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

[QueenieMe]

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

From reading this thread and the other thread (are people getting fatter) it’s striking me that we should be literally treating obesity like an addiction. So like smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction etc.
All of which we are being encouraged to think of as diseases and all are being targeted in different ways. There is champix to stop smoking, for instance, plus there’s been a huge campaign to make it as unacceptable as possible.
If we are saying That there are lots of reasons (psychological, emotional etc) that people overeat it makes sense to group it in with other diseases that are multi factorial in origin but cause significant harm to health.
However that might mean people do have to accept the reality that there will have to be some willpower involved and that that willpower might have to continue for the rest of their lives - in much the same way an alcoholic in recovery has to spend the rest of their life, for example.

I say this as an ex smoker (who absolutely LOVED smoking) and has to fight against the urge to buy a pack of cigs every time I go past a corner shop.

I feel famous 😂

you do realise it’s a long term drug? If I’d hopped off when my bmi hit 27 (the hard stop to prescribing it) then I literally would have been someone who hopped on it for a stone and got off. I think a lot of the research compares it to e.g. blood pressure meds or even ozempic for type 2 diabetes: on the medication your symptoms would be completely controlled, but you do need to stay on it at a base level to ensure that. Personally I’m hoping I will be able to come off and maintain with some work but who knows.

I mentioned using my starting weight as a lot of the pharmacies are very bare bones about prescribing so aren’t very good about consistency (e.g. no doctor to track your progress and adjust your medication for you, it’s a new order each time). It’s definitely a weakness in healthcare in general that you can get anything if you pay for it. Look at e.g. the horizon documentary on adhd diagnoses, basically anyone gets one if they pay privately!

if your bmi is nearly 30 you are on the borderline of being obese, which I imagine is doing harm to your health on its own. Ozempic, to me, is worth the risk. I’ve previously lost a similar amount of weight with keto but worked much harder for it vs just eating smaller portions on ozempic without any side effects and an amazing decrease in cravings. My pcos gives me such bad insulin resistance that a diet of any type is hard to shift anything and why I stuck to keto even when it sucked or massively limited me socially.

If the nhs has shortages they need to negotiate contracts better and pay more. There’s definitely enough stock around to more than cover type 2 diabetics, the private pharmacies are probably just paying more. In a few months I imagine all the weight loss prescribers will move to offering wegovy branded pens instead so should separate out supply for diabetics and supply for weight loss. It’s a medication now approved for both so the number of people taking it for weight loss is only going to go up, not down, especially when more covered by nhs.

Fair enough, although some people on this thread are being judgemental about all the people who are using Ozempic for weight loss purposes.

If you're gonna be mad at someone be mad at the government who have the power to fund the manufacturing and supply of the product so it's available on the NHS under contracts and not the people paying £200 a month for something that should be more readily accessible as a weight management tool.

Isn't this what wegovy will essentially be?

It's a divisive subject.

Certainly is 😬

Ugh. It's inevitable you're going to get the people who want to drop 10lbs before their beach holiday looking for ways around the online requirements.

As I said, I am taking similar, and just last week was given the option of changing my current injections to Ozempic. This is on the NHS and not for diabetes, but was from the Endocrine clinic. She mentioned that the weight loss clinic does prescribe it, but you'd only get a referral there if morbidly obese.

I'm now on the correct thyroid medication now. But for over a year I wasn't so put on 4 stone in that year, and felt very unwell.

You don't need to smoke, drink alcohol or do drugs to live. You will always need to eat that's why dieting fails for the vast majority of people.

For me I took the bull by the horns and had the surgery. I never wanted to be obese or diet again. Its worked I have little appetite bread is too stodgy , I will never be able to binge eat again but I can eat tiny amounts of anything. My bmi is 20 it worked for me but yes it's a huge commitment to make.

I'm on it, BMI is currently 33, started as 35. I have PCOS and insulin resistance as verified by my GP, I am also pre-diabetic and had gestational diabetes when pregnant.

Despite all of this the GP won't prescribe me anything or refer my to the weight management program, just says I have to make lifestyle changes.

So I've done my research, set my risk tolerance and been privately prescribed Ozempic.

I've lost 15lb since beginning of April and will continue on it until I decide to stop.

The GP isn't willing to help so I have to help myself, I've tried every diet known to man and while they may work short term they don't last and the only way I've found that works with the insulin problems is keto which is incredibly restrictive. Ozempic not only suppresses appetite it also helps to regulate blood sugar so that my body can better process the food I do eat.

So no I don't feel in any way guilty for using Ozempic, I feel pissed off that the NHS won't help me and that instead I'm having to pay a large amount of money privately even though I also pay about £25k a year in tax.

You need a BMI if minimum 40 or 45 to get referred to weight management clinics in our area. GP's can't prescribe it without a specialist prescribing it initially. But a diabetes clinic could, so ask to be referred to a diabetic nurse clinic - they do deal with pre diabetes.

I do understand the desire to take it. I've come to realise I hugely need antidepressants but won't take them because the benefit they have on my mental health is outweighed by the depression I get from gaining weight on them.

I have to diet so aggressively to lose weight (which I'm currently doing) and have to weigh my desire to stop being depressed with my 1lb per week weight loss.

It's not as black and white as you think. I'm not on Ozempic but I couldn't blame anyone who was

You have to send a photo of your midriff for all the companies I heard who sell it. Which company says take a photo of scales?

If you leave your prescription with one of them they will order it in for you. When I dropped off my prescription at the local chemist I was told they had none but leave the prescription and they ordered it for me. About 8 days later I got a call from the chemist that it had arrived. Also they told me to order it up to a month before it ran out to ensure they got it for me in plenty of time. Few chemists will just have it in stock.

Really?!! I'm shocked by that. You could be a size 12 and have a sizeable muffin top, so how on earth can a picture be an accurate snapshot of someone's weight?

The NHS will only prescribe for diabetes, or prediabetes with BMI over 50 plus another medical issues as well. Most people who are on it are paying between £179-£200 pcm for it.

@FatAgainItsLettuceTime, your GP seems unhelpful if you are prediabetic and BMI over 30 you should be eligible for NHS prescription especially with PCOS as well. When Wegovy is released I hope your GP will be more helpful to you. I'd consider changing GP's if not.

it'll soon be available on the black market/darkweb (if it isnt already)

@QueenieMe, I think we can all note the difference between a size 12 and a size 20 in a photo. Also height and weight, and BMI.

Have you tried Prozac? It's not as popular anymore as sertraline etc have taken over but weight gain is less on it (and it causes weightloss for some).

We can, but what's to stop people sending a picture of a bigger person's tummy to scam it!

I didn't have to do this for my company. They asked me my medical history, weight, height, BMI, goal weight, lifestyle information, motivations and continue to have ongoing mentoring and assessments throughout. I've literally never sent a picture of my belly. My SIL who uses a general online pharmacy for her ozempic also hasn't ever had to send a picture of her midriff.

Thanks @OsirisservesAnubis that's really helpful! I'll look into it