Ozempic or no?

[Johojo]

im massively overweight
I hate taking medication but I don’t want surgery due to the risks and considering ozempic? What is everyone’s experiences

It amazes me that people research the side effects and still go ahead - thyroid tumours that may or may not turn cancerous long term? If you are unwell I guess it’s worth it - for people trying to drop 4kg I don’t understand the risk/reward.

Maybe I can provide a slightly different perspective.

Given that I've had both WLS and saxenda- was waiting on wegovy to come out (same medication just different dosages)

The semaglutide/wegovy..any of those jabs I think are a better idea than WLS, atleast as a first option.

My experience- weight didn't drop off massively quickly, but it was coming off. The real difference to me was that I was experiencing freedom from food.
The freedom I had experienced meant I could make healthier choices, not based on craving and it was like the slot machine that would usually go off in my brain as I ate wasn't on any more. Food became a chore to eat, so past a few mouth fulls I didn't really want to continue eating. Food didn't control my life for that time.

When I stopped, I felt hungry as a bear, but my stomach had shrunk which was great. I could eat even less.

Things I would be aware of- because it slows gastric emptying, it can slow how you absorb some medications including the pill. Some women have fallen pregnant this way (myself included) So might be a good idea to double up on BC. I wasn't even ovulating, but I did in that 6 week period and my pill didn't work lol.

I wouldn't hesitate to try the jabs instead of WLS... you can time temporarily stop the jab if you have a meal you really want to enjoy, you can't turn off the surgery for an evening.

I tried it but I didn't continue because of the side effects it gave me, nausea, exhaustion, sore throat (?), and constipation. However I'd still say try it. The worst that can happen is you don't feel the best for a couple of days, and you don't have to use it again. No big deal really. The best outcome is that you lose weight like so many people have.

Did you do your research properly? If you did you'd know that there were thyroid tumours in rats and there has not been any thyroid tumours in humans at all. It's recommended not to use ozempic if you have a particular type of thyroid tumour in your family.

I'm with you that this is not the drug for people who need to lose small amounts of weight.

Are you saying the upper limit for your BMI is 7.5 stones? :/ You'd have to be about 4ft nothing or something for that to be the case.

Tumours like that would be a really rare side effect. Every med for anything has rare side effects. Most people just get a bit of queasiness with Ozempic, maybe mainly when they first start it and not after that

I was thinking the same! I'm only 5ft3 and 7.5 stone is almost the lower limit for a healthy bmi for me!

Obesity is NOT recognised as a disease in the UK
A disease, by definition, needs to have characteristic symptoms and signs, and even though excess adiposity is a characteristic sign, there are no symptoms that are unique to obesity
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(23)00139-6/fulltext

So no, people shouldn't be using drugs meant to keep those with diabetes alive just to have a bout of quick weight loss

No adult at 10.5 stone and 3 stone overweight should be getting drugs to help them lose weight.

Many of those who are seriously overweight are just on their way to diabetes though.
Surely, to avoid getting to the stage of diabetes, which is then treated by the NHS is preferable to leaving it until they develop diabetes and there's additional strain on the NHS

This. There is no long term data on the effects. You need serious diet and lifestyle changes, which are sustainable

That's a bit out of date. That was the thinking when semaglutide was only licenced for diabetes.

There are lots of threads in weight loss chat which you might find helpful @Johojo

Your link states that obesity has been classified as a disease in the UK since 2019. As a pp stated "a quick bout of weight loss" can be life saving, or at least save the NHS money for other drugs/treatment.

People still aren't getting that you can have food addiction, that might be MH/trauma etc led, but the symptom is overeating and unlike alcohol etc you can't avoid food. So help is needed. Posters might not be aware but NHS help has now had funding removed. The NHS clinics were for people who had an exsiting health condition and were of the middle/upper end of obese. Which can make moving more very difficult, if not impossible. On other threads it's discussed that 2000 calories are way too much for many women. 1200 is often enough. So that means for a smaller height woman they have to drop to 800-1000 calories to lose weight, if they can't exercise a lot. To start to drop 5st plus that's a massive challenge without a lot of support.

@Johojo if I could afford it I'd go for the new pill type gastric balloon.

Eat less and exercise more. Weight loss really is not such a great mystery. And for all of those saying 'diets don't work' it is simply not the case, the case is that you don't want to put the work in and I am saying this as someone with an under active thyroid and a type 1 diabetic so understand how difficult weight loss can be sometimes with other health conditions. This medication is for people who have a genuine health condition (which they often have through no fault of their own, unlike obesity which is self inflicted and easily solved without need for medication) it is not for people who are to lazy to put the effort in to keep a healthy diet and do moderate exercise. As soon as you stop taking the Ozempic you will be right back to square one because you are choosing a 'quick fix' over adopting a healthy lifestyle which will benefit you in more aspects of your life not just your weight.

Just wanted to add even as a diabetic this stuff had me so sick at times I thought I was going to die. It works it really does but at what cost? I would really encourage anyone who's going to try it to really research it.

It is about calories but some people find weight loss/controlling their appetite etc harder than others. I say this as someone who isn't overweight but I understand that some people really struggle to lose it, or they have a lot to lose so it can take years.

People with obesity should be given every treatment appropriate for them to help them lose weight- it would help reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, a whole raft of illness, so reduce the costs to the NHS.

I'm not saying NHS should be prescribing Ozempic etc now when there's a shortage, but everyone should be able to access appropriate treatments, including Ozempic when that shortage has passed.

Some people will need to be on it for life to control their weight and appetite.

The side effects of Ozempic if compared to an alternative of bariatric surgery are minor.

I have a level 4 qualification in fitness/ obesity and diabetes management.

wegovy has been brilliant - lost 3 stone in a few months. finally at a healthy weight that I just couldn't get down to with all the attempts at diets and exercise throughout years previously. BUT also needed therepy to get to the bottom of eating habits - as I don't just want to put it all back on as soon as the wegovy is stopped.

only side effect I noticed was getting a head rush when standing up after bending down.

I am on Saxenda (originally through Juniper but changed providers). The stuff is magical. Totally removes the food noise. Allows me to stick to a good dieI. i feel fuller for longer. Intermittent fasting is a piece of cake.

There was a period at the start when the side effects were pretty brutal (and I lost weight very quickly) but my body got used to it and now it’s fine. The weightloss has enabled me to be confident in exercising - I joined a Pilates studio for example.

I am 46 and never had a weight problem until I hit 40. I also tried many, many times before to lose the weight but nothing else worked. The weightloss medication was a last ditch effort. Give it a go, you can always stop taking it if you think it’s not right.

Obviously diabetes is not the only disease obesity causes. There's a long list. Look it up if you don't know.

I don't think anyone is saying people with obesity should be prioritised over those with diabetes though. Just that ideally, when stocks are up, both could be treated.

@LovelaceBiggWither Wegovy tends to be prescribed at a higher dose than injected Ozempic, because injecting is more efficient than taking a pill. Less of the Wegovy would get where it needs to get at the same dose.

Ozempic is licenced for diabetes not for weight loss. Wegovy (same drug) is licenced for weight loss and is available on prescription from the weight management teams.
note that both cam cause pancreatitis so are not good if you already have a history of it

I can already think of one of the main causes and also solutions off the top of my head. Quite obvious what they are.

I do agree that diets don't work. Lifestyle changes do work, however most people are too impatient to wait for results. Always wanting a quick fix.

I wouldn't do it OP. We don't know enough about the long term effects yet.