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.

This is a thread to discuss the broader and longterm concerns some people have about these weightloss drugs. There are scores of threads on the weightloss board where people who are on them can discuss their progress, ask questions, support each other, query concerns. There's even a Wegovy thread on the goddam Weight Watchers board. It's inescapable.

As if any of the fat phobes on here give a shit about muscle loss etc.

For starters, the OP has said in her OP that she is overweight. Many posters have stated they are considerably overweight or obese, and are still suss on these drugs. It is ridiculous to paint everyone posting on this thread as "fat phobes".

As for children:

"Now, a national study from Michigan Medicine shows that the use of these weight loss drugs is increasing rapidly in adolescents and young adults aged 12–25 years, especially females.

Using 2020–2023 data from a national database representing 92% of pharmacies, the study team found a 594% increase in the monthly number of adolescents and young adults using Wegovy, Ozempic, and other glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs).

For females, this increase was even more pronounced. The number of female adolescents 12-17 years using GLP-1RAs increased 588%, compared with 504% for male adolescents. The number of female young adults 18-25 years using GLP-1 RAs increased 659%, compared with 481% for male young adults."

Young people are increasingly using Wegovy and Ozempic, study finds (medicalxpress.com)

no one has any “concerns” about weight loss drugs. They just hate fat people and this is another way to demonstrate that. This post and the myriad of others like that are abundantly clear. Unless I have also missed the multiple posts of “concern” for diabetics on these meds?

I am on Mounjaro and it is not licensed for children. Given even adults can’t get it on the NHS, I find the idea that children are wholesale being injected with it nonsensical.

Fat people "just hate fat people", do they?

You might also like to know - the UK is not the whole world. This craze for these drugs is a world-wide phenomenon, and as the article linked and countless others if you bother to google it say, children and adolescents are using them.

I gather this is your first weightloss drug rodeo? Buckle up. These things never end well.

Here's something else to dismiss unread, written by a concerned former fat person:

Is a recent clinical trial enough to support the use of semaglutide in treating adolescent obesity? (peterattiamd.com)

What bullshit. Many people are concerned about the actions of big pharma and the effects of the drugs they peddle for huge profit on millions of people. And not just weight loss drugs.

Thankfully I don’t give a fuck what the likes of you think. And still not sure the relevance of the article when THESE DRUGS ARE NOT LICENSED FOR WEIGHT LOSS IN CHILDREN

@DownWithThisKindOfThing

Utter bollocks. I'm the op and you are talking trash.

You said I hate fat people?!

Did you miss the part where I said I was overweight myself. You can do the math if you like... 5ft 2 and 12stone 3. I have 32H boobs. I'm a size 14 most of the time. Clothes shopping is not enjoyable.

I've been heavier sure. I've been lighter too.
I do have success with healthy eating and exercise. But it's a work in progress all the time. I realise the challenges of perimenopause, stress, a twin pregnancy, injury etc has on my weight. And for those reasons my weight is not consistent.

Right now I'm working with a PT each week and documenting everything that passes my lips. I don't consider it a failure if I get an injury and pop on a stone. Or get pregnant with twins and chuck on 3 stone temporarily. Or go through grief and it might go up or down. I just get back on the wagon afterwards.

I am concerned about these drugs and that is my right to have those feelings. Just as it's your right to not listen.

big pharma are money making enterprises. They have and do still make drugs which improve and save the lives of millions of people.

So what you're saying is, it doesn't matter if you lose muscle with rapid weight loss, in fact it's probably a good thing because the muscle you lose is bad muscle and now you are replacing it with a better kind of muscle?

And yes, a lot of fat people do hate themselves and other fat people. They loathe the quality of being fat in themselves so hate it in other people. Same as a lot of women can also be misogynists.

Overweight people can still carry disdain for other “fat” people. This doesn’t prove anything really- often we dislike in others the qualities we don’t like in ourselves.

If you are trying to lose weight, then you want a slimmer figure. If i were in your shoes I would be upset that others have got the support of a medication with guaranteed results, while I have to do it alone the hard way with no guarantees.

It must be hard to see others much larger get better results than you - you have my sympathy. It must feel so unfair. But it’s not nice to deride those who are benefiting and changing their lives.

Good luck with your weight loss journey

Weird how a guy literally selling an alternative to these drugs could be so against them.

People talk about medicine being a huge industry whilst pretending diet isn't

Yep!

I understand people's concerns about big pharma, follow the money etc. But don't apply them only to Ozempic.

Clearly you didn't read it.

No worries. Everything will be fine. Unknown longterm effects over decades? Nothing to see here.

This guy makes his money of middleaged adults, not adolescents, by the way.

Well, the defensive posters on this thread should make up their minds. Is it fat-phobes, thin people who are jealous of you about to join their ranks, or self-loathing fat people who are pointing out a few problems to consider?

@Moretti76 I believe at this size I would be eligible for the drugs. If I wanted to risk paralysing my stomach, and getting intestinal blockages and whatever else might come up. Not when there is a perfectly good alternative. Is that alternative hard? Yes it's bloody hard work all the time. Does it work consistently? Not always.

Believe me, this is not jealousy. I'm very concerned that the whole world is seeing this as the ONLY answer.

Read on twitter today that certain ssri drugs and antidepressants can permanently cause sexual dysfunction. It's causing certain people major issues. And it sounds like sometimes the change is permanent. Now, I've taken those drugs in the past. This was never mentioned to me once...

As there are multiple people on this thread, I suspect a mixture of all of those. Not everyone will be against them for the same reason, obviously.

I've read quite a chunk of it. I'm not going to finish reading because it's written by an influencer with a really big stake in the game

Obesity is a major problem, a medication that helps reduce the number of obese people & number of people developing type 2 diabetes sounds like it is badly needed in her western world.

I took wegovy for 8 weeks & lost two stone. Apart from fitting in to all my pre baby clothes it helped me be healthier by taking away my appetite for snacks, alcohol & fizzy juice. It also reminded ne that I am full much faster than I was allowing for & has helped me correct my portion control.

it also looks like as well as helping reduce the chances of people developing type 2 diabetes, helping people form healthier eating regimes& helping people lose weight that it also reduces the likelihood of stroke or heart disease AND may improve fertility!

for me all the added extras are great, but it was also money well spent as I spend just over £300 but now dont have to buy a whole new wardrobe of clothes.

Well I AM jealous and would love to take it.

I am concerned that many people think because they have been licensed and deemed safe enough to take, there aren’t any risks. All drugs have side effects. Even with medications that have been prescribed for years, we are still discovering new side effects. These have to be balanced with the health risks of being though. Clearly dieting and other weight loss interventions don't work for a lot of people so I think these drugs have a place but medications should always be used after other, non-pharmacological interventions, have been tried

I don’t actually know anyone who doesn’t understand that medications have side effects and risks involved, though. Apart from anything else, when going through the ordering process these risks and potential side effects are outlined for you.

Also I don’t know anyone who goes straight to an expensive injection before trying diet and exercise first.

Honestly you sound a bit hysterical. Where has anyone said this is the ONLY answer? All of the people using glp-1s will have tried something else - probably many things else. They are also likely to use the drugs in conjunction with other things not instead of.

All drugs have side effects and new side effects (and benefits) are discovered all the time, so this should always be a consideration when taking a medication. As mentioned upthread, we don’t even really understand paracetamol, so unless you are committing to a completely pharmaceutical free existence you will need to accept some level of risk. If you don’t like the trade off of risks, that’s fine, but many others (including medical professionals) view that risk ratio in a different light.

I would also suspect that as people are paying a often paying a considerable amount for this medication, they’re more likely to have properly considered the risk/side effects than someone who is prescribed it on the NHS. It’s a considerable amount out of most people’s budgets, so people will want to be fully sure before committing.