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

My DD is 32 has PCOS and has been on a weight loss injection for 3 months and has already lost 2 stone

If this was about the singer, Avery, she has blamed her osteoporosis on WLI when it is far, far, far more likely that her eating disorder caused it.

What a nasty, nasty comment. What makes a person wake up and think you know what today I'm going to make comments on a forum that make me sound like a right cunt?!
Can you wait for side effects with other medications? Can't wait to see how many women get blood clots on the pill this year. Can't wait to see how many people die from taking neurofen this year.

A considerable number of GPS and other staff onmy health centre are on GLPs.

It's the same with any diet.
except with most diets hunger novks most people off the wagon before they have lost much.

it can only be a poositive.

Aren't you lovely

You could say the same about Weight Watchers or Slimming World etc.

Most of the people I know who take Mounjaro are intending to stay on it at maintenance level long term, same as any other medication.

One concern I have is that women are using this medication but not changing thier lifestyle. You are not only loosing fat but also muscle mass too if you don't incorporate strength training which directly impacts bone health. I was listening to a podcast last week about a woman who had developed osteoporosis and was trying to sue one of the producers. I think we are potentially swapping one problem for another. I have known 2 people who have used them and both have put all the weight back on when they stopped.

I’ve lost over 6 stone and feel better than I have pretty much my entire adult life. I no longer require anti hypertensives or reflux medication. My relationship with food has changed massively. My GP has been supportive. I felt I could no longer ignore the risks and effects of obesity and wanted a kickstart. I’m now on a maintenance dose and working on increasing my fitness in order to stop using the mounjaro. I work in healthcare and know lots of colleagues who are also using it. My side effects have been fairly minimal and any queries have been answered quickly by my provider.

I've been qualified for 25 years, so I've seen a good few safety problems in that time, which makes me cautious.Honestly, I am on the fence. There are plenty of examples of drugs where the side effects done become apparent for years, or until enough people have used them.

GLP1s have been used in diabetes for years, but Mounjaro is not just a GLP1. It's a first in it's class GLP1/GIP inhibitor, and has only been available in the uk for a year or so. (However I have never seen any drug take off as quickly as Mounjaro, so it's getting pretty widespread exposure).

If nothing nasty comes out of the woodwork, then you would kick yourself for not starting at the earliest opportunity. But you need a crystal ball.

One thing I will say is that the benefits are going to be greater if you are more obese, or have other obesity-related problems. Think about your wider health, not just your weight.

I know 2 who have collapsed with kidney issues recently, one has rightly come off and one is continuing despite her being a healthy weight

Obesity is classed as a chronic disease that is multi factorial. And it really is. It’s simply not the case that everyone who is obese is a lazy and greedy whatsit that just can’t be bothered. I could list several factors that hugely contribute to obesity.

These drugs are literally life changing and life saving.

Oh yes, a weekly injection must be awful. Compared to a future of type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, stroke, cancer, heart disease… I know which one I’d pick!

People that are so concerned about long term effects really need to look at the long term issues that are directly concerned with being obese and having high levels of visceral fat. Literally life limiting and ending.

Thinking about obesity as a disease rather than a choice is helpful. It may well be that permanent medication is needed- and if it is- so what?! It is a chronic disease that could require long term treatment.

I’d be interested to know whether the people that have struggled with awful side effects have been to see a reputable physician who has prescribed appropriately or whether they are just buying online and dosing themselves…

Don't forget UPFs, for their impact on the microbiome and thus inflammation and thus <gestures at the physical and mental health crisis>

I wish GPs and other HCPs would push themselves to be up to date with the impact of UPFs overall. It doesn't map directly on to high calorie/low nutrient foods; a tax on the latter would be fiddling around the edges, at best.

Given they’ve been around for two decades plus why did the surgeon think that?

Why so nasty and bitter?

What are the risk factors to someone who has a lower bmi?

I ended up in hospital after two weeks with an inflamed pancreas and the doctor told me I had to come off it. Another surgeon said she thought there would be a lot coming out about it in the next year - but two of the nurses were using it.

Nurse here who admits to not being completely up to date with all the evidence for them at the minute. On the face of it I think they seem amazing. Obesity contributes to SO MANY health conditions. Heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease, too many cancers to count, mental health issues, arthritis and other joint conditions the list is endless. It’s probably the biggest contributing factor to poor health today. While the body positively movement is great, I don’t care how many people tell you I’m fat and healthy, it’s just not true. Obviously the best case scenario would be for everyone to just move more and eat a healthy balanced diet but if it was that easy we wouldn’t have the obesity epidemic that we currently have which is costing millions every year. Obesity is complex and telling people to just have more self control doesn’t work. Weight loss injections seem convenient, easy to administer and most importantly as it stands at the minute with the current evidence, a safe way to help people get to a healthy weight.

there also seems to be a growing body of evidence that suggests they may be beneficial for people with other addictions in curbing cravings.

I sometimes wonder if we will look back at bariatric surgeries like gastric bypasses and gastric bands and be shocked that we used to actually partially cut out people’s stomachs to aid weight lose, similarly to how we now view lobotomies preformed in the past for mental illness.

I think as long as you don't expect it to be a miracle drug, and do it along side a diet that encourages GLP-1 production as a long term eating pattern, so protein, fibre, good fats, lots of veggies and limit shit/processed carbs, increase your exercise, then it is a win/win for anyone obese.

a&e nurse here - it works, but only if you are prepared to make life long dietary changes. suppresses cravings so you can reset eating habits. Not promoting it but personally I know lots of medical professionals on it

is it sustainable? not sure and will only know after stopping the injections. Studies suggest weight gain in 1-3yrs after stopping if you don’t change eating habits

Bad press re gall bladder & pancreatitis - not encountered any patients with an issue

Patients presenting to A&E on it concerned about side effects - Stomach cramping/diarrhoea, yes but blood work fine so rehydration and reassurance only needed, discharged from A&E

If done properly it’s not a short term fix, but supports a calorie deficit to weight loss with high protein balanced diet approach to eating

Couldn’t lose baby weight, now aged 49 5’2, went from 73kg to 61kg in 4 months on Mounjaro, no gym, no pre existing med conditions. Stayed on starting dose throughout, have plateaued at target weight so doing 1 more month. Not for everyone but worked for me. Will see how I’m doing in 12 months…

I guess if you think of it like that, then legitimately it’s true, compare the long term side effects of raised blood glucose, ingesting seed oils and large amounts of carbohydrates/sugar and you have a recipe for all the metabolic diseases currently causing much harm. If you can reduce the ingestion of these poison’s it may at least balance out the risk short term and cut it massively if you can reduce your expose to them long term.

Well, they certainly work, but like most things they aren't perfect. Have seen around 5 or 6 hospital admissions in the last 6 months due to severe side effects. A weekly injection for the rest of your life sounds horrible and I wouldn't want that. I have seen quite a few posters on this site say they struggle to even eat one proper meal a day on it. Whilst obesity is not healthy, that isn't either. They may be a false economy for the nhs if people regain all the weight when they 'come off' them. Time will tell.

Unfortunately obesity rates are significantly higher in more deprived groups in the UK. Rates of childhood obesity have soared whilst the rate of children being underweight has (happily) remained extremely low. Obesity is increasing health inequality. I would like to see much higher VAT on calorie dense food of low nutritional value. There would be exemptions for staples like bread, milk, cheese and so on, and 'negative taxation' on healthy food including healthy ready prepared options. I'd be astonished if supermarket and ready meal manufacturers weren't already planning how they would respond to this sort of approach.
I'd also like to see more rules about what proportion of a small supermarket can be booze and snacks - the gov should force them to give more space to actual food, and subsidise food shops in poorer areas & 'food deserts'.

I think they're a useful resource for patients who need them. I don't think there should be stigma or criticism around people using them. Like many useful resources, there is a potential for abuse, but the majority of people I've encountered who are prescribed them have been prescribed them for a genuine clinical need. As with all medications, there are risk: benefit calculations needed by and for individuals. I've seen people slash their cardiovascular risk factors, get diabetes under control, become pain-free after years of chronic pain, and have life-changing benefits from them. No medication is without risks, but for some people these medications have changed and potentially saved lives.