How Ozempic, other weight-loss drugs are "changing medicine" 

Me too. Not yet to 40 pounds but I have 100 to go to be healthy. Insulin shots are a quick jab, not a wheel-of-fortune mega spin on the pen!

There biggest sponsor won’t like that 😊

It’s been around for years to treat diabetes.

more like 18 years

I’ve been on it for several years. Works great.

This is why it is crucial to do resistance training during the weightloss journey, and supplement with collagen peptides.

@@CoachAndrew77 Collagen or protein. Period. Keep that protein up and make it a part of your healthy diet. Eggs, chicken, fish...paired with healthy fat like avocado, combined with fiber, which taking all three means you stay satiated and are less likely to eat poorly.

@beverlyweber4122 My diet is exclusively low carb wraps w/ Tuna fish or can chicken, boneless skinless chicken breast, eggs. Protein shakes or bars on the go. With starter dose of ozempic I've lost 30 lbs in 2 months.

Sadly, loose skin is genetic as are stretch marks. All the collagen supplements, hydration, and strength training doesn’t change genetics. You have to have subdermal skin procedures, laser, or surgery to tighten skin sometimes.

I visited several plastic surgeons after my weight loss. Only plastic surgery can remove loose skin.

I feel,so happy for you ❤❤❤❤ sounds really awesome

That’s nice but focus on diet too

In this case, it's actually true. That's why DOCTORS are prescribing it, not idiot diet and health gurus.

@@VernCrisler It's not a miracle drug. Everyone I know on it is sick a hell from it.

@@VernCrisler Doctors are not fail proof and sometimes they get kickbacks from pharmaceutical companies to promote certain drugs. Buyer beware.

@@VernCrislerthere are some red flags like thyroid cancer in rats during clinical trials

Also for people who say we aren’t rats, that’s 100% true… but With shared genes, we share around 99% with rats, which has been published online. With working DNA we share around 97.5% with rats and mice.

Amen to that!

Dirty CALORIES. Fixed it for you.

Exactly! People in bodybuilding competitions know this, you cannot just load up caloric surplus on donuts, sugars, etc then pump performance enhancing drugs into your system to "balance it out"

@@hassanbeydoun2460 sounds like a recipe for the grave. Crap nutrition and juice. Sugar has its uses for some very healthy athletes after hard cardio, extreme training. But in general, just cut the sugar entirely.

@@CoachAndrew77 Precisely!

So…. Let’s say there was no shortage of the medication.. would you still have a problem with social media influencers taking it strictly for aesthetics? Because we’re headed towards a future where there’s no shortage of these types of medications.

@@alianaweston2286those who want this for pure “vanity” should not prioritize themselves above those with actual obesity, especially severe obesity, which is a serious disease that kills and has so many other social and physical and other repercussions that come with it…but personally, after accessibility issues are solved, I think people who want it for “vanity” (or less severe issues) should be able to access. Because prevention is actually more important. And it helps with other issues too.

@@alianaweston2286 Influencers are like the "cute girls" in middle school. Always showing off and pretending to know everything. The best 'influence' is seeing your 312 pound diabetic mother figure out how to calm those cravings, develop healthier eating patterns, and find energy to get out and about to move her body more...thus helping to ensure you (the adult child) won't be watching her decline prematurely. Now THAT is an influence that folks should be INSPIRED by every day!

@@beverlyweber4122 ummm ok. Happy for your mother but that isn’t relevant to my question.

@@beverlyweber4122 please explain why I’m an “adult child” 🤣 so many weirdos on the internet.

Do you plan on taking it forever?

"probably a result of this drug" is hardly a large, double blinded study on the issue. At best it's a guest, a bad guess too for if it were true we'd see a lot of people with these symptoms and problems. We don't. That in and of itself should tell you that it's probably not this drug. Are there side effects that can affect people? Sure. All drugs have side effects. But you site one anedoatal case and the plural of anedoate is not data!

This is so irresponsible. First of all, no doctor would ever say "probably because of Ozempic", so that never happened. Second, and most important, you can't give out opinions as medical fact, because there are too many ignorant people that look for things and believe them. People have died after taking aspirin too, that doesn't mean death is a "side effect" of aspirin, or that aspirin kills. So tired of all the Dr. Googles out there thinking they know better than SCIENCE.

The drug, semaglutide, is FDA approved for weight loss, as well as for diabetes. Those taking it for I've are not taking anything away from anyone else.

There are 2 different labels for each of these meds. Ozempic and Mounjaro cannot be prescribed for obesity, as far as insurance goes. This protects people with diabetes. But also, who's to say that diabetes is the worse disease out there. And with so many other options for diabetics, I don't see one being more important.

​@@msjr1765 Ozempic is marketed as Wegovy for weight loss.

It’s so important but not everyone is able bodied. So many have painful and permanent conditions that inhibit even walking.

There is no "American diet."

It't US foods period that have too many hormones and pesticides. I ate way more when I lived in Central America. I ate tons of chocolate, all kinds of breads from the bakery, tons of rice--very carb heavy diet with little protein because chicken was expensive if you weren't raising them and beef was unheard of as part of the normal diet. I lost 25 pounds in one month of living there. That's when I realized it had to do with the food in the US. It's just not clean food.

Yes and no. The 'betes has been around for a long long time. People eat like kings now. People also eat a lot of garbage too. If people would just eat real food and not gorge themselves it would fix a lot their problems. What is meant by real food? Deep down everyone knows. They just don't want to eat it.

Everything is a chemical

Absolutely!!! Why don’t they address this ??? Lobbyists and corporate greed

There is no standard American diet.

So THAT's why people in other countries are obese and eat different diets. WHO KNEW!!!!!

​@@shakeyj4523 Many countries around the world have started westernizing their diets in the last 30 years. Mostly increases in meat, dairy, and processed foods consumption. Cardiometabolic diseases are on the rise there too

YES there IS! The “Western Diet” is characterized by high amounts of processed foods, refined carbohydrates and added sugars, refined fats, high fat dairy products and red meat. If you are fat you don't eat right and you don't get enough exercise. @@VernCrisler

Also lack of sleep, high stress jobs, always on call and people nagging about your weight. It makes you emotionally eat because you are defeated at all turns. Cortisol is in overdrive.

Then you need to read more about these GLP-1 / GIP / Glucagon drugs. They are described by medical researchers as a game changer for diabetic and obesity management.

Totally agree. I was about to retire from a job that affected my health……type ll, cholesterol and blood pressure. I was prescribed three drugs. I did a lot of research and kept records. Visited the doctor two weeks later and asked her if I had the ability to correct my issues myself without these drugs. She asked me to read my notes. She smiled, told me not to take any of the drugs and made an appointment for a year. She told me none of her patience do this kind of research and only want the ‘quick fix’ drugs. A year later, no cholesterol’s or blood pressure problems and am now pre-diabetes. All because of what you said……exercise, sleep and diet.

@@Gary-sx5ox Kudos to you for your earnest due diligence. Become a creature of good habits and live your best, healthy life 👍

I’m guessing you haven’t read all the info about GLP-1 meds. The doctor’s office where the medication is prescribed, is supposed to tell us us that while on these drugs, we’re supposed to work with the drug by limiting our food intake (e.g., 100-130 grams of protein, 100 grams of carbs) and get plenty of exercise. At least, that’s what my doctor’s office told me.

Uhm, Diabetes is hereditary. Just like any other disease or cancer. I know people who have the healthiest lifestyles and still suffer from diabetes. Sure you can improve numbers while eating healthy and living an active life style. That's not always the case.

Congrats. But yours is a very atypical result. Lifestyle changes ARE important. And, in fact, the majority of ppl on these meds are doing lifestyle changes ALONGSIDE the meds. Because you get your best results that way. BUT, diet and exercise ALONE don’t work well enough for ppl with a lot of weight to lose. Ask a bunch of obese ppl… most of them have already TRIED lifestyle change to lose weight. Repeatedly. And, they either didn’t lose *enough* weight to resolve their obesity, OR they did but could not KEEP it off. 😭 And there are really good biological reasons why this is so. Your body doggedly DEFENDS the highest weight you’ve ever been at. If you lose a significant amt of weight, it will slow down your metabolism and increase your hunger. Because it thinks you’re *starving.* Just the way it works, sadly. 🤷‍♀️ So while *you* may’ve achieved fantastic results through lifestyle alone, that is NOT the average person’s experience. Which is why these meds can be REALLY helpful. They keep the body’s set-point defenses at bay, so that lifestyle changes can actually WORK WELL for almost anybody. 👍 I would call it the ‘democratization of weight-loss’. And a medical breakthrough that’s long overdue. 🌟

I was like that and then I gained it back because if you restrict yourself too much, it's going to backfire on you sooner or later.

@@cloakster I didn’t know anything about diabetes II when I was first diagnosed approximately five years ago. I then did some reading and learned enough to get along. It’s a terrible disease. For example, once a year a diabetic has to get a “Diabetic Eye Exam” because diabetes can cause blindness. Also, a diabetic is urged to never walk barefoot because even a small cut on the bottom of a foot might never heal. It goes on and on. I don’t remember my first A1C but I imagine it was above 13 or so because I had to inject insulin into my bloodstream every day. I absolutely hated it. I went to my local hospital which sponsored a free diabetes class and this is just one of the interesting things I learned: A diabetic can eat anything they want as long as it’s not large amounts. During the time that I weighed 250 pounds I would swallow down two Whoppers, a medium fries, and a medium sugar drink (for a grand total of 1,639 calories) without batting an eye. I knew there was something that I had to do, and that was to eat less food. I had two goals in mind: To lose weight, and to lower my A1C. Unfortunately, what happened to me is exactly as you describe. The less I ate the hungrier I became. I wouldn’t exactly call it “starving”, but I was definitely hungry. After six months or more I weighed in at about 170 pounds but my doctor took me off insulin and replaced it will pills. But, I hated taking the pills too. At about this time I wondered if maybe I was eating the wrong stuff. Maybe I needed to eat healthier foods and food recommended for diabetics and pre-diabetics. So, I consulted with a Registered Nurse on what foods I need to be eating. She wrote the following on a Post-It Note which I still have on my refrigerator: LOW CARB / SUGAR - Meats - Eggs - Cheese - Nuts - Most Veggies (If you want a potato eat the skin w/ it). - Oils - Most Condiments / Spices Write down your meals w/ Blood Sugars! About halfway through the year 2023 I got a phone call from my doctor which became one of the most wonderful calls I’ve ever received. I’m paraphrasing now but basically they told me that I no longer had diabetes. They told me that I could stop taking my medication and stop checking my blood sugars. They finished the call by saying “Keep up the good work” and “We’re proud of you!” Of course, the truth is that I do still have diabetes. It’s not called “Pre-Diabetes”. It’s called “Diabetes controlled with Diet”. However, I will never be able to walk barefoot again. And, I’ll always have to get my eyes checked once a year. As of the end of October, 2023, my A1C was 4.5. I agree with you on almost all of your points, and I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I read your post at least four times, and I will read it again. I believe, as you do, that many, many people need a lifestyle change alongside the meds. But, I also believe people eat way too much food to begin with. Eat one Whopper instead of two. It’s hard to do at first, but before you know it you’ve trained your brain to accept it and it no longer hurts. Finally, cut it down to no Whoppers all. Again, your brain will figure it out and you will ultimately stop starving to death. As for Sugar. Oh, my! Go a year without sugar and then take a bite of chocolate pie. You won’t believe you ever ate sugar at all. Sugar and being too heavy is like eating Diabetes on a Stick. By the way, when I write No Sugar I mean as little sugar as possible because there’s sugar in almost everything.

It actually does. There are studies that correlate over eating to previous sexual abuse.

I have heard this as well. Not to mention that for many the issue of emotional eating isn't resolved by suppressing hunger.

I'm Type II diabetic and took Ozempic for eight months and had IBS the entire time I was on the medication. Everything I ate ran straight through me and the gastrointestinal upset was unpredictable to the point I was becoming afraid to leave my house. Once I stopped, the IBS stopped within days. Ozempic is one of only 600 FDA approved prescription drugs with a black box warning. IMO it's poison and I wouldn't be surprised if Ozempic and its clones are eventually pulled off the market.

The side effects are thoroughly discussed in the papers given with the medication. For most people the side effects are minor and temporary. However, a few can't handle the drugs so have to discontinue usage. Also, there was nothing in the drug trials that points to any permanent harm done to the GLP-1 or GIP hormones.

@@VernCrisler I'm a Type 2 diabetic and took Ozempic for 8 months and had to stop because of the chronic IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) it caused, and this was at the lowest doseage (0.25 mg). The gastrointestinal upset issues were so bad and so unpredictable I was becoming afraid to leave my house for fear of unexpectedly pooping on myself! The IBS abated only days after stopping Ozempic. What wasn't mentioned here is the black box warning Ozempic and Monjauro carry. For me, Ozempic was poison.

_"Sometimes severe"_ was noted.

Well at least the grocery bill is lower lol

Wrong lesson; Parents, teach your kids not to pick on other kids!

@@mikedixon4598 As someone who was picked on all weekdays that end in "Y" in middle school (🥴), I definitely agree with you. Parents are supposed to be teaching their kids not to do that. The unfortunate reality is...the kids who do this usually have sorry-A parents who likely do the stuff themselves at home. We can't count on them to do right. 😔

Parents are usually our first bullies, unfortunately. My mom had a huge problem with my weight since i was probably 6/7. Yet she forced restrictive diets on me and weight loss meds (starting~9 years old), never cooked me healthy meals, never encouraged exercise, made it extremely easy for me to buy and eat junk food and didn’t allow me to do ballet or karate as i wanted to because i was fat. Even told me i couldn’t have a bf until i was skinny. My skinny older sister has always been perfect to my mom. I am almost 30 and have yet to heal from all the trauma.

​​@@Romerix11I'm so sorry to hear that you experienced that. It's bad enough to face bullying out in the world, you should NEVER have to receive it at home! I send you love in your healing journey.

Easier said than done!

Ozempic gave me IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Everything I ate ran straight through me and the diarrhea was unpredictable. It go to the point I was afraid to leave my house. Once I stopped taking this poison the IBS stopped within days.

For most people, the side effects are minimal and temporary. As with any drug, a few people won't be able to handle them.

over 80% of people have horrible side effects from it. @@VernCrisler

​@carolyncarter2615 a lot of diabetic "like" medicine tends to cause stomach issues I'd you eat sugary foods.

@ChocoBeauty8 no sugars and on ozempic I mostly proteins I was living on 4 to 6 ozs of food per day if I ate any more than that I would vomit my stomach was paralyzed even water would not stay it took me 3 months after I stopped it took 3 months for me to recover from that

Risk / reward is subjective to each individual

Not every overweight or obese by BMI person eats sugar or processed food.

I know right?

100%

You’re better off.

Ask for zepbound. That is the mounjaro version.

Try a small local pharmacy instead of a large chain. Each pharmacy is given the same allotment during the shortage, so the fewer clients a pharmacy has the more likely you will be able to obtain Wegovy. Been a game changer for me.

Yes! Smaller towns and also ask your doctor about approved compounding pharmacies that offer it in the vial form, not in the injector. As far as the comment about you being better off without it... you should listen to her, she obviously knows you and everything about your circumstances... better than you even! Got to feel sorry for people who can't see the world beyond their own noses! Good luck with everything!! Hope you can find the medication you need.

Try to get Victoza (now generic) or Mounjaro (Zepbound). Eli Lilly has a lot more production infrastructure than Novo Nordisk.

Yes you need to take it for life because if you stop the rebound weight gain can be horrible. It’s for morbidity obese folks who failed diet and exercise

- actually I heard some are looking into whether you have to take it forever. They aren't really sure yet.

Its for life - the minute you are off it you gain it all back. The drug companies are laughing to the bank. Its the perfect drug.

typically most people are on it for a year and then are weaned off to avoid rebound weight gain. People may go up 10-15lbs but its usually at net loss of 40-50lbs up to 100+ lbs in some cases if they actually needed the med.

I spoke with my doctor about this drug and yeah, it's for life. You go off and your appetite (and weight) come back.

I need to invest in these companies. This will sell better than the drugs that created the opioid crisis. It’s the perfect prescription drug, they struck gold

Toxins in foods - pesticides, herbicides, artificial/synthetic ingredients, mRNA nanoparticulates, get stored in fat cells. Plus - sugars and seed oils.

Yep

But if you ate that food in a way that kept it at or below your max daily caloric intake you wouldn’t be fat, just unhealthy. Over eating is still the main cause of obesity

I do not eat ANY processed foods, I never have, and I eat fruits and veggies every day. I gained significant weight nonetheless during perimenopause. You can’t tell how healthy someone is or how well they eat based on how big they are.

After my experience with Ozempic, I think it's story has yet to be told. The fact it has a black box warning is telling.

Probably a lot of people who were on the road to heart attack or diabetes will still be around.

I would argue what would their health be like 10 years from now without it. Lets say they don't get it they don't lose weight there are no major lifestyle changes it would lead to longer term health issues related to obesity.

Well said

Beautifully said.

Hate to big pharma

It's not self righteous at all. The issue is that this has become yet another thing used to shame those struggling with weight. If you want to use it and can afford the exorbitant cost, go for it. Not everyone can, and not all think the risks and side effects are worth it.

According to my doctor, yes.

Yes

Most of these high calorie foods aren't "genetically" modified. They simply add sugar or fats to certain "snack" foods to make them taste better. The main problem is that these high calorie foods taste good but are not satiating -- unless you "eat the whole bag." Much better to eat meats, fruits, and vegetables for satiety.

👍🏽

Not necessarily a good thing. See Stones song Mother's Little Helper.

Some people not only have prejudices against fat people, but with fat people losing weight with medication. It’s a form of bigotry. Equating a non-dependence forming drug with benzodiazepines is just another form of bigotry. It’s not a perfect medicine, but with medical supervision it’s a tool for weight loss to achieve a healthy weight and lifestyle.

Chemistry has overcome lack of willpower.

@@donnavannostrand2378 many have tried everything believe me

😂😂😂

wrong. There are dozens of other drugs diabetics can use instead

Who are you to say who "needs" it and who doesn't? This medicine proves that obesity is just as much an illness as diabetes.

Ask for zepbound. That is the mounjaro label for weight.

@@msjr1765 Great information - CVS has it in stock also!! Working with my primary now to get a new script and back out on the Wegovy!!!

Diabetes is reversible. Many doctors have proven this by guiding people thru programs. Dr. Gabriel Cousins for one.

It's venom-derived. It causes semi paralysis of the stomach.

Morbid obesity is fatal, and affects life style in a terrible way. Not just a social problem

and where did you contrive that information from?

@@user-gl5ux5xk3k literally every study ever done on the stuff. The only true way to calculate BMI is with a MRI. Weight or weight loss alone don’t tell the full picture.

I threw up in my sleep and started choking.

@@erniejones5008 YIKES!

Good that you share your experience - reality check!

There is no evidence that GLP-1 / GIP drugs cause pancreatic cancer.

It's the liberal way. They can't handle the truth.