Doctors/Nurses/Dietitians/healthcare professionals, what are you real and honest beliefs about the whole weight loss injection moment we are having?

[Banrockmystation]

A genuine thread for me who is too afraid to ask in real life. For context I’m in my 40s with pcos, at least 2.5 stone overweight and despite exercising 4 times a week and calorie tracking etc for the last few years my weight issues continue.
I don’t have an opinion on other people being on the injections. My reason for asking is because despite probably being a candidate for them and knowing how hard I try to control weight, there’s something that stops me.
I worry that there is more to it than what is being shown by the media and that there isn’t enough research done on long term effects etc? Aibu? Is that just fear or an actual possible concern that others in the industry have too?
Despite my weight, I’m heart healthy and fitter than I’ve ever been.
Thanks!

I wish @Cityandmakeup would come back and enlighten us as to why she can’t wait for side-effects and fall out.

It is. I just laugh.

We should be putting large percentages of the population on them.

There will undoubtedly be side effects, but the consequences of 20-30% of the population being obese are worse. Both on an individual and public finances/NHS resources point of view.

Can these medications work if you have gained weight due to mental health medication?

Is anyone else in the medical field (my sister in law is a nurse and mentioned this in conversation) concerned about a potential increase in osteoporosis in the future linked to middle aged/menopausal women using WLI?

They work by suppressing your appetite, so you drastically reduce your caloric intake. The cause of your weight gain shouldn't matter, unless you've dramatically lowered your basal metabolic rate.

Yes, they should. In theory, they might actually be particularly beneficial for people who have gained weight due to the side effects of medications like antipsychotics. Antipsychotic-related weight gain can be due to appetite stimulation (people can feel much hungrier and not recognise when they've eaten enough) and antipsychotics can carry an increased risk of diabetes. So, a medication that targets those same pathways in a different way could be really helpful.

sergeantdawkins

this is definitely true for me. I’ve lost 3 stone on WLI and have very little muscle tone as frankly too tired to do weights apart from walking. It’s been the only side effect of the drug for me, that I’m really knackered

what I’m hoping for is once I get to maintenance (in 10 pounds time, so about 4 months) I will get a bit more energy from my maintenance calories, should be able to add a couple of hundred calories and that will then give me the energy for using weights.

I still manage at least an hours walk every day but I’m too tired to add in weights at the moment.

Thank you - that gives me hope!

Did she mention where she's read the research about this? To the best of my knowledge osteoporosis isn't currently listed as a known side effect of either Wegovy or Mounjaro.
Presumably she's concerned about the effects of carrying additional weight on older women's bones and joints as well?

It's well known that significant and prolonged calorie deficit causes muscle loss and impacts bone mass.

This is a worry. Thanks for sharing your story. I hope you’re able to get some energy back.

This.

@SergeantDawkins would you say then that it’s unwise for someone like me to be using Mounjaro to lose weight, as I’m middle aged and female, as it will cause me to develop osteoporosis in a few years time? I’ve been taking it for 9 months plus, so presumably the damage is already done?

So the weight loss then and not the medication. Same as eat less move more, weight watchers, intermittent fasting etc.

I am the same size. Which one did you take please?

But far likely for people to get to the lower weights with the injections. It’s if they know when to stop

Why would people taking injections not know when to stop? Are they different to other people who are losing weight? Would I not know when to stop, for example? Presumably I’d have to start lying to my pharmacy in order to keep getting a prescription if I became underweight.

Quite. The barrels people will scrape to justify their disapproval of these drugs are astonishing, and I say that as someone who's never taken them.

To a healthy weight you mean? None of the legit prescribers will continue to prescribe if someone's weight drops below a BMI of 22 or 23. Presumably they would be at no more risk of osteoporosis than any other middle aged woman of their new weight? And would have removed a lot of pressure from their bones at the same time.

Useful to aid weight loss in the clinically obese who's health is being compromised by the weight they're carrying however it's a short term fix. Once you come off them you have to maintain which means lifestyle change.

A question, out of interest. As a medical professional did you go for any regular monitoring eg of liver function or just trust the process?

You need to exercise to counteract this.

EM consultant.

I'm on mat leave but colleagues are seeing patients with very bad side effects. We are seeing a lot of gastro issues at the moment. Not sure how many the total is though!

If you are on them, please see your GP and drink a lot of water. Renal and nephrology issues, I'd be extra cautious.

That is exactly what we are saying in Ireland. The risks of being morbidly obese outweigh the risks for the meds.

Fair play to you for losing that. I was obese too and felt that patients didn't take me as seriously. Lost the weight thanks to running and giving up the chocolates!