Hmm… not sure if I have POTS. Googling symptoms, I don’t notice any rapid heartbeat when lightheaded. ( In aerobics classes years ago my heart rate always seemed higher than other when starting and during exercise.)
I’ve passed out a few times over past 40 years, including at the eye doctor billing counter - they later said the eyedrops can cause a blood pressure drop, and my bp already low. Probably the news about my new pre-glaucoma diagnosis switching to a medical (not vision) billing code added some stress. The only prescription med I take is nightly eye drops.
My youngest was diagnosed with vasovagal. She has fainted in a lot of interesting places, such as the eye doctor (no eye drops - just hit the deck while walking in the hall), the nail salon chair while getting her fingernails done (several times), during church services (several times) and just recently while we were eating at a restaurant in Italy (we think this instance was linked to a decongestant she had taken followed by an Aperol Spritz). Weird smells get her - rubbing alcohol and some of the smells in a nail salon (also in the nail salon, the vibrations from the filing wand). Also if she gets dehydrated. She’s had a complete cardiac work up and there are no issues. We affectionally refer to her as our “fainting goat”.
Older D had SVT in high school (which at that age can be triggered by hormone surges), which caused her heart rate to soar when she was resting. Fixed it with an ablation.
I got a little woozy during colonoscopy prep last year (probably stress and aversion to IVs). The nurse whipped open an alchohol swab packet, waved it under my nose. That did help.
I had 3 vaccines last Friday, felt a little under the weather Saturday so apparently didn’t eat or drink much, and passed out at a big fundraiser gala Saturday night! That was embarrassing!
I know three people now who are on some form of these drugs.
One is a man we camp with in a group twice a year. I saw him this weekend and he was noticeably slimmer. He is diabetic and struggled with his weight for years. He said he feels great, but he does forget to eat, which for him is shocking. His “numbers” have greatly improved, but he has noticed muscle wasting on his calves. He is combining a better diet and exercise with the medication.
A friend of a friend who I saw last week is on this as a vanity drug - her words. She wanted to lose 10 pounds. She looks much older than the last time I saw her. She looks sickly honestly.
My mother’s friend is on it and has lost about 40 pounds. She said she feels great. Her attempts at exercise were always stymied by aching joints, but the weight loss has really helped.
My SIL who has struggled with her weight for decades is thinking about it. She will admit to simply eating too much and not moving enough. She worries about the cost.
My doctor had suggested this might be an option I should consider, mainly because of my A1c levels. This was back in December. I couldn’t tolerate Metformin at any dose. I tried the Supergut products but many of them (the bars) are loaded with sugar alcohol, so I did not continue with those. My weight was very high mid March when I got a cortisone injection. I knew I’d be seeing my doctor in another month so I enrolled in the Mayo Clinic diet, following the diabetic simple plan. By consistently following it, I’ve lost 17 pounds. My A1c went up, but that may be due to the cortisone.
I know weight loss is a real struggle. Way back when, I swapped my food addiction for an exercise one. I am the last person to judge anyone who is using Wegovy etc. but I’m really nervous about side effects. I have a good friend who is a NP and she has been seeing quite a bit about liver involvement in the literature.
What type of “liver involvement” is your friend referring to? The studies I’ve seen actually seem to show improvements in fatty liver with the GLP1 medications, and there are ongoing studies to test these drugs as a treatment for metabolic-dysfunction associated fatty liver disease, which is common in people with obesity and is currently the second leading cause of liver transplantation. See, for example GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives - PMC
As I’m not a medical professional and I’m not interested in using any of these medications, we did not discuss impact on the liver, positive or negative, in depth. I have seen articles similar to what you posted, which is great. But knowing how miserable I was on Metformin and then trying the Supergut products (which is promoted as Nature’s Ozempic), I really can’t say I’m eager to try anything else that impacts the digestive system. I appreciate you clarifying my offhand comment, I should have phrased that more carefully.
I did weight watchers maintenance the entire time I was doing fertility treatment. Because my issue was hormonal, the fertility drugs helped me lose weight. Researchers had not yet figured out the link between PCOS and diabetes at that point.
Haven’t been able to get my Mounjaro in three months. Five months in, and I’ve had eight weekly doses. Down 15 lbs, but it feels very precarious. My doc is horrified that nothing’s available, but hasn’t switched me to anything else (say, Metformin) to deal with the diabetes, either.
My spouse is on both metformin and Ozempic. Since he doesn’t watch his diet, though, his a1c is still well over 8.
My point is that in my situation, I really need to be on something for my a1c, even if it’s ‘just’ Metformin. Was going on Mounjaro for my a1c, to support my heart (thanks to the full arrest I had as a result of my chemo drug), and lastly, for weight loss.
I have been on Zepbound since Jan 1 and I’ve lost 30 lbs. I have tolerated it pretty well but this last month at 7.5 has definitely made me nauseous. I haven’t thrown up but it’s not a great feeling. I don’t have diabetes and I don’t take it with Metformin. At my heaviest, I was nearing “pre-diabetes” but my doctors were more concerned about my blood pressure and cholesterol.
My husband has lost 55 lbs on Zepbound and Metformin together. He just phased out the Metformin since it was zapping his energy pretty hard. I think it’s tough to do those things together once you have lost a lot of weight.
There’s a big Zepbound shortage and I think I have seen the last of my supply for the time being. I might switch to Wegovy. I have about 10-15 more pounds to lose and I don’t want to gain any back so I feel I need something.
I went to pick up my meds yesterday and there is a nationwide shortage of my brand at my dosage. I go to the NP tomorrow to decide if I should drop down to the lower dosage or change to another medication (where I’d probably have to start at a lower dosage and work my way up again). The pharmacist read off all the brand names and dosages available and said to have the office call and ask what they can get. Also, some aren’t available for diabetes, and since I want my insurance to pay, it will have to be one of the ones that is approved. I bet I’ll just go back to the lower dose until they start making the higher dose again.
I guess I’m lucky, I have been at goal weight now for many months and was taking 5mg Zebound every 21 days. Due to the shortage I’ve been waiting over 9 weeks for my next box. I’ve been on this journey for 20 months, spent a bunch of money lost 110 pounds and really don’t want to go backwards when I finally feel good and healthy, I feel I’m being forced to go the compounded route (my insurance covers no weight loss drugs so I’m all self pay)
I was feeling optomistic but now I feel that the rug has been pulled from under me as it’s nowhere to be found.
All of the studies (granted they are done by the drug company) say if you come off you will gain the weight back as the metabolic imbalance will return. The goal is it have the lowest dose possible to maintain.
My personal opinion is , if you have a genetic/metabolic problem for your obesity you will need these drugs for life. But if a person is obese just by overeating and no exercise these people could come off the drugs with persistent lifestyle changes.
