Doctors/Nurses/Dietitians/healthcare professionals, what are you real and honest beliefs about the whole weight loss injection moment we are having?

I am using Mounjaro off label (though consultant prescribed). To lose weight without Mounjaro I have to stick to under 800 calories a day and very low carbs. That is actually a pretty miserable existence. With Mounjaro I still have to stay under 1000, but that's a lot more doable than under 800 a day.

I didn't know I had gallstones and ended up blue lighted to A and E. You cannot take them if you have gallbladder issues. I'm now scheduled for surgery. I've been in agony and unable to work.
I took wegovy.

But your weight loss is secondary to effective treatment for diabetes and sleep apnoea. Both of which significantly increase your risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. Well done with your weight loss but you don’t need to justify your use of them. They were literally developed for your condition. The worry is people using them to lose weight when they are not significantly overweight or have comorbidities, when a good nutritional diet would achieve the same result.
My BMI was sneaking up so I made the decision to sort it out. I’m now nearly 10kg down with 10kg to go. It was difficult initially but I’m now used to eating healthily so by the end of the year I’ll hit target. I have accepted that with age I need less food.

Given that fast food conglomertes , indeed the fold industry in general, have a vested interest in reducing take up how are they to respond? Our food industry has been for many years produced poor quality food that is deliberately enticing.

If you are the CEO of McDonald's do you try surreptitious camapaigns framing weight loss drugs as untested big pharma?.I think in the US given their suspicion of vaccines it may be possible to away public opinion to view these relatively new drugs with suspision....

@Letsummercommence I think we will have to agree to disagree on that - perhaps a better wording would be it’s an obsession/fixation on a particular subject that they are right and must be seen to be right stall costs , even if it means wishing misfortune on those who don’t agree with them - the anti vaxxer one in particular - people just won’t let it go - have to keep bringing it up everytime anyone mentions ill health - I have seen it today on a post about a local boy of 15 with a brain tumour - the anti vax comments plus laughing emojis - I genuinely think there are a lot of warped people about

I’m not a doctor. I do have a decent education and the ability to understand medical research.

I am morbidly obese. That is dangerous. I have tried for years to lose weight through calorie counting and exercise and I have failed. There are good medical reasons that this is hard for me, but that doesn’t change the fact that losing the weight is important.

I am now on weight-loss meds under my doctor’s supervision. I would not do it any other way. I think in my case, the risk is worthwhile. I would not do this if I was just a bit overweight or if it was about vanity. I’m taking a risk because I’m hoping this saves my life.

That’s unfair.
Isn’t the idea that certain people have “mentalities” stupid in itself . It doesn’t matter if it’s ethnicity, class, Brexit or anything else. There will be a Venn diagram of overlapping agreement somewhere between all people.

Ive had side effects the whole time. Mostly nausea, sometimes vomiting, and sulphur burps but uncomfortably "gassy" regularly, some acid reflux. My presriber also has cyclizine and omeprazole availble as an add on to the injections, i tried both, cyclizine has no effect on me, omeprazole however keeps most of the side effects under control. I also find the food choices i make make my side effects worse, mostly carbs - if i have potato or pasta they are much worse, if i have rice as a carb its much better. I have to be careful with vegetables too, ones that are known to be mose gassy i have to avoid as they are sitting in my stomach much longer. Its beena bit of trial and error over the ast 7 weeks, but im 6 stone down, able to make sure i get the correct calories, and known which foods to have and make sure i always have omeprazole available.

@SwingTheMonkey ah that’s good news- it may just be my own personal concern as 3 weeks in I feel constantly sick and a fair bit of acid reflux/indigestion - I’ve bought rennies today . I do still hope others don’t dismiss it though if they get issues further down the line as’oh it’s just MJ ‘

That's amazing a stone a month. You must feel like a new woman

I can only speak for myself, obviously, but the side effects (and I only had reasonably mild ones) wore off after the first couple of months as my body got used to the medication. I’ve been on it for 7 months now and don’t have any side effects apart from mild appetite suppression and increased satiation.

42 weeks since I started at the beginning of July.

42 weeks since I started at the beginning of July.

@SilenceInside well done 8st gone is huge. Sorry if I've missed it how long has it taken?

Well it’s been a “quick fix”, “easy” and “cheating” due to the Mounjaro of course. 🙄

@SilenceInside fantastic going!!

8 stone down, another 4 to go.

@SilenceInside blimey - good on you - yep I need to lose about 4 . Half a stone down at mo in 3 weeks -

Perhaps. I don’t get any of those side effects any more and haven’t for months and months. I’m not concerned about masking anything more serious. This was always going to be a very long term project for me, as I am not in the same category as you @Crikeyalmighty - I had about 12 stone or so to lose to get to my final target weight, with a starting BMI of just a touch over 50.

I think your maintenance dose should really be one that doesn’t cause you side effects in the first place. Most of those side effects are fairly limited to going up to new doses or the first few weeks of starting the medication, not still just as bad months later on the same dose. I have no side effects on my maintenance dose. If I did, I would reduce it.

One of my slight concerns ( and I’m on week 4) is with regards to those planning on maintenance along term - ( I certainly don’t) is many of the side effects that are pretty common, indigestion, headaches, vomiting/feeling sick, burping, constipation, diarrhoea - along with the wanted side effect of ‘feeling full’. can actually be side effects for some pretty serious things - that are nothing to do with MJ - and I do wonder if some will get missed by putting it down to MJ if used ‘very long term’

Note, I’m absolutely not any type of medical professional but I’ve lost 8 stone in a year and it has been completely life changing for me. I still need to loose another 4 stone to be a healthy bmi but I’ve already completely stopped snoring and my resting heart rate has dropped. My diabetes is in remission.

My only regret is not starting sooner, but I was scared after reading so much bad press.

No one has seemed bothered about side effects for diabetic people for the 20 years these medications have been in use! They don’t seem to all be dropping dead from them and riddled with cancer. Is it just us (former) fatties who get those kind of side effects?

@SwingTheMonkey I’m afraid the anti vaxxer mentality is strong in many and I’m seeing similar on anything involving WLI - now personally I’m not keen after my 4 weeks on them - feel sick and not great , but that’s just me, I’m not wishing harm or ill effects on others. . You see it on social media anytime someone mentions ill health - especially amongst Americans!! Did u take the jab - accompanied by laughing emojis - ! There is a desparate need amongst some to be proved ‘superior and right’ and a lot of them really aren’t bright who have this mentality - same was true of Brexit . A chronic need to ‘win’ ‘be right’ - regardless of whether it made any sense or not. You see it with Trump at the moment too -

It’s the glee expressed I find quite disturbing. Would they say the same to a person using a new to the market cancer/ diabetes/ heart failure drug? ‘I’m looking forward to the bad side effects to show up’? Fucking mind boggling.