Ozempic Shortage

[mummydoris2006]

I have quite a few complex and chronic health conditions and am prescribed Ozempic each month to help with these among any other medications.
Recently Ozempic has become available to buy as a weight loss quick fix which has resulted today in me now not being able to get my prescribed medicine!
There is a national shortage and my nurse is out of alternative options because they've all been exhausted due to the Ozempic surge.
I understand how hard it is to hate your body and to have a lot of weight to lose but surely medical needs should come first?
I am only early 40's but take a cocktail of meds every day that help me function and still be able to work. These are carefully monitored, and through trial and error over the years keep me being able to live my life. Now I have to deal with the consequences to my health because of a new 'fad diet' in effect. Sorry, rant over ...

Yes, unfortunately some of them have posted here basically saying why shouldn't they use it. Maybe if it was them who genuinely needed it to help keep them alive they'd think differently but honestly looking at the entitlement shown I doubt it.

It's not about money though its all the supply. If asthma inhalers were found to alleviate symptoms of depression then you'd hope that until supply stabilised it wasn't expected that asthmatics would go without their life saving pumps just to satisfy this new finding. Once there's enough to go round I doubt anyone cares what people inject into their bodies.

Nope, the alternatives have been exhausted and a manufacturing date of availability has been suggested of May 2024.

Yesterday I listened to a full diabetes specialist team dealing with scared patients with no advice other than to try to keep an eye on their blood sugars. Those specialists do not have the time or resources to spend this time speaking to patients as they're already overstretched.

Reading here though you'd think it's fine though because all these Ozempic warriors are saving the NHS by buying all the supplies to stop them being overweight 🤔

Op won't say that though...

I don't think they know, but I may be wrong. I had no idea and I'd talked about it with my friend. She's just told me she has something called trulicity (not sure of spelling sorry) to replace the ozempic.

@mummydoris2006 according to the diabetes UK website, it says that 'people with type 2 diabetes can be medication free through healthy eating real-food diet and getting regular exercise'...just quoting so don't shoot the messenger...but that being the case, how is that different to people with BMI 30+ using it?

My chemist phoned me to say they're out of stock with no idea when it will be back in. I am prescribed it for diabetes. It has made a huge difference to my blood sugars. Screwed now.

I take antidepressants and have done for 15 years. If there became a time when these were marketed for people to give up smoking lets say as an example like Champix a few years ago then absolutely I would expect them to go to depressed patients first to reduce suicidal thoughts rather than 'maybe reduce NHS usage of smokers in the future' which seems to be the argument many are going for.

At no point has my argument been for overweight or any person to pull themselves together, my argument is those that need this treatment to live should come first, no-one is at risk of dying for not taking this injection if taking purely for weightloss. They may say they struggle to lose weight but at the end of the day there is a choice for weight gain in 99.9% of cases once all avenues are explored correctly, frankly I find it disgusting you would use someone with depression as the same as someone that wants to lose weight.

What about the long term side effects such as thyroid cancer etc

Could you share where you have found a case of thyroid cancer in a human Ozempic user?

But ozempic has only been licensed for 5 years in the UK...so did everyone with diabetes just die before that??

No shooting,😊.

Not all type 2 diabetes can be reversed. I'm not actually type 2 though.

The difference is many T2 Diabetics do not produce the hormone in their saliva that communicates to the brain to tell them they have eaten enough and are full, the same as they don't produce enough of another hormone, Insulin.

Many people say I don't have that switch that tells me when I'm full, this is actually the case for many diabetics. This wanting it purely for weight loss with no medical need do produce this hormone but override it and overeat.

I think it's appalling diabetics cannot get their hands on it because it's being repurposed against the manufacturer's guidelines as a weight loss aid. Anyone using it when they already have a normal BMI or to shift a stone for the summer – and I've seen a few of those pop up on the weight loss boards – should hang their heads in shame that they're depriving people with a life-threatening illness.

Trulicity was a substitute for diabetics to Ozempic but unfortunately this isn't an alternative as their is now a shortage caused by a knock on effect from the Ozempic shortage

Not everyone but some, yes. Those that couldn't control their blood sugars and went on to develop complications or had strokes or heart attacks.

Medicine is evolving all the time, thank goodness. I would hope no-one would use what you have said as an argument or justification though as where would it end? Imagine saying "Sorry you can't have a medically needed c-section because someone is having an elective one but don't worry because women died in labour before we understood childbirth"

Trulicity was a substitute for diabetics to Ozempic but unfortunately this isn't an alternative as their is now a shortage caused by a knock on effect from the Ozempic shortage

Oh dear!

It's listed as a possible side effect on the ozempic website under their important information which is what I was referring to.

Hats off to those "saving" the NHS by using Ozempic just in case they do get diabetes. Perhaps we should clap them on our front door steps as well.

Well op you will just have to remain 'disgusted' then

Funny how you have apparently every single illness and condition listed... way eye course you do 😝

For the record I don't take ozempic or anything, but I disagree with people blaming others who are also taking it to reduce BMI to below 30. Both have needs that this drug seems to meet and will have long-term benefits in either case.
@mummydoris2006 your example re childbirth is an either or case, which is not the case for ozempic, the are and have been alternatives.

OK, I'll bite just for you!

Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Anaemia, Fybromyalgia, Polymyalgia, Diabetes, Arthiritis, Diabetic nerve damage, Diabetic maculopathy, Insulin resistance, 2 x strokes, Atrial Fibrillation, Processing difficulties due to damage from the strokes, frozen shoulder.

They all meant I had to change careers from a pharmacy technician and practice team leader but you know what I still bloody work and live my life every single day.

The whole point of this thread is actually no there aren't any alternatives available and aren't expected to be until May 2024!!!!!

It is disgusting, people are inherently selfish though and I'm sure being greedy over medicine extends to other areas of people's lives if you get me.

Great, now you're bashing women who have c-sections - and you obviously don't know what the term "elective" means in relation to surgery and no, it doesn't mean "not needed medically" it means "not an emergency".
I do get how worried and frustrated you are about not finding your meds - hopefully it won't take much longer

Obviously if there is a shortage something needs to be done to ensure those most in need get it first, however obesity is also a health issue and if ozempic is really helping people with that, then production needs to be ramped up so people taking it for weight loss can get it.

Instead of blaming people with high BMi we should be concentrating on the producers of this drug.