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Original poster

AIBU to believe the over ‘concern’ about Mounjaro/Wegovy side effects are disingenuous ?

56 replies

Youthinkyourefunny · 28/05/2026 08:43

All drugs have side effects. However AIBU to think The focus on side effects from Mounjaro/Wegovy is not proportional to real life experience nor do other common drugs cause the amount of anxiety and hand wringing as these miracle treatments.
How many people hesitate to take an NSAIDs like ibuprofen for pain when their side effects are GI bleeding, ulcers, and kidney injury.

Do the millions of people on Statins for high cholesterol hesitate to reduce the risk of stroke or heart disease due to the risk of Muscle injury and liver enzyme elevation ?

What about the millions of women on Birth control pills ? Do you see countless posts asking if it’s safe or sensible to use the most effective way to plan or prevent pregnancy due to the associated blood clot risk ?

Don’t even start reading the patient information leaflet inside the gazillion packs of SSRIs antidepressants prescribed everyday. Or you will be in for a long read but some highlights are internal bleeding, sexual dysfunction, withdrawal symptoms, suicidality risk.

What do all the above have in common? It’s simple. They all treat either physical or mental health conditions that are either painful or life threatening and the known side effects are generally considered ‘worth the risk’ .

So why the over focus on GLP-1s side effects when obesity is equally painful and life threatening ?

I believe it is entirely due to the ingrained acceptability of discrimination against the overweight and obese along with a mind numbing ignorance as to its multiple causes . Which in turn feed the belief that fat always equals stupid. Because all ‘they need to do is eat less and move more’ .. (gosh - I’d never considered trying that 🙄) Therefore these amazing drugs are viewed by a large tranche of society as ‘unfair’ .

Why do the fatties get to be thin when they don’t ‘deserve’ it. ? Throw in a bit of religious indoctrination that gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins, along with a dose of ‘sloth’ because we all know that not only are fat people stupid , they are also bloody lazy. Who have bought it all upon themselves.

Once you ‘get’ how undeserving the obese are you will have a clearer picture as to why I believe there is such disproportionate scaremongering about these drugs side effects. It’s the only way to try and keep fat people ‘in their place’.

YABU No, there is no hidden agenda.
YANBU Yes, there is an over focus disproportionate to risk

OP posts:
TheWonderhorse · 28/05/2026 09:20

They can be life changing. But they aren't for everyone. I think it's great that they work for you, like it's great that SSRIs have helped me, but they're not for everyone either. I do worry that people will lie to get/stay on WLIs. That's because of the baggage that comes with being obese. I think a lot of the people taking them are vulnerable because of the internalised views of obesity and I worry about that too.

It's okay to have a tempered and cautious attitude to this stuff. It's also okay if people want to keep their medical treatment to themselves, though like you I don't hide my medication dependence.

celandiney · 28/05/2026 09:18

I’m in the age group where increasingly people are considering statins and I talk about medication to people at work as well - many people are weighing up whether to take statins because of the reported side effects, and some people won’t even consider them for that reason.
And people planning on taking a medication should be given a chance to weigh up the pros and cons - everyone doesn’t agree on what an “acceptable risk” is , and as more people take Mounjaro/Wegovy the more information will be out there ( and more studies, more evidence)

Original poster
Youthinkyourefunny · 28/05/2026 09:12

I have begun to feel quite militant about this. It’s not just the side-effect thing either . It’s also the way that people feel unable to be honest about using them. They are bloody life changing. I lost nearly 9 stone. Can you begin to imagine how life changing that is after trying virtually every diet for 15 years. Especially in this weather ? Why are people ashamed to say ‘yes’ I’m using WLI to cure a life threatening illness. I take thyroxine. Took a long time to get diagnosed but my God it felt good once I had the right drug - and would happily tell anyone who had my same symptoms to get a check. Wouldn’t have crossed my mind to lie about it or feel ashamed. Yet I personally know at least 12 friends on WLI and the only people they admit it to are really close friends .(btw none appear to have suffered any side effects) Some haven’t even told their husbands.
I’ve decided to take the opposite approach and tell everyone who comments on my new svelt self !

OP posts:
ObelixtheGaul · 28/05/2026 09:10

The other drugs you mentioned have been around a while. Yes, I know Ozempic, etc, have for diabetes, but their use in weight loss is comparatively new.

New things are met with suspicion. There were absolutely people who wouldn't have taken the pill/would have advised against it when it first came out because of side effects. I remember going on the pill 35 years ago and even then I still had older women telling me about the risks and side effects. I also remember the doctor telling me DVT was more likely in pregnancy than from taking the pill.

There was plenty of chatter about concerns regarding HRT when that was in its infancy.

And bear in mind, these days we've got a lot more media exposure. You'll hear a lot more horror stories from social media platforms, etc. Don't you think if Statins/Ibuprofen/the pill were new now, we'd be hearing a lot about side effects as more people are talking on a much bigger platform?

It's the novelty of it causing the talk. And it isn't altogether a bad thing. There's less blind faith in prescribed medicine, more openness about side effects in medication. People don't always read the label, but they do listen to other people's experiences. It's better to be aware, isn't it? Then you can make an informed decision.

TheWonderhorse · 28/05/2026 09:05

I'm on a SSRI and I absolutely did think about the side effects, I don't take Ibuprofen because with the SSRI it causes bruising.

My mother in on WLIs and she has diarrhoea and nausea all the time. She's ploughing through regardless because she had so much hope and she's not willing to accept they don't work for her. She's been very overweight for a long time and would do stupid things to be thin. I worry about that.

I think describing anything as a "miracle" is just daft. It's a medical treatment which has risks and rewards which need balancing out and a personal decision made. It's right that these medications have all the scrutiny, they've exploded lately and women's health care has always been lacking (it is mostly women taking them). It doesn't mean they aren't worth taking, but being informed is absolutely a good thing.

Littledidsheknow · 28/05/2026 08:46

It’s relentless. There’s a new “news” story every day about the possible risks of WLI.

People forget that obesity is even riskier.