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Original poster

If you're taking Ozempic to lose a bit of weight doesn't this make you feel guilty?

232 replies

QueenieMe · 23/05/2023 11:55

The Weight Loss Chat board feels like it's been taken over by Ozempic threads at the moment, with everyone and their aunt spending a fortune on injections to lose weight. Yet I've just seen Diabetes UK has issued a warning saying that diabetic patients are struggling to get supplies because of the demand. For them, taking the drug is not a lifestyle choice! I do appreciate there are those on the WLC board who are clinically obese and are taking it because their weight is impacting their health, but when I see women with normal BMIs saying they're taking it to lose that last stubborn stone I do despair. Knowing patients were struggling for supplies so I could fit in a bikini make me feel so guilty that I just couldn't do it. I'd love to hear their justification.

https://inews.co.uk/news/ozempic-diabetic-weight-loss-patients-drug-demand-2342119

OP posts:
NatureNurture85 · 23/05/2023 12:28

It was recommended by a GP friend of mine. I now have an MRI scan coming up to work out wtf is going on.

Thesharkradar · 23/05/2023 12:30

I'm sure the pharmaceutical companies are very upset about this free publicity which will vastly increase their profits👀

Original poster
QueenieMe · 23/05/2023 12:31

tenbob · 23/05/2023 12:26

”While we understand that off-label prescribing can be beneficial in some circumstances, we cannot support it when it is directly contributing to ongoing shortages that impact on people living with type 2 diabetes, and would encourage clinicians to be mindful of this impact,” he said.”

Reading this through the lens of someone who writes these sorts of statements for a living, it’s really not the strongest worded thing. They have been asked for a quote and given one that basically puts their own interests first but is making it clear they don’t really mind the off-label use.

I just can’t see anything to get outraged about.

Ultimately, type 2 diabetes is caused by people putting on too much weight.
The drug they want is also wanted by other people who have put on too much weight. I don’t see why one group should just be expected to ‘use self control’ but the other isn’t

And even the diabetic in the article is saying it’s just mostly more of an admin headache to get the medication

But if you read the Ozempic threads on the WLB, the supply issues seem to be worsening and I think diabetics should be prioritised over someone with a normal BMI who wants to lose that last stubborn stone. I do appreciate why people with chronic obesity want to take it though.

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

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General health
Original poster
QueenieMe · 23/05/2023 12:31

NatureNurture85 · 23/05/2023 12:28

It was recommended by a GP friend of mine. I now have an MRI scan coming up to work out wtf is going on.

You mean it's causing you health issues?

OP posts:
greylad · 23/05/2023 12:33

hamstersarse · 23/05/2023 12:07

It horrifies me that so many people are taking it

When I look at the details of it, it seems you only lose weight if you stick to a low carb diet..........so the question is, why don't you just do a low carb diet and save your money and side effects of a drug?

Peculiar

This is incorrect. It doesn’t matter what you eat, you just need to eat less of it. It is an appetite suppressant.

Thanks for starting this thread OP off the back of mine.

No one is using it to lose a stone. You can only have it prescribed if you are obese.

GeriKellmansUpdo · 23/05/2023 12:33

Gosh I didn't realise this was a thing! Doesn't it have side effects?

sparechange · 23/05/2023 12:33

hamstersarse · 23/05/2023 12:17

The side effects are stated very clearly on this drug - it's amazing that people will take this hormone altering drug to lose a stone. Thyroid cancer seems to be the extra bonus!

I despair that people seem so unable to make changes to their lifestyle without resorting to a drug that literally states that it has a risk of thyroid cancer as well as many other side effects

A pill for everything is our way of life now

There is a doctor on social media called Dr Spencer Nadolsky who has posted a lot to debunk lots of these…

Specifically, the thyroid cancer one relates to rodent studies.
Rodents have different cells in their thyroids, which have GLP1 receptors and can lead to a medullary cancers.
Humans do not have these receptors but the box has to carry the warning due to the rodent studies.

wibblewobbleball · 23/05/2023 12:33

The NHS has the biggest purchasing power of any medical company in the UK. I very much doubt that supply to the NHS is being slowed in order to supply private prescriptions. The company who manufacture the drug would prioritise the NHS, their biggest customer.

Thesharkradar · 23/05/2023 12:33

Surely the shortage is deliberately contrived in order to keep the price high and keep demand high?
This is a wonder drug, people are bound to be clamoring for it, they could easily make more of it if they wanted to.... it's just a strategy to keep profits high☝🏻👀

Indoorcatmum · 23/05/2023 12:33

Spacestace · 23/05/2023 12:24

It doesn't mean medication is the answer, sure it helps people lose weight whilst they take it (long term effects unknown) but it doesn't address any of the societal or other reasons people overweight. These people will just pile the weight back on, and unless you're suggesting everyone goes onto it which would be awful then not sure it's any sort of miracle cure. Essentially a company found out it can be used to curb appetite and knows that people will pay £££s for a quick fix.

Show quote history

Medication is the only answer for some people and in my opinion a better option than going for a gastric sleeve or similar (only around 50% of people keep the weight off with that after 10 years and the side effects can be life-changingly bad).

For some people, the food obsession and food noise constantly in their heads make it impossible.

We give people medication to ease their addiction to certain drugs... Food is an addiction for some people. A powerful one because you don't have to hide in a dark alley to get it.

It's very easy to look from the outside and judge, but at the end of the day people are trying to make a change and the reality is that it is working for a lot of people.

Do people also gain weight back on WW or Slimming World? Yup... Just about everyone I know haha

Original poster
QueenieMe · 23/05/2023 12:33

Thesharkradar · 23/05/2023 12:30

I'm sure the pharmaceutical companies are very upset about this free publicity which will vastly increase their profits👀

But it's negative publicity - Diabetes UK is saying patients are struggling with their supplies. I wouldn't be happy about that, I'd feel guilty.

I honestly think Ozempic is a ticking health time-bomb. Just wait until people can't afford to stay on it - stripped supplies will push the price up - and people pile the weight back on.

OP posts:
Spacestace · 23/05/2023 12:34

wibblewobbleball · 23/05/2023 12:33

The NHS has the biggest purchasing power of any medical company in the UK. I very much doubt that supply to the NHS is being slowed in order to supply private prescriptions. The company who manufacture the drug would prioritise the NHS, their biggest customer.

It depends who pays the most per unit really. The NHS buys in bulk but it doesn't mean they're the preferred customer if the medication is in demand.

workshy46 · 23/05/2023 12:34

I was talking to a doctor and the instances already of Thyroid cancer was alarming. Given it isn't around that long.. what will it be like in 5- 10 years time. I think it is a v valuable tool for someone who is obese as the risk/benefit is clearly worth looking at but someone a stone/two over weight I personally wouldn't be taking the risk

greylad · 23/05/2023 12:35

QueenieMe · 23/05/2023 12:12

Not to mention even the manufacturer says you'll pile the weight back on if you stop taking it.

Show quote history

Again, not what the manufacturer says.

Maybe read some research studies?

Spacestace · 23/05/2023 12:35

Thesharkradar · 23/05/2023 12:33

Surely the shortage is deliberately contrived in order to keep the price high and keep demand high?
This is a wonder drug, people are bound to be clamoring for it, they could easily make more of it if they wanted to.... it's just a strategy to keep profits high☝🏻👀

It depends on the ingredients as to whether you can simply make more, also you clearly have zero idea about the supply chain.

greylad · 23/05/2023 12:36

workshy46 · 23/05/2023 12:34

I was talking to a doctor and the instances already of Thyroid cancer was alarming. Given it isn't around that long.. what will it be like in 5- 10 years time. I think it is a v valuable tool for someone who is obese as the risk/benefit is clearly worth looking at but someone a stone/two over weight I personally wouldn't be taking the risk

Can you tell us where a single case of human thyroid cancer has been identified thanks to Ozempic? That certainly would be news!

ChardonnaysBeastlyCat · 23/05/2023 12:36

I don’t see the issue if prevents type 2 diabetes thanks to the weight loss.

Original poster
QueenieMe · 23/05/2023 12:37

greylad · 23/05/2023 12:35

Again, not what the manufacturer says.

Maybe read some research studies?

Show quote history

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/weight-regain-after-stopping-ozempic

OP posts:
greylad · 23/05/2023 12:38

QueenieMe · 23/05/2023 12:37

Show quote history

Yes, have you read it? Does everyone “pile weight back on?” 😐

Thesharkradar · 23/05/2023 12:38

Spacestace · 23/05/2023 12:35

It depends on the ingredients as to whether you can simply make more, also you clearly have zero idea about the supply chain.

Show quote history

Pray enlighten me all seeing one 🙏

Original poster
QueenieMe · 23/05/2023 12:40

greylad · 23/05/2023 12:38

Yes, have you read it? Does everyone “pile weight back on?” 😐

Show quote history

Pile weight back on is my turn of phrase, but that's what multiple studies are showing happens and Novo Nordisk are quoted here as saying people will return to their original body weight if they stop taking it.

All that money just to regain. Crackers.

https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/novo-nordisk-says-stopping-obesity-drug-may-cause-full-weight-regain-5-years-2023-03-30/

OP posts:
Whisper23 · 23/05/2023 12:45

Of course people will put weight back on if they stop using ozempic and return to their old eating habits. That's hardly a surprise. Same as any other "diet".

Spacestace · 23/05/2023 12:47

Thesharkradar · 23/05/2023 12:38

Pray enlighten me all seeing one 🙏

Show quote history

Plenty of info online oh all ignorant one.

Thesharkradar · 23/05/2023 12:49

Spacestace · 23/05/2023 12:47

Plenty of info online oh all ignorant one.

Show quote history

Oohhh you're so beastly 👻

Thesharkradar · 23/05/2023 12:54

All that money just to regain. Crackers
You say 'crackers' the manufacturers say 'nicely nicely a never-ending income stream',
They don't want to cure you of the problem they want to insert a cannula into your bank account through which they can permanently siphon off money