I’m a nurse and well versed in nutrition, despite my education I still could not lose weight. Hormones and genetics play a huge role, it is not sustainable to simply say eat more fruit and veg.
I stayed with a doc for 15 years who had this mindset, I dreaded my infrequent visits and my last visit with him was very traumatic. I had just injured my knee hiking, my pain was a 9 out of 10 and he focused on my weight and not the injury. I cried at that office visit as he was not listening despite knowing my history and that was the last time I saw him.
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Strange, I see nothing but negative scare stories. I set a Google alert so I could keep up on this subject; every day it’s headlines like this:
Taking Ozempic and Other GLP-1 Drugs Linked to Serious GI Side Effects - Healthline
Ozempic craze sends beer and snack stocks plummeting - Head Topics
CBC Lite | New study ties weight-loss drugs Wegovy, Ozempic to serious gastrointestinal conditions
Ozempic, Wegovy may be linked to stomach paralysis and other digestive issues in large-scale study
Weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy may lead to serious complications, study finds
Popular weight loss drugs linked to higher risk of serious gastrointestinal problems
New research states weight loss drugs can cause serious, even deadly side effects
Weight-loss drugs make their way into India (illegally). Why should we be wary
Wegovy class has higher GI side effect risk than older weight loss drug in study | Reuters
Weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy come with potentially serious side effects, study finds
Popular weight loss drugs linked to rare but severe stomach problems, study finds
Weight loss-aiding drugs Ozempic and Wegovy are dampening food sales, top Walmart exec says
Study Confirms Risk of Gastro Issues for People Taking Wegovy, Ozempic - USNews.com
I left out the finance/stocks/earnings-related stories, and a very small handful of more even-handed stories.
That’s from the last three days
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This doesn’t surprise me at all. GI upset, pancreatitis and thyroid cancers are the main warning re these meds.
I am a member of a couple of ‘support’ fb groups and I’m truly concerned for a lot of people.
It is recommended to stay at the lowest dose that is working but some people are racing to get to the highest dose…. It’s supposed to titrate up.
Some people have been to the ER several times for vomiting and dehydration but don’t stop the drug.
Some people try to survive off 1 protein shake per day because they can’t eat yet they continue to use the med.
people have had bowel obstructions but once recovered start again.
It’s really sad the lengths some people will go to to lose weight but it also highlights how desperate some people feel.
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This is a concern. It’s wonderful for those with obesity and certain health issues, obviously. But I really felt we were getting away from the obsession with being thin and I feel like the use of these medications to lose 10 or 20 pounds, the constant promotion of them via social media and the open abuse of them by those in the spotlight is a move in the wrong direction.
I’m of two minds about doctors who yell about weight.
One doctor told me I needed to lose weight when I complained about knee pain. Uh, my dude, the knee pain started from an overuse injury from when I was running marathons and an ultra and had to quit running, which is why I had put on about 20 pounds. So, yeah, that is not what was causing my knee pain. I changed doctors.
The other time a doctor talked to me about losing weight she yelled at me, and I needed it. It was my ob-gyn, and I was having trouble getting pregnant. My whole life I had had irregular periods and knew it would be a struggle, but she told me that losing weight would help along with a whole host of ideas. Well, I thought this was a mere suggestion, but when I went back a few months later she lit into me. I left the appointment and cried. I wanted to be pregnant more than anything and who knows why I didn’t “hear” her. I was more than 200 pounds. Well, after that dressing down, I lost more than 20 pounds and got pregnant. I will defend her to this day. She knew what I needed to do/hear, and even if it took yelling at me about it, I wouldn’t change a thing. But I think there has to be true trust there. I loved her and purposefully picked her for her straightforward demeanor. It stung at the time, but I needed to hear that.
Oh, I remember a third time a doctor’s office told me to lose weight. It was a nurse who called back with blood test results and “doctor’s instructions.” This is after the visit I wrote about above when he offered Ozempic. She told me that he would like me to “get more exercise and lose weight.” I told her “I’ve lost 60 pounds and exercise every single day so I’m not sure exactly what else you’d have me do, but I will take this under advisement.” 
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That’s what I meant about doctors who find it easier to write a prescription and move on.
I had a doctor fat shame me when I was pregnant after being horribly sick during my first trimester and losing a bunch of weight. I went home and cried for hours. Yes I started that pregnancy overweight but not by that much…and it was after losing our son. Same doctor also thought it was appropriate to lecture me about my weight right before an early delivery (preterm labor), after a high risk pregnancy, where I was on bedrest from 18 weeks on. What I would like to say about that doctor would get me flagged.
Thankfully I never had a GP that made me feel badly about my weight.
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I’m so sorry. Moms of premies feel enough guilt already without a doctor adding to that. Lots of premies are born to skinny people, your child’s early delivery had nothing to do with your weight.
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When people ask me how much weight I gained when pregnant the first time, I can honestly say 30 pounds. Everyone says…gee that’s not bad…until I tell them I was only pregnant for six months.
I have an opposite weight story. Like many, I have gained about 10 extra pounds I would like to lose. I’ve brought this up with my doctor a few times, and she politely tells me I do not need to lose any weight and she wouldn’t suggest I do so. She keeps reminding me that a ten pound weight gain at my age is not anything to be concerned about. So…I’m going with it.
I understand most doctors mean well but after listening to the Maintenance Phase podcast and the indignities and neglect some heavy patients have had to endure from the medical profession - hearing about doctors yelling at patients is shocking (+ sad and pretty infuriating).
Maybe I’m sensitive.
But I would hope that this doesn’t devolve into doctor bashing. I understand that doctors are all different.
I would enjoy this conversation be about weight loss medication and people’s journeys.
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Back to the original question. Where are people getting the compounded meds? Around my area we have a couple of wellness clinics who perform physicals immunizations and medical weight loss, a couple of urgent cares do these compounded meds and numerous med spa’s also have them.
I do know of some people who use tele health and get the Meds by mail but that just seems risky to me.
So far I have only taken brand name mounjaro, I haven’t decided what I’ll do when I run out of my current supply. Now that I am a normal weight I really have a hard time justifying the high price.
I understand. Doctors can be concerned, encouraging and very serious about the situation without being rude. That never helps. As someone upthread overheard. Awful.
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It definitely shouldn’t. I think these answers were in response to the comment that doctors should be “challenging” their overweight patients, and how those challenges can sound.
I specifically wrote above about how empathetic my doc is (though her office has yet again bungled the insurance authorization by sending old information, so that is definitely trying my patience. She, though, is a gem.)
You misinterpreted my post. I said some doctors might find these conversations challenging (for themselves, eg if their interpersonal skills aren’t great) and so those doctors might prefer to just write a prescription and move on to the next patient.
My doctor was the same although I have a BMI of 29. I said “I’m borderline obese!” This was during a convo about ozempic and I think maybe she didn’t think she could get it approved by my insurance or that I wasn’t a high priority patient for the drug. After a little bit more discussion she told me she’d see what she could do, and two hours later I got a notification that I had a Rx for Saxenda waiting.
As I noted earlier, it was only $150 for a two month supply, but it didn’t work for me as it aggravated a tachycardia problem I have. I also lost a lot of hair. It’s too bad as it really did work well to reduce my appetite.
Someone recently mentioned upthread that people ought to be able to use the dose that works best for them, but my medication had instructions to stop taking it if the target dose couldn’t be tolerated. Not sure why that would be advised. I think I could have tolerated a smaller dose as my appetite was reduced almost immediately (my med had daily injections).
These medications must do something beside reduce appetite…which therefore reduces eating…which I can do by myself.
What is that?
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The most common way that Mounjaro works for weight loss is by increasing insulin sensitivity in the body. This causes cells to take up glucose from the bloodstream faster than normal, which reduces overall caloric intake as well as fat storage in the body. It also helps reduce appetite and cravings by signaling satiety hormones to be released more quickly in the body. Additionally, since it increases insulin sensitivity in the body, this helps improve metabolic functions and reduce fat accumulation in cells
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The reduction in calorie intake, particularly snacks, is very substantial. Here’s an excerpt from a Wall St analyst report estimating the reduction in food purchases amongst Ozempic users:
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Plot twist!
- Got a letter over the weekend erroneously turning down for the same wrong reason that the last turn down did.
- Called insurance–they DID have the right info, and it was just approved.
- yay!
- Called CVS to check if they got the update
- Not yet, but anyway, they haven’t been able to get it for months, nor has anyone in the area.
Pardon me while I bang my head against a wall.