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Original poster

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

156 replies

DesertCacti · 31/05/2022 23:39

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

OP posts:
WarmBeerAndSandwiches · 02/06/2022 14:09

Do you need a prescription for this please? I am not obese but recently I‘ve started putting on weight due to a combination of hypothyroid and having to take steroids due to a benign pituitary tumour. The steroids make you very hungry all the time. I’ve put on a stone and a half already even though I now live on a permanent diet of 1500 calories a day, it’s torture!

GirlInACountrySong · 02/06/2022 14:15

Private prescription with a consultation beforehand

You won't get it unless you are a certain BMI though. They don't just hand it out

Catslovepies · 02/06/2022 14:25

You can getvthem via an online pharmacy. I used quick meds most recently but there are others www.quickmeds.co.uk/Weight-Loss-14

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Weight management
WarmBeerAndSandwiches · 02/06/2022 14:39

Thank you @GirlInACountrySong and @Catslovepies.

Original poster
DesertCacti · 02/06/2022 15:05

TheFoxAndTheStar · 01/06/2022 20:42

Your body has to be lacking in the ability to release the hormone that Saxenda stimulates the release off.

Is there any way to test to see if you are lacking that hormone before trying it? I would assume the people with the bad side effects are probably the people who already have the hormone in sufficient quantity and don’t need to stimulate it.

This would be really useful. I don't want to shit myself! But I love the idea of breaking my binge habits. They are so bad.

OP posts:
Original poster
DesertCacti · 02/06/2022 15:08

DewDropsonKittens · 01/06/2022 22:50

Are you sure it was Saxenda? Liragutide is the medication name.

Skinny jab, was something being pushed on Instagram by Gemma Collins and a load of rubbish. Not in the league of this at all.

The one i saw was called my juniper and then i googled weightloss injections and loads of ads for saxenda came up. I didn't know there were 2 - never heard of ozempic. I read an article on the bbc about weightloss injections a while ago and assumed it was this. Don't follow Gemma Collins so don't think it's her one i am thinking of

OP posts:
bippityboppity87 · 02/06/2022 15:23

I was wanting to try this, but was told I wouldn't be allowed it by a nurse, as I have IBS. Does anyone else here have IBS and were still prescribed and have been ok? Sorry. I know tmi Blush But I'm at my last straw trying to get this weight off!

Movinghouseatlast · 02/06/2022 15:50

Wimps question... does it hurt? I have 4 stone to lose and could do with a kick start.

Redruby2020 · 02/06/2022 15:57

dudsville · 01/06/2022 11:13

@apricotseason nothing controversial about it, but a person has to have quite a high BMI to get it prescribed.

Mine is high, but thankfully i am not diabetic, but with PCOS there is definantly some link with insulin resistance etc. As i was on Metformin years ago and lost 3 stones. I think they should be giving it to those who are prone to possibly getting Diabetes etc.

mubarak86 · 02/06/2022 15:57

@Movinghouseatlast no it really doesn't hurt. The needle just has to do below your skin, unlike an injection that has to go in a fair bit. It literally is just a little prick. Sometimes it stings a bit afterwards for me though.

HardRockOwl · 02/06/2022 16:16

I commented before but I've looked more into it and people really should be aware that this may cause thyroid cancer.

It's listed as a serious side effect so I doubt it's common but it's quite a sobering side effect and people need to weigh that up

taylorsdoinapart · 02/06/2022 16:27

I'm so tempted by this. I don't have diabetes but I do have sleep apnoea. I wonder if I can get it on prescription as the gp wants me to lose 3 stone.

Catslovepies · 02/06/2022 16:29

I've looked into the possible thyroid cancer risk. There were links to thyroid cancer in studies on rodents however there is no evidence that this translates to an increased risk in humans. The doses the rodents received were 8 times higher than what a human would receive. So yes it's a possibility that there could be an increased risk but it's not known yet whether this risk is real. And it needs to be weighed up against the proven risks from obesity, diabetes, etc.

HardRockOwl · 02/06/2022 16:32

@Catslovepies absolutely. It all needs weighing up.

. It was enough to put me off I have to say - but then, my BMI was 'only' 29. I may feel differently with significant weight to lose

xxxGirlCrushxxx · 02/06/2022 16:39

yeah...i weighed it up but look at the covid vaccines we all shoved into our bodies.....not much thought given there, we just did it!

Spinfit · 02/06/2022 17:02

TheFoxAndTheStar · 01/06/2022 20:42

Your body has to be lacking in the ability to release the hormone that Saxenda stimulates the release off.

Is there any way to test to see if you are lacking that hormone before trying it? I would assume the people with the bad side effects are probably the people who already have the hormone in sufficient quantity and don’t need to stimulate it.

This is not true at all. Saxenda and Ozempic are both Glucagon Like Peptide 1-receptor agonists or GLP1-RA. You don't need to be "lacking" in GLP1 for it to work and GLP1 levels are not routinely checked in clinical pratice. These drugs work by binding to the receptor (like a lock and key) the same way in which the natural hormone works thereby enhancing the effects. I strongly suggest speaking to an obesity specialist because there is a lot of random information floating around on chat forums!

LisaSimpson77 · 02/06/2022 17:46

I use Ozempic which I like better than Saxanda as the injections are only once a week. I originally signed up for the tablet form because I was nervous about injecting myself. I got the pen sent by mistake and decided to give it a go.
The needle is absolutely tiny so no it doesn't hurt and isn't difficult to inject.
I'm only on the lowest dose at the moment and am doing 16:8 but not really dieting otherwise. I've lost 7lb in 3 weeks which is not amazing but moving in the right direction and better than slimming world for me. The side effects have been minimal but then I'm only on a very low dose so far. Going to try to stay on that as long as possible.

gogogadgetgo · 02/06/2022 17:48

@LisaSimpson77 hi what dose are you on? 0.35 or 0.5?!

I thought I'd try it. Hoping it works better than saxenda! (I'm sure it's wonderful for others. But it didn't work for me at all)

Peridot1 · 02/06/2022 18:06

@gogogadgetgo - the dose is 0.25 or 0.5. Some are recommended to start on 0.25 but when I got it they said to start at 0.5 for weight loss. Some people start on 0.25 for four weeks and then increase. And some people find the lower dose works better for them.

I started on 0.5 and increased to 1 in twice weekly jabs of 0.5.

I would suggest that everyone considering it really researches it. There is some misinformation on various forums as Spinfit says. I don’t think anyone should take any medication without understanding what it is they are taking.

LisaSimpson77 · 02/06/2022 18:19

gogogadgetgo · 02/06/2022 17:48

@LisaSimpson77 hi what dose are you on? 0.35 or 0.5?!

I thought I'd try it. Hoping it works better than saxenda! (I'm sure it's wonderful for others. But it didn't work for me at all)

I'm still on 0.25 and it's reducing my appetite nicely at present so no plans to move up just yet.
I'm on a Facebook group and some people seem to say they lost their appetite at 0.25 then it actually came back at 0.5.

gogogadgetgo · 02/06/2022 18:55

Thanks @LisaSimpson77 @Peridot1

No I know. I have read a lot about saxenda. Which is why I was so disappointed. I have had a consultation about ozempic and they recommended starting at 0.5. I was looking at the titration tables someone on a different thread recommended though. Just trying to find peoples experienced. Thanks again

Original poster
DesertCacti · 02/06/2022 23:37

Catslovepies · 02/06/2022 05:46

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.

Thanks for your message.

This 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 sounds absolutely wonderful. I cannot help myself if there is a tub of ben and jerrys for example. I just eat it all. No sense of portions at all. When i have been slimmer i am better but when i am large anyway (and i am at my largest ever now) i just think "fuck it" and eat it all. Feels unfair on the others in the house to ban stuff or ask OH to hide it, but that's what i have to do. Feels shameful, writing that down!

OP posts:
Original poster
DesertCacti · 02/06/2022 23:38

AnnaMagnani · 02/06/2022 10:22

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.

Thank you will check there! 🙂

OP posts:
Original poster
DesertCacti · 02/06/2022 23:40

Toddlerteaplease · 02/06/2022 11:56

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

Did they work?!

OP posts:
Original poster
DesertCacti · 02/06/2022 23:46

BarrowInFurnessRailwayStation · 02/06/2022 13:05

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 never knew about the link between sugar and adhd. Mind blown. I do love MN - you always learn something new 😊 and this thread has been very illuminating generally.

OP posts: