To ask doc for ozempic

[Walksbythesea]

I've been battling my weight all my life. Now as a peri menopausal woman, it's just standing still or creeping up no matter what I do.
I eat healthier than I ever have. I exercise. Im 22 stone and it's not budging. It should be easy at this size to shed some. It's impossible. I have a heart condition, pre diabetes (not been tested for over a year) chronic acid reflux, fatty liver and the list goes on. Losing weight would change my life. I just can't seem to do it. Lost 10lb in a year. It's soul destroying.

There is not one single clinic in London with funding for this. Closest is Luton. So depending on where you live, there may not be an NHS option

It’s not easy to get on the NHS, easier to privately fund.

How do you get it privately ? Do you just search online ?
I hope you're near to Luton OP if it is hard in the nhs

Sounds a good plan, it’s £200 per month.

You won’t get it. At best you will get a referral to weight management service and then wait 18 months to be seen, then made to jump through various hoops like slimming world etc, gym, and then you might possibly get medication if (and it’s a big if) your trust offers this.
The only way if not diabetic is to self fund.

You have to finance this yourself

What's your BMI?

My understanding is that GPs cannot prescribe this but would have to refer you to a Weight Management clinic. There is strict criteria who is eligible for this (although it sounds as though you might be accepted due to health conditions) and there may be a waiting list even if you are accepted.
This is why most people self fund it through private clinics

Bmi is 43 and I do think with my health conditions particularly the high cholesterol which I think I forgot to add, I should be eligible. I'm a heart attack waiting to happen really. It's a lottery as to who you get though isn't it

So just pay for it then?

If you start it funding it yourself I wonder if the weight management service would fund it when you actually get an appointment?

Sadly not everybody can afford it.

I get it on the NHS. I am ashamed to say my BMI was 50. I was pre diabetic, have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, under active thyroid which was the start of all my weight issues, back pain and I got cellulitis often twice a year. Since I've been on Ozempic I've lost 4 stone in a year, feel better, blood pressure is lower, cholesterol lower, BMI now 41. I know that's still very very high but it's down 20 percent in a year. I'm eating fresh healthy meals and no longer eat crap. I'm not hungry all the time. If you can't get your GP to prescribe it for you I'd seriously consider getting a bank loan to buy it. Knowing how much better I feel now, that's what I'd do if my GP said I couldn't have it anymore.

You can buy using Klarna

It's very very difficult to get a Gp to prescribe. Op doesn't sound like she would fit any current criteria from what I've read

You could use the money you would otherwise spend on junk food

Lol the money she would otherwise spend on junk food 😂 how rude! Have you priced it privately? it's hundreds of pounds per injection. Or do you think greedy op is scoffing down 800 quid a month's worth of biscuits and oven chips? Get real.

Op you can try to get it on the NHS but I don't think you meet the criteria. It's worth asking, the worse that will happen is they say no. This is a subject I know a bit about and it actually annoys me that it's so hard to get because it can be made for very little money, in china off label counterparts are sold cheaply, I'm talking just a few pounds for a month's supply, but the drug companies that own the patent here won't release it, so nobody else is currently allowed to sell it. I do think that might be set to change next year though for some of the sister drugs, so prices may come down.

And I'm sure you've hard it all before but have you tried fasting or keto?

I've been put off by horror stories in the media but it does sound like you could benefit. In the meantime though, have you been given medication to reduce your cholesterol? Are you on an eating plan specifically for high cholesterol?

My consultant, at a London hospital, offered this to me 3 weeks ago. We are taking a different route at the moment, but the offer is there if I want to take it.

This is nonsense, it doesn’t cost £800 per month, it costs £200-£300 per month depending where you buy it and the dose (one pen holds 4 injections and so lasts one month).
OP if I were in your shoes I’d find a way to buy it if you can (you will recoup some of the money spent on the medication in lower grocery bills). Have a look at some of the threads on here if you want more info - Ozempic is called Semaglutide when it’s for weight loss, same drug different name. You could also look at Mounjaro, a newer drug but apparently very effective and slightly cheaper.
Very best of luck to you.

It's not £800 a month Jesus it's around £200 - 270 a month

OP it's wegovy you need not ozempic. Same drug different name and licensing. Definitely ask your GP about it but if you can't get it on the NHS find a way to budget for it. It's a game changer and you need an intervention. It's beyond the 'have you tried keto' stage.

No It's Tier 3 on the NHS. You need to go through the whole pathway which is about 18 months. It's not fit for purpose. Unless you are now diabetic, in which case you can have Ozempic for diabetes, but they usually just fob you off with Metformin.

You should be able to get it for around £150 a month if you shop around. Also, I can recommend using the MyNetDiary app to track your food and exercise as doing all three things together works well. I take Mounjaro and am losing about 1kg a week which I'm really pleased with.

Can you afford £180 a month? That's what I pay for mounjaro. Finance options are available I believe

Are you able to afford a course or 2 of empathy tablets?

I think you should approach your GP, even if you do have to go through a weight management programme to get to the stage where they prescribe it that may be a good thing.

Ozempic is a good tool for supporting weight loss but it needs to be used in conjunction with life style changes, it would also be good to see if you can get blood tests to check your insulin and thyroid levels to test for metabolic problems that could be contributing to your weight gain and explain why despite a change of diet you haven't lost any weight.

I'd also recommend before your appt that you keep a detailed food diary supported by recording your weight during that period.

The food diary may show you that you are eating more calories than you thought or it may show your GP that you are eating below the expected calories and not losing weight which supports the need for a blood test.

Buying Ozempic is an option, but what you don't want to do is spend thousands on months worth of Ozempic, lose a load of weight then find that you put it all back on as soon as you stop because you have underlying insulin resistance or hypothyroidism.

Wegovy is cheaper, starting pen lasts 4 weeks and with offers is about £130

Where can you buy it online (and get it delivered if possible)