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.

They can’t afford it, they don’t want to, they have some sort of contraindication or condition which means they can’t. All fairly obvious really. Why ask?

1/ cost 2/ side effects or fear of side effects 3 / how do you know they're not on them and just early on in the process 4/ They are trying other things and are earlier on in the process.
For me the cost was always pushing it and it's a long term commitment.Then when the prices went wildly higher it just became unreasonable . Yes there are offers but they usually tend to be for the much lower introductory doses. We are still in a cost of living crisis The price of everything has shot up Wages have remained widely static or changed very little. Good for you that you can continue to afford them no matter what but like many people on here seem to have a complete lack of understanding about how other people live.

Goodness, tell me you don’t understand how medications are brought to market without telling me you don’t understand how medications are brought to market, 😂

I’m clinically obese, and could afford the outlay.

I don’t want to.

HTH.

This.

It's something you don't really see in people who've lost weight via other methods.

I used to be morbidly obese. A couple of people in my running group used to be overweight. We don't wander around scratching our heads, wondering why people aren't calorie-counting, lifting weights, and running.

For a start, it's not our business. Secondly, the reasons someone is overweight are complex and go far beyond food and exercise. Not to mention the side effects of the medication, the cost of both healthy eating and the medication.

FWIW, the biggest person I know atm is on GLP-1. She has been for 8 months. It doesn't work for her.

They can’t afford it or are on a
NHS waiting listing. Waiting times currently over 3 years where I live.

In the last 3 years I have been on two different types of medication that destroyed my body in different ways. Let's not pretend there aren't risks

I have a relative who is dangerously obese and has been offered a GLP-1 on the NHS. He also has a medical condition which he cannot access treatment for whilst his weight remains as it is. He won't take them because body positivity and fatphobia, and f*ck diet culture. Seriously.

I have a legitimate fear of side effects and adverse effects of medication, as I was permanently injured by an off label antipsychotic prescribed for severe insomnia and anxiety after a head injury and post concussion syndrome. It gave me a neurological involuntary movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia

So, I find any new medication a huge probably quite unnecessary worry , as i am now oversensitive to medication side effects, even ones I could safely take before.

Some of us have legitimate concerns 😟 😨

What do you mean ‘still large’? Did I miss a new universal law dictating that nobody is allowed to be ‘large’? Was there a deadline I missed? Will I be arrested?

No med is risk free, obesity comes with much bigger risks, huge risks in fact. From the leading cause of cancer in non smokers on.

and thays not what you said, you said we don’t know the long term implications . They do.

you not knowing is very different to others not knowing.

I wouldn’t be able to afford them. Luckily I don’t need them.

Steroids for my asthma have contributed to me being overweight. I can’t afford £100s per month

Despite been obese I don’t qualify for injections on the NHS as I have no co-morbid conditions. I’m physically disabled so exercising is really hard and I admittedly comfort eat. I’d love to afford injections but I’m a single mum of two and am lucky not to end the month in my overdraft. If I could magic the money from somewhere believe me I would

Agree. I never knew when I'm bimbling about NT properties that there's people there passing judgement. I suppose new converts are always the worst.

I would imagine it's the cost mostly, followed by the fear of potential side effects and the huge moral judgement from many quarters that naturally masks itself as "concern".

We are in a cost of living crisis. Many are faced with what they perceive to be minimal choices between fresh & “cheaper” UPF foods. Many working parents are time poor but in receipt of universal credit. Many are painfully aware of their weight, but powering on until “things get better”.
Gym memberships are expensive, parking and public transport is expensive in town centres close to fitness amenities. Many work hours that mean they cannot access public parks in daylight in winter months.
Household utilities & council tax is increasingly expensive.
Many don’t have the privilege of an expensive day out a NT property. If they do, they might prioritise taking their kids there over paying £200 pm on weight loss jabs.
Finance & time are the biggest barriers to nutrition, health & fitness, I cannot believe you need this explaining when already paying for them yourself.
This seems a very goady post, or incredibly naive!

I need to lose weight. I am doing weight watchers- it works if u stick to it. I am simply not on weight loss injections because I don't want to ho down that route- simple. I can afford it

Contraindications and side-effects, personally, for me and other family members who might otherwise benefit. It’s not worth the risk of worsening my other health issues, for me.

They should be on the NHS

Because they are expensive
because in some people they are contraindicated
because even when you do take them they don’t work overnight - I’m still big even though I’ve lost over 4 stone on them
you sound judgmental and ill informed, shame there’s not an injection for that

Money, the fact they’re not entirely safe to use?

I also have family that need an operation and cant have it because they are to fat. They can afford the drug privately but they dont. Its baffling. They are at the point they can hardly walk but still wont take it.

Imagine just looking at a nice garden or having a coffee and some .random is just tutting and rushing to the Internet to talk about "you".

Presumably they don't want to. Some may have used them and regained the weight. Others may be waiting until there's more long-term real-world data specifically in the population with overweight/obesity (not from other indications). Others may believe that for them, the risks outweigh the benefits. All kinds of reasons.