Why are many severely overweight people not using GLP-1 treatments?

[Donteatmychips]

Just a pondering when I was on a day out yesterday. I know of course that there is an economic cost to GLP1s, but is there really really any excuse to such widespread obesity these days? I was walking around a seaside town and a National Trust property, and I would say a good half of those around were still large. I understand they are not that easily prescribed on the NHS, but I believe you can shop around and find deals from various online pharmacies. Is it just more that people don’t want to?

For full disclosure, I am on a GLP1 that I acquired elsewhere by walking into a pharmacy and just asking for it. Yes, it cost a lot of money and I know I am lucky to be in a position to have done that. I fought being on one for a long time and it’s not a magic bullet, but it does help and I’m grateful for that.

I know that modern versions of obesity are skewed, but I am talking really about people maybe 250lbs or over now, not just a stone to lose.

But, I get all kinds of things prescribed by online GPs, including migraine medication, pain relief, and the pill, and they never give me a detailed talk about what the medication is or what side effects \I might expect (some of which can be potentially serious).

Most people don't know what's in most of the medications they take, do they? They just trust the professionals know what they are doing, whther thye're getting it prescribed online or off.

I have a health condition that means I would probably get weight loss injections for free, but conversely I also have a health condition that would be made an awful lot worse if I had any of the side effects. So I have to try and manage my weight through healthier eating and exercise, which is bloody hard a lot of the time and very slow progress.

Many people cannot afford to pay privately for these drugs or, like me, may have other health reasons why they cannot take them.

Full credit to everyone who has been successful in losing weight and keeping it off, whether by weight loss injections or other methods. I find it a struggle, particularly as I get older, so admit I sometimes feel slightly envious of those who have been able to achieve significant weight loss.

That being said, I think sanctimonious posts like the OP's is really not helpful, especially as they have had their own issues with weight. Frankly, overweight people are often judged negatively anyway, so it really isn't helpful when someone like OP (who has been in that situation) joins in with the finger pointing.

I pay £113/month for mine and absolutely save that and more on food a month. I was extreme though and easily spending £20/day on snacks/junk food.

its obvious. Money.

But there’s a big difference between you taking antibiotics because you have an infection or birth control because you don’t want to get pregnant vs taking a medication because people like OP are judging you for not doing so.

With any other medication I assume most people know that there are/could be side effects but it seems with WLIs some people are shocked to hear that some people get side effects - we wouldn’t be shocked with any other medication, so why be surprised with this medication.

Look at how many posters have said they can’t take it as they’re on medication that would affect it or because they’re BF etc and yet there are posters like OP who have no clue that these can cause side effects.

There are definitely too many overweight people about. The answer is exercise and eating more healthily, not shooting up drugs!

I came to say this - thank you

No, I don't think WLIs are a special case at all. Most people don't even read the leaflet that comes with their medications, in my experience, let alone know in detail what side effects they might expect.

I agree with you that we should all be more aware of side effects in the medications we take, but WLIs are honestly not any worse than that, and they are used to treat a condition just like any other medication. You can also access a list of side effects, just like any other medication.

1. the cost not everyone can afford them
2. long term side effects are still unknown
3. some side effects are known and people don’t want to take them for that reason
4. because they don’t have to

There’s always one…!

Exactly, my doctor never explained the horrendous side effects of the antipsychotic that injured me permanently. I didn't have a patient information leaflet in the box either, and my GP even told me not to look up the side effects 😐

Yes. I know i could have looked them up, but i trusted her judgement at a time when i was severely mentally unwell and lacking insight into this somewhat too.

Any medication should be researched properly, I absolutely agree though. I've learnt my lesson the hard way 😪

I don't think that's true at all. The negative side effects of WLI are plastered everywhere, constantly. I was terrified to start purely for that reason. And was luckily pleasantly surprised that it was nothing like the fearmongering (for me).

Conversely, I took the penicillin with no real awareness that there could or would be an issue due to how common its usage is.

And birth control is actually a great example. It can have really detrimental side effects for some people. Long term and short term, but there's never a 'God you must be so desperate to have sex that you're willing to pump chemicals into yourself' rhetoric with that.

I totally think people should decide for themselves (with clinical support where necessary), what medications they take - but I have yet to find a credible answer as to why everyone is only so concerned about the long term health of people if the medication is to reduce their weight.

Exactly this too (see my reply above).

It's interesting how often she comes out with it, she's been on enough threads where it's been pointed out that traditional diet and exercise methods don't work on a societal level. You can take a horse to water...

I was always slim until I had to take a hefty dose of steroids for a long period.
The same condition that meant I needed steroids also meant I wasn't able to exercise

It's so easy to be smug when you are ignorant

Some people aren't interested in being stick thin with bags of excess skin and a gaunt face. The people that truly are obese look dreadful when they lose extreme amounts of weight quickly, yes they can tuck it in and hide it but it haunts them. They go from one problem into another - which cannot be fixed without skin tucks. Another very expensive solution. Sort your eating out (more veg, less sugar) and exercise - yes it takes longer to get there but those people will look 100× better than someone who loses weight rapidly with a jab. Plus the jabs have awful side effects which just like with botox, vain people ignore

The money. Fear of the side effects. Shame that I can't "do it" (lose weight) by myself.
Fear of it not working, or working, then I come off it and the weight goes back on, so i will feel even more of a failure than I do already.

But mainly the money and the side effects.

Yes, I'm not sure people necessarily realise how easy it can be to lie about symptoms or things like blood pressure, across the board. I mentioned on previous threads but I was asked to supply regular BP readings where my honesty was just assumed, for example. There was an incentive to lie if it had been too high, because I wanted to stay on the medication.

Doubt there are enough HCPs in the world to get round the fact that people can and do lie, and that health systems however you run them end up having to take a lot of things on trust. And that's before we consider the people who make honest mistakes.

Tell me you don't understand the economics of food without telling me you don't understand the economics of food...
If you're shopping on a tight budget, and also have limited money for fuel to cook with, you're looking for cheap food that will fill you up with minimal cooking. Supermarket instant noodles are often about 40p a pack, pretty filling and quick to cook. You probably can't really afford to factor macros into the equation. If you had more money, you might well have a prawn stir fry instead. If you ate the stir fry, you'd probably be less hungry later too. If you had the instant noodles, you'd probably be more likely to snack on calorie dense, nutrient poor foods later - a pack of cheap biscuits is a similar cost to (and more immediately filling than) a single apple or portion of nuts. If you're shopping on a tight budget it's also harder to take advantage of economies of scale - yes, a huge bag of nuts that you can use in loads of dishes is cheap per portion, but the upfront cost is a huge chunk of your shopping budget.
More deprived areas are less likely to have e.g. greengrocers on the doorstep, and the cost of getting to shops has to be factored into budgets too.
This is before we get into the time required to plan, source and cook healthy food.
HTH

Exactly this! Plus some people worry about the health risks, and some people are obese despite eating hardly anything-am I correct in thinking the jabs only quiet food noise? So they won't help with weightloss if someone is overweight despite not eating much?
I'm not on them and happy to be corrected if someone knows better.

I'm not saying that. It's the cost of being permanently on private weight loss injections that may stop people.

YANBU to wonder why there are so many obese / overweight people!

Contentious, but I believe if people had to pay eg through premiums based on their lifestlye, then more would think twice about smoking / heavy drinking/ eating to excess !

I am biased though and slightly resentfful that the NHS won't fund research into dementia drugs but WILL spend on self induced illnesses !

Dad has it and lead a healthy life ! Pure bad luck :(

They are very expensive. Surely it’s not that baffling?
I was on Mounjaro at the end of last year but had to stop due to the huge price increase. I’ve recently started on Weygovy but I can’t only afford to be on it for a few months at the most (especially as my eldest is off to uni in September and I will have to support her financially and things will be very tight)

That is great for you, but not every has that sort of budget. That would be more than a lot of people’s food budget

I’m a bit at loss at the OP tbh.
she seems to think WILwill magically make obese people a normal weight.
Yet all the studies show that people loose about 14% of their weight. JUST 14%. It’s not going to allow someone is obese to suddenly become a normal weight.

And ofc it doesn’t include people who experience weight gain due to meds, those who have a disability/health issues that make then unable to exercise and so on.