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!

GLP-1 agonists have been licenced for the treatment of diabetes since, iirc, 2009. They do seem to be pretty safe. I'm a GP and less than 12 months ago I was morbidly obese. Thanks to GLP-1s I now have a BMI of 22.5. I think that the benefits of losing almost 50kg are likely to outweigh the risks in my case. I accept that the risk/benefit equation may be different for someone starting from a lower BMI.

Useful but certainly not a solution to the obesity epidemic. Will probably need to be used longterm at a low dose for maintenance. Personally I think we need a calorie tax - target the producers of high calorie, low nutrient food as they are problem.

Can’t wait for the side effect fall out

Although I agree there isn’t any long term studies as such on side effects, the long term side effects of being obese are known and they can be deadly in many instances.

There’s a lot of press around it at the minute but paracetamol and ibuprofen and other everyday drugs all have side effects, which if you thought about or agonized over you’d never use them either.

I think you have to just do your research and make an informed decision for you and your lifestyle.

Why are you wishing harm on people with such glee?

If, as the doctor above says, they have been licensed since 2009, that means they would have been in development and testing since at the very least 2005, so 20 years ago. Are you expecting side effects that present on a longer time frame than that? Or do you think that because so many people are taking them now that increases the risk of long term side effects?

What a horrible post. Imagine being the sort of person sat gleefully waiting and hoping for something unfortunate to happen to other people.

Have you got any thoughts on what the best routes to go for quality input on the risk / benefit front?

One of my frustrations is that NHS (rightly) manage their use of resources, and any private company seems to be out to sell you a product from their supply range. Getting unbiased advice seems impossible. Or maybe I’m just looking in the wrong place.

Ew, what an awful person.

YABU. The GLP drugs mimic a hormone your stomach produces when you've eaten too much to tell your brain to stop eating. Because the drug uses a pathway you already have, it's unlikely to have side effects that haven't emerged yet. And it's been in use for many years.

You sound absolutely delightful.

I’m not sure what could be worse than the long-term effects of morbid obesity.

Oh aren't you so edgy! Well done you.

Now go and have a Twix or something.

One tool in a box, I wouldn't long term but as pp has said risk vs benefit. Sounds like you have established good habits already and this is great thinking longer term, there may be other treatments or dietary changes you could make before considering 'jabs'. It's worth chatting to your own GP around this as they can help you to weigh this up with full knowledge of your medical history etc.

@CakeIsNotAvailable my BMI is around 31, I'm 50, and 80kg.

Do you think it would be worth the risk?

What a nasty thing to say
Do better fgs

The real issue with weight loss drugs is sustainability - the drugs reduce hunger, which leads to reduced calorie consumption whilst medicated. Without wider changes occurring alongside the medication to break unhelpful behaviour chains, tackle the causes of overeating, and the emotional use of food, most people will regain the weight lost. It’s easy to eat less when we have no natural desire to eat, it’s not as easy to do this whilst dealing with hunger, cravings, holidays, stressors etc and the medication doesn’t teach people how to deal with these things.

I have heard this expressed a few times. I cannot wrap my head around people wishing harm on others like this. On strangers who have done them no harm. Whose only crime is struggling with their weight and wanting to be healthy. What is wrong with people who are so nasty?

You could try a private GP or other face to face private weight loss clinic. Clearly there's still an incentive for prescribing, but if you choose a reputable independent service then you may have more confidence in them than if you just used an online pharmacy. I do some private work - I'm not trained to prescribe GLP-1s, but a colleague is and they are very thorough and they do say no to patients on occasion when appropriate.

All the doctors I have spoken to about them are massively in favour of them they just aren’t able to prescribe them for weight loss because of funding.

Like all medicines there are people who will tolerate them more than others. Some might be allergic but that’s all medicines.

I think the vast majority of intelligent people understand now that weight gain is a complex interaction of genes, mental health, hormones, emotional relationship with food as well as life style. There is a bit of a panic amongst those who feel their weight makes them superior (primarily linked to the permeation of religious doctrine into secular attitudes) so SM is full of comments like the above re “can’t wait for the side effects”. There’s nothing wrong with using drugs to solve a medical problem. Go to your GP and ask to talk through weight loss options and make it clear you’re happy to go out and get a private prescription

IME it’s because they have a sense of superiority over fat people and are concerned that if people lose weight they will lose that (perceived) superiority

Diabetes dietitian here
We have used them for 20 years so pretty safe, but for weight loss, it worries me that without support people will lose and gain time and again which is not healthy.
You need to learn better food choices to keep the weight off.

That's my thoughts too, trying to get a hold of the GP is easier said than done.
And anywhere that sells them is likely to be chasing the sale rather than genuinely having your best interest at heart.

I am 4 and a half weeks in. I've lost over a stone. It's been like a switch has been turned off and I eat what I need to live and nothing more. I feel full quickly and it's easy to choose well. That's been on the lowest dose. Yes I am also focused and motivated but I've had no side effects and I'm excited for the future. Based on my experience I couldn't recommend it enough.

I disagree.

Saxenda gave me horrific anxiety, so every l notified the card people. This happened twice as l couldn’t believe the first time.

Wegovy gave me bad insomnia