This doesn’t surprise me. Instagram, Tik Tok, etc are flooded with ads for these drugs. I recently read an article where the journalist filled out various profiles to qualify for these drugs. No bloodwork, no verification that her answers were truthful, no worries if she said she just wanted to lose 20 pounds even though she was healthy and thin etc. Also no follow up or guidance.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/06/06/ozempic-weight-loss-ruth-marcus/
Opinion: I lost 40 pounds on Ozempic. But I’m left with even more questions.
https://wapo.st/3RAKoTq (gifted)
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just read this article. its sort of heartbreaking - what this kid went through as a middle schooler (Really mean girls because of her weight). I’m not sure what to think as its so new, and no one knows how long your body will respond to it. years? decades? but for now at least its giving this one kid a fighting chance of normalacy in high school . . .
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Interesting article- two genes- one that turns on hunger and one of satiety that feels full. I never thought of that before.
The teen in the article seems like the kind of patient that could benefit from meds, probably worth the risks if family is in favor. I was surprised to read that she was doing meds and then also bariatric surgery (assumed it would be one or the other). But it is indeed an extreme case.
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I have a friend who told me yesterday that her sister-in-law, who is 5’3”, is now down to 100lbs after being on the semiglutide shots. She says she doesn’t look very good in her opinion. Doc (Idk if this is the doc who is monitoring her injections or not), told her not to lose any more weight and that the weight she is now losing is 50% muscle (how do they know this??). She has never been particularly heavy, but she doesn’t want to stop taking the injections. Doc told her to get and use a rowing machine. All sounds odd to me.
I don’t know the clinical definition of anorexia, (my friend says her sister-in-law is not anorexic) but I do wonder about the connection between these drugs and eating disorders. Both in terms of those who have eating disorders prior to taking these drugs OR the possibility of developing them as a result of taking them.
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Maybe she is diabetic?
Would that be considered “underweight”?
Theoretically, they could be using DEXA or other body composition measures… but otherwise, they may be assuming that weight loss through eating restriction (what semaglutide and similar drugs effectively do) without exercise tends to result in substantial muscle loss (an assumption that is likely correct).
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This has always been my concern with these drugs. It’s concerning that social media is saturated with very popular “influencers” using these drugs and flaunting the results. One influencer weighed 130 pounds when she started - she’s 5’9 and no, she doesn’t have diabetes. She’s down to 110.
Doctors often seem to be at the forefront of the abuse of drugs; similar to overprescribing opioids to celebrities (and the general population) resulting in the opioid epidemic, and the feds stepping in to restrict production and usage that has badly impacted people suffering from chronic pain. Mainly due to doctors not doing their job.
Now there are shortages for diabetics because someone wants to lose 20 lbs and that’s on the doctors. I hope there are penalties imposed on doctors who do this.
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I don’t think so.
Ozempic is for diabeties but Wegovy is for weight loss. It’s exactly the same drug.
Mounjaro is for diabeties, Zepbound is for weight loss it’s exactly the same drug. If there is a shortage of these meds for diabeties blame the drug companies not the patients who need these meds.
If they couldn’t keep up with supply they shouldn’t have marketed the weight loss version.
My mom is diabetic and 400 pound, I was obese, pre diabetic and needing a knee replacement. I’m not going to feel guilty for taking a med to help me get healthy. I am now a healthy normal weight and my old knee is feeling great.
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Why would you feel guilty? You sound like the target demographic for this drug.
A 5’9” 130 lb non-diabetic woman is at the lower end of a normal BMI, at 110 she’s underweight. Why would she need it? My comment was directed towards the celebrities and others who are using this drug to lose 10 or 20lbs without any other medical condition or necessity. Liberal prescription writing is contributing to the shortage. I feel badly for those who actually need it for medical reasons and are having difficulty obtaining it.
The weight loss version isn’t the one diabetics are concerned about and doctors prescribing Ozempic instead of Wegovy are part of the problem.
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I read the story about the teenager a few days ago. I think it is great that she’s found a way to control her weight. I thought it was sad that the mother said they ate at the grandparents’ house twice a week and they didn’t want the grandparents to give up their meat and potatoes dinners. I wouldn’t have thought the grandparents would do everything they could to help this child change her eating habits to be healthy. If the child (or mother) is afraid to ask the grandparents to help her, how will she react when she gets to college and it’s all you can eat and your friends are always having pizza and beer?
It really takes a change in living style (ask me how I know!). I really wish the mom would have encouraged the grandparents to be part of the solution.
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Id like to circle back to the title of this thread.
We are always going to get unethical doctors esp when money is involved just look at Michael Jackson’s propofol OD. I personally know 12 people taking these drugs by prescription and everyone needs it. My primary doctor prescribes mine, I have to check in every month and get labs done every 3 months and we have discussed in depth nutrition and a maintenance schedule.
I feel the problem with people abusing these meds are the folks getting the compounded (potentially unsafe) version with little supervision and guidance from the many med spas that popped up lately. I also know a couple of people going this route and they seem to be the ones wanting to lose a few vanity pounds as they also overdo the lip fillers and Botox. I might be wrong but I also don’t think the segmagltude or terzipatide from meds spas contribute to the shortage for diabetics.
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If these compounded versions require the same precursor as the “legit” APIs, the compounders could be creating a shortage of the APIs by depleting the precursor supplies. I have no idea if this is the case here, but similar situations happen.
https://wapo.st/3H3dVjE (gifted)
On the surface, the argument seems simple: More than 4 in 10Americans have obesity, a chronic medical condition that is second only to smoking as the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. The class of drugs known as GLP-1s appears highly effective in reducing weight and decreasing negative health outcomes including diabetes and heart disease. Therefore, widespread adoption of these drugs must improve the public’s health.
The reality is more complicated. For many individuals, GLP-1s such as semaglutide (known by brand names Wegovy and Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound) can certainly be transformative. But it’s less clear whether this individual benefit necessarily translates to a societal one.
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After not much improvement in my A1c, I discontinued the metformin I was taking at my doc’s direction. I had switched to the extended release but no change in the GI issues. In March I’ll test again and will decide if I want to try the Ozempic or something else.
I haven’t completely given up hope that diet and exercise can help me. I guess I’ll find out in March.
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The high cost of GLP-1 drugs will increase cost pressure on almost everyone involved in health care (patients, providers, insurance companies, employers, government). Existing cost pressures have negatively impacted health care; increasing them is unlikely to have a positive impact. How much such an effect compares to the positive effects of reducing obesity and associated health problems is presumably what needs to be compared on a societal scale.
Lilly goes direct: