seems to be a total lack of counseling that goes along with the prescription. People are buying compounds from India and Mexico over the Internet. The number of prescriptions have skyrocketed with the advent of using Teladoc to obtain a prescription without seeing a doctor in person. It’s very apparent that very few, if any, people are getting much direction on counseling on these drugs. The number of people that come into a group and ask “ when do I take this pill?” “ Can I cut a pill in half?” “ Can I take two instead of one for faster weight loss?” It’s alarming, it’s astounding, and it’s mind-boggling. Did these individual’s doctors not tell them anything? They seem shocked when there are some very adversarial side effects that come along with taking these drugs. I didn't know about any of this. I would hope people would work with their doctors for guidance even if they are buying online. |
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Post by lisacharlotte on Nov 21, 2024 20:12:49 GMT
It saddens me a bit because I just think if anyone should have compassion for another person, surely it should be someone who was once dealing with the same hurdle as another person. Agreed. But there seems to be an ‘I did it, so everyone should be able to’ attitude from many. This attitude always drives me nuts. An alcoholic can give up alcohol. Nobody can give up food. The righteous argument that if one just had enough willpower and desire to make the change they could just as successful, never takes into account it's about much more than alcohol, food, drugs, sex, Internet, cigarettes, etc. Addiction is filling a hole that not everyone is capable of filling with something less harmful. |
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Nov 21, 2024 20:13:12 GMT
I think the only people who could consider it cheating are ones who think being overweight is a moral failing. Wearing glasses isn’t cheating. Taking blood pressure medication isn’t cheating. Taking Viagra isn’t cheating. Even taking semaglutide for diabetes isn’t cheating, but taking it for weight loss, preemptively preventing yourself from developing diabetes, is? Bullshit. Bold mine!! Viagra is NOT life saving, it is a vanity pill. Not needed the same they claim healthcare for women is not needed!! |
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Post by Zee on Nov 21, 2024 20:17:18 GMT
The number of people that come into any fb group and ask stupid questions is truly astounding... Never underestimate the stupidity of people on the Internet. That could be a whole different thread! I have wondered at times how people are even able to function independently.
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Post by Zee on Nov 21, 2024 20:21:40 GMT
I think the only people who could consider it cheating are ones who think being overweight is a moral failing. Wearing glasses isn’t cheating. Taking blood pressure medication isn’t cheating. Taking Viagra isn’t cheating. Even taking semaglutide for diabetes isn’t cheating, but taking it for weight loss, preemptively preventing yourself from developing diabetes, is? Bullshit. Bold mine!! Viagra is NOT life saving, it is a vanity pill. Not needed the same they claim healthcare for women is not needed!! To be fair, the wives or partners are often very grateful for Viagra. I remember a woman who came in each month on a Friday to get free samples for her husband (the patient) and she seemed quite eager to get them. I hope they had a good weekend. |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Nov 21, 2024 20:24:55 GMT
Agreed. But there seems to be an ‘I did it, so everyone should be able to’ attitude from many. This attitude always drives me nuts. An alcoholic can give up alcohol. Nobody can give up food. The righteous argument that if one just had enough willpower and desire to make the change they could just as successful, never takes into account it's about much more than alcohol, food, drugs, sex, Internet, cigarettes, etc. Addiction is filling a hole that not everyone is capable of filling with something less harmful. I'm 7 months out on quitting smoking. I smoked for over 30 years. And I can tell you that if someone told me I had to have three cigarettes daily, but only three, I'd be smoking a pack within a week. LOL! The fact that I can walk completely away from them, makes it easier than food, IMO. And it's still damn hard. |
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Post by melanell on Nov 21, 2024 20:25:41 GMT
I think the idea of even throwing about the word "cheating" in regards to someone trying to live a healthier life or to improve their health, or to deal with medical issues is unnecessary.
On the one hand we are incredibly judgmental, as a society, of people who are over-weight, but then on the other hand, we're going to judge the methods they and their doctors agree might be worth them trying to lose some of the weight in a healthy way? To me that's just throwing one more negative at something that has enough negatives involved already.
Unless one is literally talking about some sort of set short term challenge with actual rules and a prize at the end, then to me the word "cheating" has no place in weight loss, whether when discussing methods, or when discussing times in which a person struggles to meet the goals they set for themselves.
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Post by Texas Scrap on Nov 21, 2024 20:26:36 GMT
I don't think it's cheating. I think it's a tool and if it helps you make better choices about how you're fueling your body so as to lead to better health, then I can see the appeal of using it. However, I have a lot of concerns over the impact these drugs may have on the functioning of the brain. And I say this from a long-term use of mind altering drugs perspective. My bipolar gets worse over time. I get about 3-4 years out of medication before my brain grows adapted to it and a switch needs to take place. We have known for years and years that long term use of anti-psychotics increases the likelihood of dementia. I absolutely have to take medication. I would be totally nuts without it. That's where I've got to do a trade off equation weighing risks with benefits. If the drugs could help me with weight loss, I'd probably gain physical health. But at this point, the trade off of mental health tinkering (especially when I feel balanced right now) just turns me right off. I kind of have this theory that since my brain isn't normal to begin with, that they wouldn't even work on me. LOL! I've had a lot of drugs not work on me. I'm trying to take better care of myself. For me, it's not about weight loss, it is about the things weight loss can help improve like cholesterol, A1C, and blood pressure. I'm working on it, little by little. This is my take as well as the idea that most health issues require more permanent lifestyle and habit changes to address the long term. That said - I have seen on social media some people in my broader circle who were overweight but not significantly so, use the medication to get very, very thin. Not sure if it feels like cheating as much as an abuse of the intention of the medications, but then who is really deciding what the qualifications are and TBH it is really not my business one way or the other, but I do think about it in terms of abuse of the meds in pursuit of thinness - will that become a thing? My general view of ALL medication, (including my personal experience) is that there is always a cost to the body when you use something to alter your systems so the best thing you can do is be aware of what those costs are and be intentional about recognizing them. Whether it is pain meds, mental wellness meds, even cough meds, I know with the relief also comes a “cost” to my body. So I think it is just up to each person to recognize the cost along with the benefits when they decide and choose what meds to take. For many people, the meds are critical to day to day functioning, but not all meds fall into that category. I also think reading Empire of Pain really changed my POV of drug companies and pharmaceuticals in general. I think meds are caught up in an industry that is systemically broken and is not set up to benefit or completely educate the patient first. |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 20:31:48 GMT
Psychotherapy won't fix my metabolic syndrome. But perhaps you didn't mean that as a blanket statement for everyone using it, IDK. Also, I'm never going off it unless I have to. I take the minimum dose and am good there. So it's not a yo-yo thing. (I have definitely been there before!) I do wish I could get the Rx version covered for me for life but my insurance does not cover weight loss meds, and I am only "pre-diabetic" and not diabetic so that's not an option for me either. Gennifer yes I did think of it as a failure on my part, but I'm not judging others the same way. I'm hard on myself when it comes to things I think I "should" be able to do myself without help! And it was hard to admit that what I had always been able to accomplish in the past with diet and exercise just wasn't working in the face of menopausal hormone disturbances. I'm glad to get off that guilt train! You are the pea I me ruined that it helped you because it quieted the voices. That in and of itself isn't cheating because there isn't a therapy known for that. My point was that sometimes we need a med to quiet those voices to see gains. And for DD it helped therapy stick because before she was so focused on everything else that the tools she was learning to manage her anxiety and OCD weren't being taken in by her. No blanket statement. For others, like my friend, it is used as a bandaid. That is why I said other on the poll. I have seen both sides. Out of curiosity, did your friend say she had used it as a bandaid? Or is that your opinion from the outside? Obesity is a complex disease and rarely is there just one cause. I have turned to food out of boredom or to handle emotions, but even after I'd dealt with the mental health aspect, it didn't change the fact that eating few enough calories for me to actually lose any weight left me starving all the time, constantly thinking about food, hangry, headachy, and tired. And nothing stopped the food noise. I've been on the diet roller coaster since I was 11 years old. Semaglutide is like the final piece in the puzzle for me, I think. But someone else might look at me and think it's just a bandaid. IDK. I'm well aware that this is likely a lifetime med for me. I have fears about what will happen if the FDA revokes the right for compounding pharmacies to produce the drug, which makes it more affordable. I would not be able to pay the monthly price for branded semaglutide, as my insurance only covers it for diabetics. I also hope that eventually, as with most drugs, there will be generics, and the price will become more reasonable overall. And that all insurance companies will cover it for weight loss in people who are truly overweight - as they do medication for other conditions. I was opposed to taking it (for me) at first for several reasons, but the lifetime commitment was a big one. The more I thought about it, though, I considered that people who have weight loss surgery have also made a permanent change and a lifetime commitment. I consider this less drastic because it's easily reversible - you simply stop taking it. |
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pantsonfire
Drama Llama
Take a step back, evaluate what is important, and enjoy your life with those who you love.
Posts: 6,239 
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Post by pantsonfire on Nov 21, 2024 20:44:16 GMT
You are the pea I me ruined that it helped you because it quieted the voices. That in and of itself isn't cheating because there isn't a therapy known for that. My point was that sometimes we need a med to quiet those voices to see gains. And for DD it helped therapy stick because before she was so focused on everything else that the tools she was learning to manage her anxiety and OCD weren't being taken in by her. No blanket statement. For others, like my friend, it is used as a bandaid. That is why I said other on the poll. I have seen both sides. Out of curiosity, did your friend say she had used it as a bandaid? Or is that your opinion from the outside? Obesity is a complex disease and rarely is there just one cause. I have turned to food out of boredom or to handle emotions, but even after I'd dealt with the mental health aspect, it didn't change the fact that eating few enough calories for me to actually lose any weight left me starving all the time, constantly thinking about food, hangry, headachy, and tired. Semaglutide is like the final piece in the puzzle for me, I think. But someone else might look at me and think it's just a bandaid. IDK. No, she was very open about it. She tried and unfortunately the health issues from the med were enough to force her PCP to take her off of it. She is fully aware of her relationship with food, that she over eats, and uses food as a safety net for her anxiety and depression. She has dealt with a lot of crap the last 2 years. Who knows if therapy would help or even medications with therapy. As someone who did therapies galore and saw no benefit, I get that it might not. She point blank said I don't want to take the time out of my already busy day to go talk to someone and fix it, this was supposed to fix it. |
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Post by librarylady on Nov 21, 2024 20:45:01 GMT
Have not read answers--but who would you be cheating? How?
Is a person cheating who uses blood pressure Rx?
Is a diabetic cheating to use insulin?
You are using the Rx available to help with a health concern.
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 20:46:00 GMT
Out of curiosity, did your friend say she had used it as a bandaid? Or is that your opinion from the outside? Obesity is a complex disease and rarely is there just one cause. I have turned to food out of boredom or to handle emotions, but even after I'd dealt with the mental health aspect, it didn't change the fact that eating few enough calories for me to actually lose any weight left me starving all the time, constantly thinking about food, hangry, headachy, and tired. Semaglutide is like the final piece in the puzzle for me, I think. But someone else might look at me and think it's just a bandaid. IDK. No, she was very open about it. She tried and unfortunately the health issues from the med were enough to force her PCP to take her off of it. She is fully aware of her relationship with food, that she over eats, and uses food as a safety net for her anxiety and depression. She has dealt with a lot of crap the last 2 years. Who knows if therapy would help or even medications with therapy. As someone who did therapies galore and saw no benefit, I get that it might not. She point blank said I don't want to take the time out of my already busy day to go talk to someone and fix it, this was supposed to fix it. That's unfortunate. What I know from experience is that "doing something about it" often takes over your whole life. It's like a full time job. And that's why a lot of people give up. |
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Nov 21, 2024 20:51:08 GMT
Bold mine!! Viagra is NOT life saving, it is a vanity pill. Not needed the same they claim healthcare for women is not needed!! To be fair, the wives or partners are often very grateful for Viagra. I remember a woman who came in each month on a Friday to get free samples for her husband (the patient) and she seemed quite eager to get them. I hope they had a good weekend. Still NOT life saving. The women who have suffered from the recent removal of healthcare and died, their husbands would be overjoyed to have their wives ALIVE!! |
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Post by Merge on Nov 21, 2024 21:05:35 GMT
I think the idea of even throwing about the word "cheating" in regards to someone trying to live a healthier life or to improve their health, or to deal with medical issues is unnecessary. On the one hand we are incredibly judgmental, as a society, of people who are over-weight, but then on the other hand, we're going to judge the methods they and their doctors agree might be worth them trying to lose some of the weight in a healthy way? To me that's just throwing one more negative at something that has enough negatives involved already. Unless one is literally talking about some sort of set short term challenge with actual rules and a prize at the end, then to me the word "cheating" has no place in weight loss, whether when discussing methods, or when discussing times in which a person struggles to meet the goals they set for themselves. I think it goes along with the belief in our society that thinness = good and virtuous and fatness = moral failure. There are rules for existing in society, and thin, beautiful people are the winners of the game. People who have been thin all their lives are accustomed to feeing superior to the fat people around them. As the fat people are fewer and fewer, they feel less like winners and they don't like it. So they accuse people of "cheating." |
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Tearisci
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,237
Nov 6, 2018 16:34:30 GMT
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Post by Tearisci on Nov 21, 2024 21:33:27 GMT
Have not read answers--but who would you be cheating? How? Is a person cheating who uses blood pressure Rx? Is a diabetic cheating to use insulin? You are using the Rx available to help with a health concern. I don't think it's cheating but 6 people do according to the poll.. |
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scrappinmama
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,120
Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Nov 21, 2024 22:04:48 GMT
I don't think it's cheating, but I don't think it's the ultimate solution either. Neither is bariatric surgery. If you don't change habits, the meds can only take you so far. I've known a lot of people who lose all the weight and then end up right back where they started. I don't know anyone who has successfully kept it off long term without completely changing their diet and lifestyle. So true! I know 2 people who had bariatric surgery and gained some of the weight back within a couple of years. Whatever you choose to lose weight, you need to work on your mental issues with food as well. You need to completely change your lifestyle. |
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Post by Delta Dawn on Nov 21, 2024 22:48:14 GMT
I am going to RANT. Please move along if you need to.
I am sick of doing low carb. It’s so hard to get proper nutrition and I do feel limited from being able to eat some things that I want. I don’t mean all the time but nights like last night. I made delicious Japanese food and Father and I agreed it was just amazing. I made udon noodles in it (read ENOUGH noodles for personal satisfaction). Then there was rice and we poured on the sauce and it was a bit sweet (saké and brown sugar). We both decided it was amazing.
I am not giving up on low carb but I wish there were something I could take where it would control my appetite and still leave me full. My GP warned me I would be semaglutide dependent for the rest of my life. The thing is I will be antidepressant and Crestor dependent for the rest of my life, why not something that makes me not want to being eat?
There has to be a happy medium.
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Gennifer
Drama Llama
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Post by Gennifer on Nov 21, 2024 23:21:44 GMT
I think the only people who could consider it cheating are ones who think being overweight is a moral failing. Wearing glasses isn’t cheating. Taking blood pressure medication isn’t cheating. Taking Viagra isn’t cheating. Even taking semaglutide for diabetes isn’t cheating, but taking it for weight loss, preemptively preventing yourself from developing diabetes, is? Bullshit. Bold mine!! Viagra is NOT life saving, it is a vanity pill. Not needed the same they claim healthcare for women is not needed!! No one said anything about life-saving. Glasses aren’t necessary to extend your life either, but they sure make the life you live better. |
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Nov 21, 2024 23:26:18 GMT
Bold mine!! Viagra is NOT life saving, it is a vanity pill. Not needed the same they claim healthcare for women is not needed!! No one said anything about life-saving. Glasses aren’t necessary to extend your life either, but they sure make the life you live better. Well in WWII when my uncle went to volunteer for military service they refused him because of his eyesight, said he would be a danger to others as well as himself. BTW: Glasses are not vanity.. |
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Gennifer
Drama Llama
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Post by Gennifer on Nov 21, 2024 23:28:57 GMT
No one said anything about life-saving. Glasses aren’t necessary to extend your life either, but they sure make the life you live better. Well in WWII when my uncle went to volunteer for military service they refused him because of his eyesight, said he would be a danger to others as well as himself. BTW: Glasses are not vanity.. Your uncle might not be able to do certain things without glasses, but he won’t DIE if he doesn’t wear them. That’s why they aren’t life-saving, and comparable to Viagra. I didn’t say anything about vanity, either. You keep attributing things to me that I never brought up. |
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Tearisci
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,237
Nov 6, 2018 16:34:30 GMT
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Post by Tearisci on Nov 21, 2024 23:40:17 GMT
Bold mine!! Viagra is NOT life saving, it is a vanity pill. Not needed the same they claim healthcare for women is not needed!! No one said anything about life-saving. Glasses aren’t necessary to extend your life either, but they sure make the life you live better. I couldn't function without glasses so in a way, they are lifesaving. Without them, I couldn't work or drive so what kind of quality of life would I have? Getting back to the thread, for some people (including myself), weight loss can be lifesaving. I'm doing this for my health and quality of life. I mentioned my bed-bound sister earlier and she has no quality of life. I don't want to end up like that and with the high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol that I have, weight loss can definitely help save my life. |
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Nov 22, 2024 2:13:23 GMT
No one said anything about life-saving. Glasses aren’t necessary to extend your life either, but they sure make the life you live better. I couldn't function without glasses so in a way, they are lifesaving. Without them, I couldn't work or drive so what kind of quality of life would I have? Getting back to the thread, for some people (including myself), weight loss can be lifesaving. I'm doing this for my health and quality of life. I mentioned my bed-bound sister earlier and she has no quality of life. I don't want to end up like that and with the high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol that I have, weight loss can definitely help save my life. Weight loss, stop smoking are long term life saving. I said Viagra is not lifesaving. It is vanity. |
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