All these weight loss drugs... surely we are heading towards disaster?

[shellswirl]

So as we all know there are various weight loss drugs that have become very popular in recent months.

It seems like the whole of Hollywood is using it.

Even regular people are spending huge amounts of money on it from online pharmacies.

I get that these drugs might be useful for certain people with real medical conditions, but really a lot of people are using it as a quick fix to be thin.

With no consideration to side effects or future health. And without thinking about what happens when you stop it?

Surely the best way to lose weight involves no drugs. No fad diets. But exercising more, moving more, eating a balanced diet. Retraining your brain and finding food and exercise you enjoy.

I say this as an overweight person too! Surely there are other ways.

If every other person is taking these drugs won't there be a huge pool of people to monitor side effects etc?

Aibu to say the whole thing makes me feel very uneasy.

Keto/low carb isn’t recommended for those with underactive thyroid. Carbs play an active role in activating thyroid hormone.

I'm taking orlistat. I am 35 and have loved sports for the last 15 years. I run three times a week and do kickboxing twice a week. I'm a former kickboxing instructor and have three black belts.

After having my child I gained weight. I only eat one takeaway a week and have 2-3 drinks at weekends.

I have slowly gained weight and have gone up to a size 16, am uncomfortable and my ankles hurt when I run. I eat plenty of fruit and veg and drink lots of water.

I'm really struggling to get the weight off and I'm feeling so deflated when I work so hard and the scales hardly move

Eat less move more doesnt work for everyone, even with good willpower.

Obesity also causes massive health issues.

Some people choose to have botox, some people choose to smoke, some people choose to eat fried food everyday. I choose to take weightloss drugs.

Its easy to judge from the side, I'm trying to better myself so you do you and ill do me.

There Is so much on this thread to discuss.

Firstly losing muscle, loose skin and ‘Ozempic face’. These are all the result of rapid weight loss which is easier to achieve on these drugs but would be the same however the weight was lost.

Which country has low UPF consumption and 80% of women obese? Not sure I believe that is true.

Yes in an ideal world we would roll back the clocks, remove UPFs from the national diet and not need these drugs but this is not going to happen for lots of reasons. I do agree that it is scandalous that food industry profit from making us fat and the pharmaceutical industry now profit from fixing this but I can’t see another way out on a societal level. (Apart from a massively interfering nanny state and decimation of the food industry). It’s not like we haven’t been trying for decades.

Why does someone always come along and say ‘I bet the people taking these drugs refused the covid vaccine’? The people who have replied to that have either taken both or neither which is actually the much more logical way round with people’s attitudes towards new medications.

There have been studies into weight change with continuing the drug and coming off it. If you continue then the weight plateaus at somewhere between 10 and 20% weight loss which for a lot of us will not be at a BMI under 25 (sadly). For those that come off it the usual pattern is to gain about 2/3 of the weight back. The same can be said of any weight loss intervention - you have to keep following the plan in order to maintain and most people regain the weight they have lost.

Yes there are side effects and perhaps unknown risks. Most of the ongoing research is positive and the risks of obesity are well proven.

It does make you eat more healthily, crave less of the sugar and fat and feel full more quickly. It is definitely not a case of continuing to eat a load of rubbish and then taking the drugs on top of that.

To the person who got the the payment page having made up figures - what usually happens after you pay is that they request photo id and a full length recent photograph and decline you if you can’t provide both or they don’t think your BMI is high enough. It would be great to have a monthly in person weigh in, discussion about side effects and dosage but that is not the reality of the service that can be provided at the price we are paying. We need to take responsibility for ourselves and research the risks and benefits.

I think that once the price comes down this will be something that GPs will offer routinely. So yes - ‘a slippery slope’ towards a healthier nation.

@YouAreEffluentKim

Well first up I never said anyone was stupid.

And yes, I do have several concerns and questions. Instead of people easing my concerns or having a sensible debate I've come across done very aggressive rude people on here. Honestly some of the comments. I've been told diets don't work so it's pointless. That I'm still fat so I'm basically not entitled to an opinion.

The patient leaflet for certain drugs of this type contains information on potential thyroid tumours. As far as I know it happened in rats when it was tested. They can't be sure that it won't happen in humans. It's all there for you to read in the patient leaflet.

As for diabetics, I understand that is a very serious illness that can have wide range of issues in the body. So no I don't dislike diabetics But in my mind the risk of any side effects is most likely worth it in the diabetic patient due to seriousness of the disease.

It's like the example of chemo. I'd take any chemo drug in the world if it gave me a shot of beating cancer. I know the side effects are bad. But it's totally worth it in my mind. Any sane person would give it a shot.

If you said I can take a drug that might kill me and might cause a host of bad stuff to happen to me but it would solve my sore knee, I probably would decline. Because it's not worth the pay off. Plus there is a safer alternative that yes might take a bit of effort and hard work (paracetamol and physio). Plus you aren't looking at the cause of my sore knee (a sporting injury 5 years ago)...

As a result of this thread I’ve decided to give Mounjaro a try, it’s not something I’d considered before so thank you to those who have given their experiences of it.

Yes, and there is considerable research that evidences the fact that ketogenic diets significantly impact cholesterol levels and adversely affect hear health, along with causing kidney damage. I’ll take a balanced approach to diet along with medication prescribed by a qualified professor of endocrinology [with decades of research/teaching/clinical practice in obesity, hypothyroidsm & PCOS] and continue to be reassured by my GP, that my health indices (for heart disease etc) are now better than the average person after one year on these medications.

You have actually said very little. You’ve referred to imaginary scenarios and continue to plead that there must be ‘other ways’.

I don’t understand what has you in this state. Do you usually choose the thing that will be least affective because you fear change?

I'm really struggling to understand why people feel the need to debate this so fiercely.

If you want to spend your own money on medication to lose weight then what is the issue? Why be so over invested in a choice other people have made. If you think its simply calories in/calories out, then follow that approach yourself if it works for you. I think busy lifestyles have contributed to this more than anything. Working lots of hours in sedentary jobs. Yes it's sad we have to resort to medication, but until worklife balance is improved it will persist.

You have to have a high BMI to get these drugs, and yes some people will lie, but they would be in a small minority. The pharmacies generally do the checks they can, but really you should be able to go to the doctor in person, get weighed, try a period of normal dieting, then try this. The fact people are buying privately is probably the issue here and its creating a two tier approach to treating obesity, which then creates the kind of animosity on this thread. Thin people used to take speed to stay thin ffs, so people using drugs to lose weight when they shouldn't isn't new.

My cousin is consulting with doctors about weight loss surgery which is so expensive in comparison. She hasn't even be offered this, but if she was, the amount she would save in food costs would more than pay for it to self fund. To resort to surgery now isn't justified. I'm surprised her GP is still discussing this. I don't think stoking up fear or animosity about a potential breakthrough in weight loss helps anyone thinking of taking the medication, as all you are left with is continued obesity still being a growing problem.

I've been told diets don't work so it's pointless

Well, on a population level that's true. They aren't the answer. The basis for your argument seems to be that because there are understandable worries about the pharmaceutical option, that means there must be a good workable alternative. There's not!

Yes people don't seem to understand this.

The message that people are given is that it's always possible to lose weight, but unfortunately once most people gain the weight their body is essentially permanently damaged and will never be a body that doesn't easily gain weight again.

People will say that it's harmful to tell people that because then people won't bother trying to eat healthily but it's true unfortunately.

The focus in future has to be on prevention, preventing people from gaining weight in the first place and telling them that if you gain there could be PERMANENT changes to your metabolism, hormones etc.

But prevention is obviously no good for those who have already gained the weight, that's why health departments are turning to these drugs.

Re thyroid, this was in rats only. They have very different thyroids to humans. It has never shown up in any human studies or in any post-surveillance. New large studies show zero increase in cancer and given that up to half of all cancers are linked to overweight, GLP-1 agonists are likely to reduce risk. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37531876/

You might want to reread my posts - I am well aware that you cannot sustain weight loss unless you continue on the medication. But on average people who lose through diet and exercise alone also regain on average 75% of their weight lost within 5 years. This is why the medical community is shifting towards a view of obesity as a chronic condition. Just like diabetes and hypertension you can achieve normal control with diet, exercise and medication, but will never be ‘cured’. This is why these medications have a maintenance dose - I fully expect to be on these medications long-term.

As for understanding side effects and potential safety concerns, I have actually read the trial results as well as several follow-up papers - have you? I look at this stuff on a regular basis in a professional capacity, so have a pretty good idea of what I am looking at. I don’t claim it is risk free, just that for me the safety profile is acceptable when balanced against the very well documented risks of staying overweight

The reason these are the safest, most effective weight loss/obesity medications there have ever been is because they use an exact mimic of a hormone we all make in varying amounts.

@BusyMummy001 can you actually link to any specific research re cholesterol and link with heart health or keto and kidney damage? Or are you just repeating myths?
Plenty of scientists, professors, Drs out there explaining how and why low carb diets work.

I will take lack of processed carbs in my diet over prescribed pills for life any day.

The latest studies suggest that weight loss from semaglutide lasts at least four years. The secret seems to be tapering the dose and exercising. To keep all the weight off permanently people will likely be on maintenance long term, as they do statins or blood pressure medications. However there are indications that newer medications may be able to rewire the body to be more like that of a naturally lean person, which would be an exciting breakthrough. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/wegovy-weight-loss-four-years-study#GLP-1-drugs-benefit-weight-loss,-heart-health,-and-diabetes

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/keto-diet-is-not-healthy-and-may-harm-the-heart

@shellswirl

It's like the example of chemo. I'd take any chemo drug in the world if it gave me a shot of beating cancer. I know the side effects are bad. But it's totally worth it in my mind. Any sane person would give it a shot.

Except lots of sane people actually do refuse chemo or other drugs.
And many doctors say they would refuse it also or other drugs.

Are you more sane than them? Do you know more than the docs do?

Your posts really are incredibly arrogant 😂

Chemotherapy to treat cancer might improve your life expectancy - treating obesity with weight loss drugs might also improve your life expectancy.

Obesity is a risk factor for many diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and cancers.

Smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol & diabetes are all risk factors for other diseases - all have medications available to reduce the risk of future illness, despite all potentially being 'treatable' with lifestyle modification.

Obesity is a risk factor that can now be managed with prescribed medication.

That is all.

And could you ever imagine wanting to deny people this?

Christ I thought I was a misanthrope

They don't work for many because they go on diets rather than make lifestyle changes. Look at the PP that wants to lose weight but still eats a takeway & drinks alcohol EVERY week. In a healthy eating plan to lose weight, those things need to be for high days and holidays, not a regular occurance.

It seems no one wants to put themselves out, make real changes, feel hunger or accept that the way they eat isn't compatible with a healthy body. And would rather take drugs that they need to be on for life, otherwise they will gain all the weight back.

What are people going to do if the pharma companies get greedier and raise the price when they have enough people even more hooked? Or when they get cancer from unknown drugs?

I will stick to the hard way.

As someone who has always been slim the only time I gained was when my cortisol went out of control. I was still a normal weight but I was a lot bigger than I normally was. The only thing that fixed the cortisol and chronic inflammation was keto and dirty keto at that because I wasn't sticking to healthy food.

I had previously tried very healthy diets to fix the inflammation and it just got worse.

I actually like keto and could easily stick to it except for I found it so hard to keep my electrolytes balanced.

I'm off keto now and back to my normal weight, but for those who started as obese they would probably need to stay on keto forever, not every day of course but as a general lifestyle and diet and I don't know how successful people are with that....so it can't be considered as a solution if people can't stick to it and end up in a worse position than before.

It also isn't suitable for everyone.

I am constantly astonished by how angry some people feel that these very effective medications exist. As others have said, people despise fat people for being fat, and also for trying to be less fat, unless they choose a difficult and almost always ineffective method. It makes no sense at all. Someone being prescribed semaglutide or tirzepatide affects you not one jot, except to potentially put the nhs under less strain so it works better when you need it.

The “hard way” that the evidence says for obese people doesn’t work. Good luck with that. And would you scaremonger diabetes patients with droning on about cancer?

Your jealousy is clear JosiePosey. Much as you try to deny it.

Politely, you are chatting absolute shit.

Exactly! Some people seem to be annoyed that these medications now exist that allow people to ‘cheat’ at the hard slog that is weight loss.

I am naturally slim so will not be an ozempic customer, but I think these medications are great. Think of how much we can improve people’s lives (and money we save the NHS)!