How these meds work on the brain

[Orangesandlemons77]

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ozempic-quiets-food-noise-in-the-brain-but-how/

Just thought this was fascinating and wanted to share

I have also loved the quietening of food noise. I just notice I’m feeling peckish, eat the meal and then go back to not thinking about it.
i imagine it’s the difference between me, a non smoker, and a smoker who is trying to quit. I don’t think about smoking at all, and now it’s the same with food. I just eat when I’m hungry and then it’s done.

Haven’t noticed any reduction in pleasure! To be fair I don’t really drink alcohol anyway, and I’m a fairly jolly person but I will say that sex has not changed, if anything it’s improved as I feel happier with my body and more confident.

Equally you can’t say my experience of food noise isn’t as strong as yours. We will never be able to know anothers experience so we can’t rate it on a scale of severity we can only be accepting that different people feel differently. You seem defensive? I wasn’t saying I was mentally stronger than anyone ? I’ve found my own way to deal with this which does take immense mental strength but I feel those who are able to self inject and put up with horrible side effects from weight loss jabs are as strong if not stronger - I also wouldn’t want to feel differently in my mind if I took them if I needed them at any point.

I’ve been both very underweight and very overweight .its not easy for anyone I was just giving my personal opinion and experience of having food issues and food obsession

I think the reason some are getting annoyed is the thread was about a particular aspect of these weight loss injections and you came along and said "i don't need them as i'm not overweight, i can control my food noise". Can you see how that looks? If you don't need the medication then your view is irrelevant really...

That wasn’t what I said - I said I wouldn’t like the lack of ‘noise’ due to my ASD and ADHD issues as it’s what I’m used to . I explained how I struggle mon - fri thinking about food ALL the time and basically binge every weekend and that I have food issues ? It’s not a competition I’ve said I can’t possibly know who feels worse or better as I only know my own mind ?

I also explained how I’ve been both very underweight and very overweight over the years. I was just offering my perspective I wasn’t commenting on anyone else and I never said ‘I don’t need the injections’ I explained why I wouldn’t use them

Not for everyone. I tried mounjaro but it really increased my anxiety to full on panic feelings, waves of fear waking me up at night.
This does seem to be a recorded side effects for some people. I am gutted as I really do need to lose weight, but not at the expense of my mental health.

I'm enjoying food more now I've started on MJ than I did before. Previously I'd be sitting eating something but not really paying attention to it because I'd be thinking about what I could/would eat next. Without that compulsion to have more and more I can simply enjoy what I've got.

I don't recognise that AT ALL

If you're not obese you have no idea what it's like to be constantly focused on food. I have no idea why you think you know how you would feel if you had a problem that you don't have!

This medication has done wonders for me with Autism and ADHD. Sure, it's all I've known for 53 years, but with OCD in the mix as well, it's been decades of exhausting, debilitating constant inability to switch off. It has been heaven to be able to switch off some noise. Just the food noise. So I can just 'be' a little bit more.

I'm a person who can't even be in a relationship as I need so much space due to a noisy, busy brain and major sensory issues. I become massively overwhelmed on a daily basis. To have some quiet and respite from that has been blissful as it is utterly bloody exhausting 24/7 and it limits me a lot.

Note: I'm not on WLI's for Autism / ADHD, and I certainly didn't seek to 'cure either. I am very happy with who I am. I started WLI's because I'm obese and physically disabled with multiple health issues, but my god is this a wonderful bonus to shut down some noise (along with the amazing anti inflammatory effect on my Arthritis, EDS, Asthma and Allergies)

I enjoy food so much more on Mounjaro. I used to use food as something numbing, eating sugary carbs all day instead of making meals and feeling exhausted and rundown all the time which got me into such a vicious cycle as I didn't have the energy to change. On MJ, I have made so many different recipes, really thought about flavours and textures and variety in a way I never used to. It's introduced me to a whole new pleasure in cooking and eating that I never thought I would discover. And I have an enthusiasm for the gym I haven't felt in years.

I have gone off drinking, but I think that's being in my 40s - nowadays a glass of wine is more likely to keep me awake and anxious than relax me or help me have a good time, but that predates MJ.

As I’ve said before over many many years I’ve been both very underweight and very overweight. So I do understand.

To add I also due to ND have obsessions focused on food so I really do get it. I’m just giving my experience and my opinion on why I wouldn’t use them myself I’m not attacking or questioning anyone else I fully accept that each individual has their own set of circumstances

I hadn't read your further responses when I wrote this. However the fact that this is the takeaway I got from your post should probably tell you what impression you gave even if it's not what you meant!

Oh absolutely I get that 100%. I’m misunderstood a lot and I apologise if I offended anyone I think due to ASD I manage to say things the wrong way so I really hope i haven’t upset anyone as it really wasn’t my intention and I’m sorry if I did

No worries! People taking weight loss medication can be defensive about it as we get a lot of judgement and criticism and a lot of people saying things like 'just eat less and move more' or telling us we are lazy or just looking for an easy fix. It's frustrating. Your first post came across a bit like that but it's clear you didn't mean that!

This is the weightloss injections board. You're not taking this injection, you're not overweight, your food noise may be causing your problems but isn't causing you problems enough that you'd rather use this medication to calm it like others. So you're lucky or stronger - whocjever one you choose. However, whatever is happening to you is irrelevant in this discussion surrounding people who use this WLI to help their food noise and everything else, including eating sensibly.

This post is tone-deaf and quite insulting to people this board and thread is meant for. Your views on this thread have been irrelevant and dismissive. Please read the room.

Please read the full thread

No, i'm sorry but you're wrong. That poster likely has read the full thread, as have I, and still find your comments irrelevant, slightly arrogant and completely tone deaf. No need to use ND as an excuse, many of is have that too.

As the PP said, this is the WLI board. The post was about changes to the brain. You neither use or want to use WLI so why would your experience be relevant at all.

Do you weigh in in other boards that don't concern you too, telling others that you do it better, i.e. the Childfree board if you don't have children, or Jewish Mumsnetters if you're Christian?

That’s fine , as I said before I didn’t intend to offend anyone at all and I apologise if I did and hope that you can calm down .

You don't intend to offend anyone, but use goady phrases intended to annoy like "calm down". I'm not uncalm. You, however, are being deliberately goady and rude.

I’m sorry if you feel that way. It wasn’t intended at all.

My ADHD nose has reduced hugely and so has my drinking. Although I'm not official diagnosed with adhd I know I have alit and I was misdiagnosed bipolar fifteen years ago. Long before much was known about adhd in women. But I've always self medicated with alcohol. Since starting on Mounjaro on the 7th August I've lost 32lb ( down from 17st5 to 15st1lb) but I've also completely accidentally reduced my alcohol consumption by around 30%. I used to stare a bottle of vodka with my sister not now I'll leave when it's 2/3 empty and 2 hours earlier than I would have done in the summer .

Johann Hari touched on something like this in his book.

I know he is not the most reliable commenter but he tells how, after a while on Ozempic, he was feeling generally low and wondered if it was a side-effect until a friend pointed out to him it was equally likely that he was no longer self medicating with food and needed to find alternative strategies to deal with his feelings

Not for me tbh. I've got more patience, more time, and I'm trying to use it wisely. We cracked open some fizz last night and I enjoyed every drop - I just didn't want as much as I did before. My food tasted wonderful, and I ate less of it.

It's not about diminishing pleasure at all. It's really very different to that.

I worried a little before I started taking it that I would somehow feel less like “myself”, but that isn’t the case at all. I feel totally normal but just without the constant food chatter in my head. It’s hard to explain it because before, I associated no appetite or lowered appetite with feeling ill, but I feel great! I just don’t focus on food. Plus, I know that I won’t eat a big dinner so I take the time to savour what I’m eating and I enjoy it more, rather than when I’m just hoeing into a loaf of bread almost trance like.