To wonder what happens when you reach a healthy weight on Wegovy etc?

[Milsonophonia]

I have three friends who were mildly overweight who've used Wegovy. All are now looking very slim - one looks a bit frail - she's lost 3 stone. Two of them lied online about their weight to get it. Anyway, they are happy with their new thinness and the new reasrch that it's a potential wonder drug.

What happens when you stop? Do you get the anti inflammatory benefits forever? Or does everything on your body return to how it was - hunger back, no anti inflammatory benefits?

I'm constantly tempted - have a bmi of 29 and need to lose a good stone and a half - but can't seem to find anything about people who have stopped the drug.

Also I'm slightly worried one of my friends is going to disappear, as she's already thin but still taking it. Can you just take it forever?

I've just been prescribed it today as a diabetes medication by the hospital as I'm in the obese category and unable to control my glucose levels through diet alone even though I eat low carb (under 100g per day).

They advised that as it's designed to regulate blood sugar through increased insulin production and better use of the insulin produced, I may be on a maintenance dose indefinitely as a replacement for metformin.

Initially I'll be taking both the Mounjaro and metformin with a view to reduce the Met as time goes on and the Mounjaro takes over (if it does). The hope is also that weightloss will help that effort.

If I have to take it forever at a low dose, once a week, instead of 2 insulin injections and 4 metformin tablets a day then I'm ok with that.

Have a listen to that Zoe podcast I linked, it’s really balanced, I promise.

With your BMI no way, the long term (unknown) risks don't tip the risk balance of weight related health issues into it being worthwhile. Most people lose muscle mass even if they work out on it because they lose weight quickly, to maintain and build muscle mass your body needs fuelling.

For a stone and a half just calculate your BMR, work out your macro splits and track what you're eating. Before anyone says, I know it's not that easy for everyone, but with your current weight and the weight you need to lose, invest in yourself not in these. You could even hire an online coach to keep you motivated and hold your hand if you're struggling.

Except nowhere is allowing lifetime maintenance for weight reasons, are they? Without fudging things somehow.

Regarding fast weight loss, I lose 1-2 pound per week, and I’m on the highest dose. I’m fine with this because without it it’s next to impossible for me to lose weight. Right now I’ve actually hit a plateau 😒

I think that decisions about maintenance will be taken as these drugs are used more and more is known about them.

It's going to take me a long time to get to a healthy weight, at least a year from when I started, perhaps more. I'll worry about the possibility of maintenance prescriptions when I'm nearer the time. I will be fully aware of the dangers of putting weight back on and will do my absolute best to ensure that doesn't happen. It's very obvious that permanent lifestyle changes are needed for that to happen.

People shouldn’t be lying to get the drug, that’s irresponsible and against the manufacturer instructions. I’m not surprised if they’re losing muscle mass etc. MJ is prescribed to people who have an obese BMI.

Once you come off the medication, there is no lasting effect. So all the weight you have lost could return if you overeat. This medication therefore does require willpower and a good level of mental health to break your habits that led to obesity.

It’s not a perfect fix. It’s the same with any form of weight loss. Even people who get surgery are at risk of relapse if they overeat

Personally due to work, my mental health is a state so I started to take MJ. My weight/physical health is just one less thing to worry about. I then hope by the end of my treatment, things will have resolved from a work standpoint where I’m not in an extremely stressful toxic environment plus I’ll be a normal weight again. For me it’s worth the investment now, even though I’ll need to improve my habits for life to maintain the loss.

I think Oushk has long term maintenance

Do people who order it online have a blood test? Ozempic can cause damage to your kidneys but I never hear about this.

I’ve lost 3 stone on it and gained muscle I can now run 10k 3 times a week and fitness is great , it’s really allowed me to do that and eat well .

Thanks for that. I really feel like I need a maintenance option, I’ve been chubby - obese my entire life. As I mentioned above, even on the highest dose I still ‘only’ lose 1-2 pounds, and I swim as well. In the past in order to lose weight I had to do a starvation diet, my hair would fall out, and it was terrible and unsustainable. Mounjaro has been a godsend for me. I’ve tried intermittent fasting (didn’t gain but didn’t lose), exercise boot camps (got super fit but still fat 😖). I’m a vegetarian and don’t eat junk vegetarian foods, my body just likes being fat! It’s annoying as hell.

The latest research doesn't support this claim at all.

www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/wegovy-users-have-less-kidney-related-health-problems-analysis-novo-study-finds-2024-05-25/#:~:text=Regardless%20of%20kidney%20function%20at,with%20semaglutide%22%2C%20it%20found.

Kidney function improved and there were no kidney related serious incidents.

Curious about this- for those who have lost a lot of weight with it does it increase the liklihood of excess skin as it sounds like people are losing weight quickly with it?

If someone is losing weight too quickly they should go down a dose. Personally I have lost around 20 pounds to date and no excess skin. I imagine I will have a little around my lower tummy regardless but that’s better than the alternative.

I think rather than aiming to stay on this medication forever whilst you are on it you should be using the reduced cravings as an opportunity to reset your gut microbiome and metabolism.

GLP-1 is produced naturally by the body if you have the right balance of gut bacteria so you need to be eating the right diet to support this - high fibre, fermented food and low upf as emulsifiers and preservatives kill off the beneficial microbes. If you can do this you will be a lot less hungry.

In relation to metabolism it is imperative to preserve and build you muscle mass as you age. People who maintain on less than 1200 calories a day should be asking why this is and seeking to address this. By strength training over a year I have increased my maintenance calories from 1500 to 2000 a day. Rapid weight loss will result in the loss of lean muscle mass unless you are prioritising protein and doing resistance training. If you take these drugs when you only have one or 2 stone to loose you will loose more muscle than someone who is extremely obese taking them so the risk/benefit ratio will be significantly poorer.

Are you tracking how much protein you are getting? If you are doing lots of swimming/cardio and eating a vegetarian diet could you be low in muscle? I have been amazed how much difference gaining muscle makes to the number of calories I can eat. I would be aiming for 1.2 to 1.6g per kg of ideal body mass and if you are older towards the upper end of this.

@thenightsaredrawingin I don’t track it but for breakfast I usually have something egg-based, and for lunch/dinner I will have tofu or seitan (high protein wheat gluten) with rice and stir fried veg, as an example.

I tried to cut out all UPFs for one month. I couldn’t believe how many things are UPF. It was very expensive and very time consuming. Now I’m low UPF, but I wish I could reasonably cut them out completely as UPFs really do a number on the body 😕

Create a demand.
Supply the drug at huge expense
Allow the market to realise they then need the drug on & off for the rest of their lives to maintain the benefits
Wash & repeat

Kerchingggggggg!!

Licence to print money.

The NHS (and by extension, the rest of us) would at least benefit hugely from this.

Until generics are allowed and competition brings the prices right down.

Is money making a reason to stop people using these drugs if they are effective and improve people's health and lives?

I thought it had to be signed off by a GP.

It's worrying that it can so easily be abused by people with eating disorders.

I've lost a stone since January. A combination of IF (I don't eat until 12.30) lowish carb and very little sugar. I'm happy eating this way it's just slow!

@pumpkinpillow the private prescriptions have to be signed off by a doctor, not your GP, so my online consultation and photos were reviewed by a doctor before being approved. It's the same for a whole host of other treatments that are available via private online prescription services.

Some people seem determined to abuse the system and will commit to some serious deception. Or, they're buying it from illegal unlicensed sites and are lying about where they're getting it from.

It's like anything weight-related, as soon as you stop doing it it all piles back on.

I don't think enough is known about the long term effects yet, yes it's great for people who are massively overweight who would die from something else first, but considering there are a lot of long term cancer risks associated with it I'd be reluctant to jump on board unless I had a severe weight-related health condition or my weight was literally stopping me living my life and I couldn't walk a mile.

The fact is that peoples weight fluctuates anyway, losing weight 'naturally' doesn't prevent you from piling it back on. I think given the seriousness of obesity and it's massive health complications and psychological impact it is wonderful and option has been found that helps people who are struggling to lose weight any other way. Nobody goes to ozempic as their first port of call. When diets have failed what other options are available? It's far safer than gastric band surgery and much cheaper.

The only thing I would say is people who have eating disorders, or have formerly had eating disorders should be carefully screened before being allowed it as it does open the potential for abuse and causing harm. It is also unlikely suitable as a long term strategy for somebody who suffers with binge eating because while it can help at the immediate time frame, they would require further treatment options to address the underlying issue and not rely on these drugs as a band aid without the options such as therapy, drugs for managing depression etc, which can help settle the the underlying cause.

Nobody goes to ozempic as their first port of call

They do. It's how companies like Voy make their money.