Has anyone used weight-loss injections? Did they work?

[DesertCacti]

I am severely overweight and have been for a few years now since youngest DC was born. Keep yo-yo dieting, and losing a bit then regaining. I have started getting ads for Saxenda injections. Has anyone tried them? Did they work? Would really appreciate any feedback. Thank you

I tried it for two months. It did take my appetite down, but I felt fairly grotty on it.

Around the same time my kidney function plummeted (I have regular blood tests for something). I have no idea if it was connected or not; they’ve never found out what caused my kidneys to crash but I went from no issues to 51% function. I came off Saxenda and my function slowly rebounded, though is still a bit reduced. It could of course have been entirely unconnected.

I’ll never know tbh, but it was a wake up call to me to take my health seriously and I lost my weight through diet instead.

They only curbed my appetite slightly and made me feel sick and light headed constantly.

I’ve been on the weekly ones, Ozempic, for 10 months and have lost 5 stone. I feel better than I have in years. I had a few rough weeks at the beginning then no side effects at all. V happy with the results. I bought it privately and it’s been worth every penny. No one knows in real life.

And patronising bollocks is always SO helpful.

there is nothing wrong with my 'nutritional habits'

my metabolic disorder prevents me from losing weight.

long walks off short piers is always the best
Route to being a less patronising twat

Anyone spouting sanctimonious BS about healthy eating habits really needs to educate themselves. This article is a good start - it talks about the genetic causes of obesity and touches on the medicines we're discussing www.bbc.com/news/uk-57419041

I have one of the "obesity genes" mentioned in the article - the FTO gene as I found out from 23andme. This gene causes an overproduction of grehlin which leads to feeling hungry all the time and not really feeling full from normal meals. The medications we're discussing (saxenda, ozempic and wegovy - generic names liraglutide and semaglutide) work in a couple of ways. First they stimulate the release of leptin which is the hormone that makes you feel full. They also delay your stomach from emptying which also helps you feel full.

These medicines can cause side effects - I've been on Saxenda and then switched to Ozempic as I mentioned earlier on the thread. I've had worse side effects on Saxenda (constipation alternating with diarrhea plus indigestion) - on Ozempic I mostly get constipation and have to take extra fiber. On both medications I have found the symptoms are worse if I eat unhealthy fatty or overly processed foods. I also feel a bit of fatigue but am hoping this will fade the longer I'm on the medication.

For someone like me with a genetic predisposition towards obesity, these drugs are a life changer. It's like I finally know what it's like to feel normal. I enjoy food still but not to the same extent, my drive to eat large quantities is just gone. I can have a reasonable portion of food and be totally satisfied afterwards. I can keep chocolate and ice cream in the house to have as an occasional treat with feeling the need to scoff the lot. All the things the sanctimonious jeans have been telling me to do (which I obviously knew for myself, not being a moron) have actually become possible with the medication. It's a wonderful feeling.

As I say, I'm on Ozempic. I purchase it from an online pharmacy. At the moment I'm on a half dose (0.5mg). The pen for a full dose costs £150 a month and I use this pen to deliver my half dose so it's £75 a month. I may have to go up to the full dose in a month or so but it will be totally worth it.

That’s a really good post @Catslovepies

It reminds me how in the 90s, when drugs like Ritalin became more widely prescribed, people would argue that ADHD wasn’t really a thing and it was just badly behaved children who’s parents were giving them too much sugar.

Thanks this is very interesting. Cannot help myself if I see a cake I eat it :( and cannot stop.

This is what I hope for. To stop feeling hungry all the time. It's miserable.

Have a look on the Weight Loss Forum - there's a long running Saxenda thread there and a few about Ozempic.

I've lost 3 1/2 stone on Ozempic, hopefully another stone to go. Wouldn't have believed it was possible at the start.

Side effects are manageable and it gave me the space and help to learn much healthier eating habits, and get out of bad ones. Even DH (who doesn't know I'm on it) has lost weight as we are just eating much better as a family.

You can buy it online via an online pharmacy like www.pharmacy2u.co.uk/ - I did this a few times without a prescription from the GP. They ask you fill in a questionnaire which a reviewed by online Dr and assuming you are ok to take it they can send it out to you.

This is very tempting. I’ve been yo-yoing since my first baby when I had gestational diabetes. It’s like a flip was switched. I’ve lost significant weight twice, but it always creeps back and then some after a few years.

my bmi is “only” 32, so I think I would have to buy it privately. It would be worth it if it replaced whatever was broken/list with that first pregnancy.

Haven't used it personally but prescribed through work regularly! They are miraculous and have similar % weight loss to bariatric surgery. Currently they are available on the NHS if you have type 2 diabetes otherwise you can get a private prescription (usually for three months - dose increased every 4 weeks). They cause weight loss through different mechanisms such as delayed gastric emptying (esp after a meal) and changing appetite preferences (high sugar, high fat thereby reducing weight). The common side effects are nausea and vomitting but should settle once your body gets used to the drug. It shouldn't be taken by anyone with a history of pancreatitis (very very rare side effect). It hasn't been around long enough to assess if the weight loss continues long term whilst on the medication or just plateaus and remains stable. Unfortunately once you stop the drug you will most likely gain some weight. If your BMI is over 35, you can ask your GP to refer you to your local tertiary weight loss centre and they will be specialist lifestyle interventions etc which work well with medication!

I wanted to try this but too expensive. So got boots appetite suppressant tablets instead.

Yeah the pens MAY be expensive at £60 each....cheaper if you buy a few at a time

BUT

I'm not spending half as much on wine/snacks/meals out as I used to. Nothing at all to eat at the cinema and I don't buy the protein shake powder I used to get, either. No point as I can't finish it

I'm not buying new larger size clothes either....luckily I kept all the sizes on the way up so I'm not buying much

I have lost 4st in 18 wks using Saxenda.
I am not on the full dose as still losing at 1.8 so it's costing me approx £145 per month for 3 pens via Asda online pharmacy.
I haven't really had any severe side effects.

My spending on snacks turned out to be huge

Not sure if same as what I've spent on pens but honestly, the amount I was spending on trash food was £££

On the other hand I've had to buy a whole new wardrobe of clothes, even my knickers were falling down as I'd lost so much.

Just ordered a 3 pen pack of Saxenda from Asda. Could not see Ozempic on sale in the UK. I've tried diets but have low metabolism, aging, and hypothyroid so nothing really working for me. Hoping this helps to kick start, already changing diet and need to lose weight more for my health than looks. What's the lowest dose people start with?

I'm having knicker issues too... baggy now!

That's when you know it's working!

Wegovy is due to be licensed soon I believe and it's (apparently) superior!

I have that fat gene and adhd 😏 people with adhd have low dopamine levels in the brain and sugar is very good at raising dopamine. Go figure. It's a wonder that I'm not bigger than I am really.

I’m on Ozempic. Started mid Feb. Have lost just over 1.5 stone. So it’s slow. But it’s pretty steady. I’ve just been away for a month and switched to Rybelsus which is the tablet form of Ozempic as figured it would be easier. I ended up stopping taking them as I was very uncomfortable with constipation. While away I gained 2 lbs which I am fine with. Didn’t eat lots and no real stodgy food. Did drink a lot of wine though.

Even though I’ve only lost 1.5 stone it looks like I’ve lost more.

I started the tablets again last night but will go back to the injection once I finish the tablets.

@Butterfly44 - Ozempic is definitely available in the UK. I just googled initially. I got my first pen from a company called The Virtual Slimming Clinic and now I use a company called MedicalWeightLoss4You.

I’m planning on continuing as I’ve quite a lot to lose. Over the years I’ve tried every diet going. I’m not a binger. I don’t eat lots of sweets or chocolate. I don’t have a particularly big appetite. Rarely clear my plate. I do drink a lot of wine but even when I did dry January this year I only lost one pound. I looked into Saxenda but thought it wasn’t for me. Then when I read the Ozempic worked on blood sugar as well as appetite I thought I would try it. I think I’m insulin resistant. The fact Ozempic is prescribed for diabetes with the side effect of weight loss was what interested me.

Another version of Semaglutide which is the name of the drug used in Ozempic has been used in higher doses in the US and has just been approved for use in the UK and Europe. It’s called Wegovy and is basically a higher dose of Ozempic and used for treatment of obesity.

Joining the thread as i have been considering looking into this. Thanks for the info. My BMI has just tipped into the Obese range

I’ve been on it since it was originally called victoza and was prescribed for diabetes
it works very well and it maintains my weight perfectly between 1-2 lbs
but for most people once you stop you will put the eight back on within a few months

I want to lose enough weight to get back into running again. Then hopefully I won't put much back on as I now have more time to devote to running regularly

That's the plan anyway....and the lockdowns were what created the weight gain so hopefully, no more of those buggers!

I tried Saxenda last August. I was fully expecting unpleasant side effects of feeling nauseous and upset stomach,if which I experienced none,but what I was not expecting was the sheer exhaustion and lethargy that overwhelmed me when I started on the higher dose. I didn't notice any reduction in my appetite for the first couple of weeks while I was on the lower doses,but felt OK. However,within 3 days of starting the highest dose,I started to feel absolutely awful. Totally drained of energy,and like my arms and legs were made of lead. I felt so awful,I had to stop the injections,and within 3 days felt completely back to normal again. I was really pissed off at having to stop, because I had started to notice a definite substantial decrease in my appetite when I started the higher dose. Unfortunately,I just couldn't tolerate feeling like every ounce of energy had been sucked out of me. When I had a phone consultation with the pharmacist who prescribed the injections for me,he said exhaustion and lethargy were one of the less common side effects. Guess I was just unlucky.