AIBU to think it's time for the NHS to do itself a favour and make WL injections readily available.

[nextdoorconundrum]

I've posted about this before but following the news today from the chief scientific officer for the British Heart Foundation - Professor Brian Williams - that the health benefits of these drugs appears to be beneficial in the reduction of heart disease, high bp, stroke , arthritis and even Alzheimer's.. (interviews on R4 today programme and channel 4 news just now for anyone wanting to hear all he had to say ) .: Is it not time now for the NHS to actually save itself the fortune it spends in treating obesity related diseases - rather than obesity itself.

There is also something highly questionable about a drug that is readily available to people who can afford it - but is mostly not available to those who most need it . With extremely narrow parameters and some ridiculous hoops to jump through before being 'allowed it on the NHS.(Obesity affects 39% of women in the most deprived areas as opposed to 22% in the least )

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg189/documents/health-inequalities-briefing-2#:~:text=The%20greatest%20rates%20of%20adult,in%20the%20least%20deprived%20areas.

I say this as a financially comfortable mc woman who has lost 4 stone on WL injections. I no longer cost the NHS any money in BP drugs, Sleep Apnea machine, Corticosteroids for knees etc - in fact for the first time in 26 years I only take thyroxine which is not something that can be reversed. The only reason I have managed this is because I could afford to buy it. Surely this is not only wrong but immoral in a national health system ?

The argument of 'is it safe ?' doesn't hold water . It has been approved through extensive and thorough trials across both the United States and most of Europe. It is no more or less safe than any new drug.

The argument of 'some people get nausea and vomiting and other side effects ' yes this is true. As do some people on all kinds of drugs . I personally can't tolerate penicillin - doesn't mean it should not have been allowed to save the lives of millions for 70 years. !

Last but not least.. what happens when you get to a healthy weight and stop taking it ? Well I guess it's exactly the same as blood pressure medication. You take it when it creeps up again .. perhaps it just becomes one of those drugs that you take lifelong on and off to maintain good health ..

Far far cheaper than treating all the current diseases associated with obesity and morbid obesity..

YABU - we can't afford it
YANBU - it's a false economy not to make it readily available to people with obesity if they want to try it.

Where is the poll?

And the side effects are?

It seems sensible. Are there still shortages though?

I guess the hope is that people will pay for it, either comfortably so or at a stretch, and the NHS won't have to?

What do they inject you with? Specifically.

I agree but the supply issue needs sorting. After several years on the injections (diabetes but not overweight) I am now on tablets because of the supply issue.
The tablets are less convenient and possibly harder ‘to sell’.
At least I’ve got the tablets though.

I read a headline that Ozempic ‘may’ slow ageing too! Trouble is, if the injections stop, the weight goes back on, so I’ve read. Private weight loss surgery is about £11K in the UK, unless you go through a certain health insurance policy. There are very few hoops to jump through whereas with the NHS you have many, probably very sensibly, it’s surely more about changing your mindset. I wonder how much it costs the NHS to carry out the whole process, all the meetings with dieticians/psychologists etc. Plus, some areas don’t even offer bariatric surgery, so you’re up against the postcode lottery. I think if I put weight back on, the injections are something I’d consider.

I've lost 16lb so far in 7 weeks. I'm nearly back to normal bmi This hasn't happened for 15 years despite several attempts at diets.

I just can't deprive myself for months and loose no weight. It's sole destroying. This has enabled Me to plough on as I'm not starving all day.

The minute the nhs gets involved prices will increase for everyone (just like with ivf). It makes more sense if Bupa etc cover it.

YANBU. The NHS utterly fails at preventative health care.

As someone who has worked in healthcare for many years can I point out a drawback, which is that those currently using it are motivated to succeed where many given medications by the NHS with no or little charge are less so. Also those people paying now are likely to be more affluent, therefore more educated and possibly able to manage eating well with less support and input than some who would benefit via the NHS
I'm sure I have seen evidence somewhere that smokers accessing private treatment and paying have higher success rates than those getting free NHS help and that private physio patients are more likely to complete exercises.
It would be interesting to see a proper comparison of dropout rates and success rates between the 2 groups.
People rarely value stuff that they are not paying for upfront

@QueenOfHiraeth

That's a really good point

Ithink the NHS is probably right to be conservative. It's not just the direct safety of the drug - though if people are taking it very long term I think there are additional questions around safety that will only be answered after long term use in the population. It's also thingshow effective will it be long term. Who will be eligible is a question too - does it work long term for everyone equally? And frankly the cost will be a factor.

So what happens when you stop taking it? Or do you have to stay on it forever?

I dont want to fund goodness knows how many people to endlessly take weight loss drugs. Dishing it out to anyone and everyone who wants it will cause its own issues.

Our local hospital dept doesn't even offer WL injections, because of supply issues, instead encouraging patients to go straight for surgery. How can this be ok? Instead of offering at least a try of an injection, as a first puff of call, let's go straight ahead and advise major abdominal surgery. WTF?

Will people be able to have NHS surgery to remove excess skin following massive weight loss? I think we know the answer. It sounds like a wonder drug, but there are consequences of such weight loss!

Doubt the NHS will finance that!

What will happen when all these people with awful eating habits (I am one) get the injections, lose the weight, come off the injections, return to eating pizza (or junk food of choice)? The core team of support workers needs to be there, and it isn't, so no injections.

Totally agree. It needs commitment. How you ensure this whilst making available to everyone I don't know

NO.
Full stop.

Yabu

The effectiveness of this treatment requires careful professional supervision. It would not be nearly si effective if everyone who wanted could buy it freely.

And making it readily available would guarantee 100% an epidemic of deaths among anorexic women and girls abusing it.

I’m on the fence. DH has lost 4 stone through a radical overhaul in his diet and exercise and he feels bloody marvellous for it. He has a massive feeling of accomplishment I suppose that losing weight through WL drugs wouldn’t have given him.

I think if he’d been on WL drugs they would have stopped as soon as he’d reached good BMI (correct me if I’m wrong). I’d imagine that it would just lead to cyclical weight loss and gain.

I don’t think WL drugs would have been the right answer for him. For others it might be just what they need though! A quick fix might be better than no fix but I just don’t think a quick fix will work long term.

I don't need to use these drugs but I think it would be a good idea to prescribe them.

I imagine it would have a massive impact on the prescribing of many drugs. It must be so hard to be unable to diet your way out of being overweight. I think it would have a good positive impact on the economy.

Agree with you op