Labour should invest in weight loss medications immediately

[HowToSaveTheNHS]

AIBU to think the Labour government should seriously consider rolling out weight loss drugs to the obese population, to tackle obesity, diabetes and cut NHS waiting lists? Traditional public health measures to tackle obesity are not working.

We spend so much money treating disease associated with obesity and it’s only going to get worse as increasing numbers of people are living for decades with multiple health conditions associated with obesity. Even dementia’s leading cause is Type 2 diabetes.

Looking at the Mounjaro thread on here, huge numbers of Mumsnetters are successfully losing weight and improving their health. But people on lower incomes won’t have access because the drugs are expensive.

A course of drugs for a year will surely be money well spent if we can reduce heart disease/ diabetes/ dementia/ cancer etc… even hypertension.

I wonder if all those people saying ‘just eat less and move more’ and ‘no, take responsibility for your own health’ think that there should also be no help to stop smoking or drinking via the NHS too?

I’m not sure whether the government should pay for everyone to have the drug/s but more because I’m not convinced it/they will work long term for weight loss maintenance. I don’t know enough about them to know but I haven’t seen anything to suggest that once you come off them you’ll maintain the loss easily. I can’t help thinking they’ll be like any other method of intentional weight loss once stopped in that the body and brain will fight to regain what they’ve lost.

I am overweight, have pcos, hypothyroidism but I am actually very very active with a large dog to walk twice a day, and a very busy lifestyle and job where I don’t stop and get in a huge amount of steps. The only time I lost weight was when l I had extreme anxiety, was running lots which I can no longer do to the same level due to injury, and eating a tiny amount of calories(Around 800 ) because I was too anxious to eat. I don’t know how I could function to to do everything I have to do in life on that calorie level. You can also add in trauma and I am absolutely sure my body has cortisol issues due to past abuse and my reaction to things now.

I have not had a whole lot of understanding and support from the NHS at all-even with the actual medical conditions. My opinion is if they could find something that would help those with issues due to metabolic syndrome and related illnesses, auto immune conditions etc(All illnesses that cannot be blamed on the individual) and other factors in life this is amazing. But also look at the big picture-mental health support for instance.

I mean you arent wrong about all the problems with obesity and the NHS. But the NHS doesnt seem to care about helping people struggling with obesity.

Some NHS trusts have even started refusing treatment (for any long or short term conditions which are associated with weight loss surgery) to anyone who has Weight Loss Surgery done private (either done in the UK or abroad). This is despite the fact that any patient having private care here or abroad is supposed to be entitled to transfer their care to nhs at any point and the fact that most people have only paid private because the waiting lists are so long.

It really does seem like you cannot win if you are very obese. They recommend something to you, then if you dont want to wait 4 yrs to recieve the treatment they just cut you off. And I'm not talking about complications I mean the normal conditions which occur.

Even if they could help get the cost down would be a start

eu.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/03/29/ozempic-wegovy-weight-loss-diabetes-drug-cost/73125135007/

Sanders complained that Ozempic is available for $155 a month in Canada and just $59 in Germany, and called on the company to match the Canadian price in the U.S.

The study found Ozempic and Wegovy cost between 95 cents and $5.50 to produce per unit, or no more than $22 a month. Although the highest dose of Wegovy is higher than the full dose of Ozempic, "the main driver" is the cost of the delivery device, a needle embedded in a pen, said Melissa Barber, who led the research.

How much does it cost to manufacture Ozempic?
$5 a month
Today, a new Yale study found that Ozempic costs less than $5 a month to manufacture.27 Mar 2024

Would you apply this to all heath issues? How are people expected to heal themselves?

No. Drugs and surgery are not quick simple fixes. Unless people change the way they eat these things don't help long term.

Ohmygod really!? You should write a book! 🙄🤣

@SOlivigant sorry I can't quote your post, but I would say that in today's society it actually is quite restrictive and extreme to exclusively eat a diet free of UPFs, entirely made from scratch and all completely 'natural'. No pasta, no bread, no rice, no condiments, no juices, no cake, no biscuits, no alcoholic drinks. Ever? In society these days, it's pretty hard to avoid.

As I said to the poster to whom I was replying, how fantastic if you can live like that and want to do so for the rest of your life.

I can't.

What I can do, is eat like I am currently doing. No breakfast (not hungry, don't want it), something like a chicken salad sandwich on whole grain bread for lunch, and a Greek yoghurt, and some kind of protein +salad/veges for dinner, possibly with some form of carbohydrate, sometimes not. Occasionally a glass or two of wine with friends or just in front of the tv on my own. And I can lose weight, and I believe, sustain it.

But what people can't understand, and going back to my first post on this thread, is that this was not possible for me before I started the medication. Because my body wanted twice as much food, wanted highly calorific food and wanted me to keep eating long after I had finished a sensible portion. And I constantly thought about food - the food I had eaten, the food I hadn't eaten, the food I would eat next and so on.

This medication turns off those signals and cravings and dials down the noise that allows me to hear what my body is telling me. And if your body can do that naturally without medication, I'm very happy for you (genuinely). But mine can't. And that is probably due to a variety of reasons. But moral failing or stupidity are not amongst them.

Genuine question. What is the plan for when you get to the weight you want to be? I’ve seen comments saying that as soon as you stop the treatment, the food noise comes back. Is there a maintenance dose?

Or making healthy food more affordable!

I've been on a diet for the past couple of months - simple calorie counting & more exercise but I spend a lot more on food each month now that I'm making healthier choices, buying lots of fresh fruit & veg etc than I was when I was eating take away a lot & eating crappy convenience foods at home.

I've lost a stone & a half yet my BMI is still obese according to NHS calculator & my target weight is half a stone heavier than their highest recommended "healthy" weight for my height.

Even though I'm technically obese I don't need surgery or medication, I just need to eat better & do more exercise.

We need a better understanding of food, portion sizes, the benefits of exercise & that there are no "bad" foods if eaten as part of a healthy diet - it's generally our relationship with food that needs to be worked on to ensure long term positive outcomes rather than the physical manifestations of that relationship so far, the government would be better spending money on that first but that needs to start from a young age to prevent an ever growing overweight/obese population.

What areas of taking responsibility for your own health would you include in this? Cancer care, Parkinsons, MS, diabetes ?

Some providers offer maintenance where they will let you take the drug up to 2 years. There has been some research to say that if you gradually come off the drugs then you are more likely to sustain your weight.

In the US they are allowed to stay on it for life as the drugs aren't designed to be only needed for a short while, but unfortunately UK currently don't allow it to be taken over 2 years. I think this will change with more research. Diabetics can take it for life.... If they can get it. NHS stock isn't plentiful.

At some point I'm sure the pharmaceutical companies will probably invent something for maintenance that can be taken for life. Obesity is a big money earner so I'm sure these things will come out eventually. I pay for my Mounjaro privately and I would pay for life if I was allowed.

@SOlivigant sorry I can't quote your post, but I would say that in today's society it actually is quite restrictive and extreme to exclusively eat a diet free of UPFs, entirely made from scratch and all completely 'natural'. No pasta, no bread, no rice, no condiments, no juices, no cake, no biscuits, no alcoholic drinks. Ever? In society these days, it's pretty hard to avoid.

I'm not saying nothing, ever. It's not difficult to eat, say, 90% healthy non upf, cake when meeting a friend every couple of weeks, a glass of wine a week kind of balance. It's rare I find juice or biscuits that I'm interested in tbh. Freshly squeezed juice is expensive and most biscuits a bit meh.

No there is cost of living, homelessness, disabled rights and an whole lot of things they should look at before that and if someone cant be arsed to look after themself and there child regarding been obese how does giving them an drug for an year help, after an year they will go back to old ways and end up been obese again.

@BeretRaspberry at the moment, NICE guidelines state that the drug I am on (tirzepetide under the brand name Mounjaro) can be prescribed for up to two years. I am hoping that in the next two years, things might change and I could be prescribed it on a longer term basis. That's why I was keen to have my GP involved and on board - maybe if front line health care providers have actual evidence of their patients reporting benefits these medications can provide, such a change could be more likely.

I suspect the food noise will come back - that certainly seems to be the experience of users of the medication in the US who in many cases can't access the drug long term due to shortages in their area or because their medical insurers won't cover it.

There are some though that have been using the drug since it went to the US market in the spring of 2022 who have titrated down a dose or doses and take it less frequently (eg every 10 or 14 days instead of weekly) when they hit their preferred healthy weight. This allows them to function normally, maintain a healthy weight and approach food healthily without going back to how things were before using the medication.

This is what I'd like to do. I don't want to use a drug that suppresses my appetite absolutely (and this one doesn't, in my case at my current dose) as having an appetite and enjoying and anticipating food is perfectly normal and one of life's great pleasures! Exercising some self control and making sensible choices about food (type and quantity) will always play a part. Unfortunately I need some assistance to help me to do that. I'd love it if others that aren't as fortunate as me and for whom the cost is simply too high, could also have this assistance.

Amazing how people on "low income" can't afford weight loss drugs but can afford enough food to keep the weight on.

Shit, high calorie, nutritionally empty foods are very cheap.

I lived in a very deprived area as a student
There were no shops nearby where you could buy healthy food. There was a convenience store, some take aways and that was it. To buy fresh fruit and veg was a long walk back up a steep hill with heavy bags. I had a decent rucksack and a decent budget.

After that year I could totally understand why poor people in some areas are stuck with poor diets.

Cheapest white bread and strawberry jam for example (OK at least it contains fruit) are 45p plus 39p for a total of just under 3000kcal.

@SOlivigant 'everything in moderation' sounds so easy doesn't it! And it should be. And it is. For most people, probably. But not for me. And not for the many, many people who are on this thread, other MN threads and on other social media platforms who are sharing their experiences and trying to explain how life is for them.

I don't think I can explain it better than I have, sorry. Unless you experience it, it's probably really hard to understand. But I assure you, this hasn't been my first attempt at losing weight. But I very much hope it's the last.

It does seem as though it’s needed. So many people not getting it. 🙄

"No way should taxpayers fund people who for the most part, can do it themselves."

Using this argument, the NHS shouldn't be treating anyone who has cancer from smoking or choosing not to wear SPF, any alcohol related diseases or injuries, any drug related problems, anyone with STD's from unprotected sex, anyone who has been injured by choosing to play an extreme/dangerous sport or been injured in a car accident that was caused by their dangerous driving. Refusing to treat all these people as they've "done it to themselves" would also significantly cut down waiting times and save the NHS a fortune. Why only pick on obese people?

That’s because it doesn’t work. Maybe for initial weight loss but not for weight loss maintenance.

Thank you for replying. I’ve briefly considered it but only because of the fact that society assumes that fat people are lazy and gluttonous. And as one of those said fat people I must be the same. Threads like these do nothing but show people’s ingrained hate and disgust towards fat people.

With my ED history it’s also probably not the best idea to attempt to lose weight again. And I don’t really get food noise either so I don’t know if it would help me. Since ED treatment, I sometimes cannot even be bothered to eat and have to make an effort to.

I hope it all works out for you and you get the maintenance dose to keep you going.

You know, OP, I read this yesterday and wanted to say "What a terrible idea" but after reading the responses, I am on the fence.