Why are we not being vocal about the miracle of weight loss jabs. ?

[AboutVattime]

I started Mountjaro in April at 15 stone 10
I am now 11 stone . Which is my goal weight for my 5'10 frame. I have maintained that for 2 months having started regular exercise that I really enjoy - as well as ZOE healthy eating /cooking which I enjoy equally.

When people say to me 'Wow ! You look amazing (I'm not daft - they mean you don't look fat anymore) .. how have you done it . I am truthful and say 'fat jabs' .. and expand if they don't understand.

However , I have noticed on all the gazillion threads in here about weight loss injections, people are reticent to be honest . .. "my DH knows but haven't told anyone else " .. is a common remark . But WHY ???

Obesity is a life threatening condition. Like Dementia , cancer , liver failure etc etc .. if anyone had one of those conditions and found a drug to help , would they keep quiet or shout it from the bloody roof tops . ?

Or is the old adage true . Fat is a feminist (female) issue ? and we need to pretend it isn't ?

Nope...they're too busy trying to make false claims to understand the current medication for weightloss in the UK and what people are actually talking about.

So people with anorexic Eating Disorders deserve no sympathy or protection from seeing endless social media adverts (like this one) all over the place?

I have every sympathy for people struggling with their weight in both directions. Many people yo yo with ED's and Anorexia once it gets a grip will kill quicker and younger than over eating. There seems to be a lot of unregulated promotion and the inevitable lax distribution in some quarters which follows is a legitimate concern.

Huh? Where did i say that and what has that got to do with people knowing people who fraudulently get prescription medication online and comparing them to those who legally get their medication prescribed from a registered and licensed online pharmacy?

@WhiteLily1 I've seen that story before, it's anonymous and unevidenced. It's likely true, and Boots and the GPhC have said they are investigating, given that it was apparently in June then the GPhC would have had the chance to sanction Boots by now. The Boots consultation process requires you to provide ID as well as photos, perhaps they've changed their process since they were informed about this apparent case.

Perhaps we'll see a huge rise in people being unwell in A&E due to fraudulently and illegally obtaining prescription medicine. That may well lead to the GPhC sanctioning providers and making sure that providers do video consults, check IDs and so on, as well as requesting photos. Do you think that won't happen, or that it won't be effective?

Sadly it suits some women to have a good supply of obese women in society, to make them feel better about themselves. Society has conditioned them to place a high value on their appearance / ability to maintain a slim figure. This is common in wealthier, private educated circles.

Sadly there are a lot of women with control issues when it comes to food - some of whom will have diagnosable eating disorders. It must be difficult to watch others now able to control themselves using drugs that they can’t access. Especially if you rely on purging meds.

I do genuinely feel sorry for women in this situation. Eating disorders are horrible and women in this situation deserve every sympathy.

Sadly in the US it’s much easier for underweight women to get access to these medications through private clinics. You only have to look at Hollywood to see this playing out. It’s much more difficult in the U.K. (thank goodness).

I would be supportive of tightening restrictions to ensure the drugs are proscribed with clinical safety prioritised. Community pharmacies and the NHS could be involved in prescribing and make money from it, while delivering 6 month checks for a fee

Exactly. I’ve lost 2 stone on Mounjaro - it’s enabled me to give up processed sugar completely, cut right down on carbs and up my veg intake massively.
It’s been life changing for me, it’s expensive but worth every penny.

Well done you! It truly is life changing. Those of us who've experienced it know what we're talking about and can acknowledge and support each other because we know it's not an easy journey even with MJ. We still do a lot of (inner and outer) work either way. Who needs anybody else to validate us? Not me.

Every time there are threads like these criticising Mounjaro users, it opens the eyes of more potential users and drives up traffic on the MJ threads! So the critics are actually doing the promoting inadvertently.

My postman said he couldn’t believe how many ice boxes he is delivering each round. A year ago it was none. Now 10+ per shift. (After I voluntarily told him what’s in it). It’s phenomenally popular

My hbA1c has dropped as well as 3.5 stone off and I feel fantastic! Keep trying to make myself eat the cheese board in my fridge but can’t seem to manage it! Meanwhile I’m loving all the fruit and veggies and protein I can get

Another well done! @Waboofoo

I guess I doubt it will happen if I’m honest. Maybe I’m sceptical in my old age.
When a small section of people in power make an enormous amount of money in a short time, I find that rules, laws and morals go somewhat out of the window. Happens in many sectors from building developers to councils, to governments to medicine. Every was it thus.

For now Waboofoo. For now. And that’s only by a very small margin.

Yup. She probably thinks each pen comes complete with a 5g microchip and mindreading juice planted by the government

I agree that they can be life-changing and I’m glad that they’re working so well for you @AboutVattime.

The lawsuits that are popping up against some of the manufacturers do worry me as it sounds as if some patients do experience very serious side effects. So I’ve got mixed feelings right now.

They're different though as the expectation at the end is you won't be addicted anymore and will no longer use the drug you were addicted to.

What happens when you stop the weight loss jabs? You still have to eat. You have to prevent weight gain but with no real idea on how to lose the weight without the drugs. It's less sustainable as you haven't made a lifestyle change and are still consuming your 'drug'.

@FasterMichelin do you think that I've lost 4st by not making a lifestyle changes?

People are supposed to use them WITH diet and lifestyle changes and addressing the issues behind overeating, whether medical, psychological or both.

I wouldn't know as I don't know you. But if you've lost 4st because an injection has reduced your appetite, then no, I wouldn't count that as a lifestyle choice, rather a short term induced reaction. No judgement but because of this I'd be wary about whether you can sustain that loss long term when you come off the drugs.

It’s very obvious that you are totally uneducated about how weight loss jabs work. Before giving your uninformed opinion, why not try learning something? Jabs don’t just allow you to continue eating the same way as you did before - you are educating yourself about how to eat better, what correct portion sizes look like etc. Most people on mounjaro will have tried and failed at diets before and this is a very good way to figure out what works for you and what your body actually needs.

As I said before, they reduce your appetite, artificially. Thats not educating yourself to eat better or amending portion size out of control. It's eating less because a drug is suppressing your appetite. When you stop the drug, what does your appetite do?

No need for the attitude by the way.

I find so much of the narrative around jabs so bizarre. Firstly - the faux concern. As if we’re taking a drug without considering the side effects vs the effects of remaining overweight. Secondly, the “just do it by diet and exercise”. REALLY? Oh, THAT’s the answer is it? As if we haven’t all tried that, normally on numerous occasions. If you’re lucky enough to lose weight that way, fab. In the same way that some people can breathe their way though childbirth, some of us need painkillers. Some of us can “just be happy” and some of us need antidepressants. Some of us can “just not get cancer” and some of us need chemotherapy. Some of us can “just not break our leg in a car accident” and others need a cast.

So so many medical issues are “self inflicted” and yet we rely on medical science to assist us. Weight gain is no different.

Some of you seem to ascribe some bizarre moral fibre to being thin, as if it somehow makes you a better person. How about, take a look at yourself and see if everything you do is totally perfect before you judge others. Ever go on holiday and get a tan? Guess you won’t be treated if you go on to develop skin cancer then.

Eat any processed foods? Guess that bowel cancer can be cured “the natural way” then.

Finally, I just can’t understand why it bothers people so much. The only thing I can think of is that if we’re all slim, then the thing you’re randomly proud of isn’t such a great social currency anymore. Well, frankly, suck it.

As I said, you clearly have no idea how they work.

People are very vocal about them on mn. And it is true, I disagree with @Merryoldgoat : "They’ve been used for years and have a very good safety profile.", no they haven't been around for long enough, for us to know for the long term generational effect will be, that takes 30+ years.

Even now the British Disbetic Association will not endorse/promte low carb, for T1diabetics, because they say they need 20-30 years of data and study to know long term effects, which when you really think about it is correct and is as it should be.

I find so much of the narrative around jabs so bizarre. Firstly - the faux concern. As if we’re taking a drug without considering the side effects vs the effects of remaining overweight.

@Ozgirl75 I wouldn’t write off concerns about risks and side effects as faux, I think it’s prudent to be cautious about relatively new drugs.

Several years ago, my doctor offered me a contraceptive pill that was later recalled due to concerns about blood clots. I took myself off it after four months, because my legs felt strange. Unfortunately, DH’s cousin suffered a stroke while on it (she recovered).

Most drugs carry some risks and if weight loss jabs work for you, great. But it’s prudent to pay attention to both the positive and negative feedback now that they’re more widely used.

It’s not that I don’t think people ON the drug shouldn’t consider side effects - it’s more the people who AREN’T on it saying “oh but the side effects” when they aren’t the ones taking it anyway.
You can see it on this thread, people saying things like “pumping toxic poison” etc when they don’t have to take it.
For those people taking it, I’m sure we weigh up the risks against the benefits in the same way we do when we take any medicine.