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

I don't disapprove of these at all, used carefully they are a great tool however they are being given out on mass with very little checks and clearly to people who don't know about the potential problems of being in a significant and prolonged calorie deficit.

Why is this?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/news.liverpool.ac.uk/2025/01/02/weight-loss-drugs-help-with-fat-loss-but-they-cause-bone-and-muscle-loss-too/amp/

@Galwaygirlxxx why would I need to see my GP if I am well? What would they think they might need to do or check? What issues with my kidneys would a GLP-1 cause specifically?

Can someone explain how loosing weight causes bones to thin?
It's not something I've heard of. And I'm trying to understand the physics of what's happening

This is just my logic, heavier people have denser bones because of the pressure they are putting their skeleton under constantly?
Right?

So they loose weight and the body doesn't need such dense bones so doesn't renew the cells ????

So if someone is say 9st never been heavier than that? How dense will their bones be compared to someone at say 13st?

If the 13st person drops to 9st how much less dense will their bones become than that person who's only ever been 9st?

Can someone point me in the right direction for some science behind this?

Oh goodness, why? I hope the opposite because isn’t that better for all involved?

That is exactly what we are saying in Ireland. The risks of being morbidly obese outweigh the risks for the meds.

Fair play to you for losing that. I was obese too and felt that patients didn't take me as seriously. Lost the weight thanks to running and giving up the chocolates!

EM consultant.

I'm on mat leave but colleagues are seeing patients with very bad side effects. We are seeing a lot of gastro issues at the moment. Not sure how many the total is though!

If you are on them, please see your GP and drink a lot of water. Renal and nephrology issues, I'd be extra cautious.

You need to exercise to counteract this.

A question, out of interest. As a medical professional did you go for any regular monitoring eg of liver function or just trust the process?

Useful to aid weight loss in the clinically obese who's health is being compromised by the weight they're carrying however it's a short term fix. Once you come off them you have to maintain which means lifestyle change.

To a healthy weight you mean? None of the legit prescribers will continue to prescribe if someone's weight drops below a BMI of 22 or 23. Presumably they would be at no more risk of osteoporosis than any other middle aged woman of their new weight? And would have removed a lot of pressure from their bones at the same time.

Quite. The barrels people will scrape to justify their disapproval of these drugs are astonishing, and I say that as someone who's never taken them.

Why would people taking injections not know when to stop? Are they different to other people who are losing weight? Would I not know when to stop, for example? Presumably I’d have to start lying to my pharmacy in order to keep getting a prescription if I became underweight.

But far likely for people to get to the lower weights with the injections. It’s if they know when to stop

I am the same size. Which one did you take please?

So the weight loss then and not the medication. Same as eat less move more, weight watchers, intermittent fasting etc.

@SergeantDawkins would you say then that it’s unwise for someone like me to be using Mounjaro to lose weight, as I’m middle aged and female, as it will cause me to develop osteoporosis in a few years time? I’ve been taking it for 9 months plus, so presumably the damage is already done?

This.

This is a worry. Thanks for sharing your story. I hope you’re able to get some energy back.

It's well known that significant and prolonged calorie deficit causes muscle loss and impacts bone mass.

Did she mention where she's read the research about this? To the best of my knowledge osteoporosis isn't currently listed as a known side effect of either Wegovy or Mounjaro.
Presumably she's concerned about the effects of carrying additional weight on older women's bones and joints as well?

Thank you - that gives me hope!

sergeantdawkins

this is definitely true for me. I’ve lost 3 stone on WLI and have very little muscle tone as frankly too tired to do weights apart from walking. It’s been the only side effect of the drug for me, that I’m really knackered

what I’m hoping for is once I get to maintenance (in 10 pounds time, so about 4 months) I will get a bit more energy from my maintenance calories, should be able to add a couple of hundred calories and that will then give me the energy for using weights.

I still manage at least an hours walk every day but I’m too tired to add in weights at the moment.

Yes, they should. In theory, they might actually be particularly beneficial for people who have gained weight due to the side effects of medications like antipsychotics. Antipsychotic-related weight gain can be due to appetite stimulation (people can feel much hungrier and not recognise when they've eaten enough) and antipsychotics can carry an increased risk of diabetes. So, a medication that targets those same pathways in a different way could be really helpful.