Read leaflet - 'uncommon' (but 1/100) side effects terrify me!

[Sober23]

So I've read the patient info leaflet as have succumbed to buying wegovy from shemed. I am too scared to start it to be honest. There must be many people who experience this 'uncommon' i.e. up to 1 in 100 side effect - PANCREATITIS?! this could be life threatening couldn't it? Has anyone had serious side effects and willing to share?

How on earth do I get my head round this. Or have I just wasted 50 odd quid on a pen to chuck in the bin.

Have you ever read the patient leaflet that comes with OTC medication such as paracetamol, ibuprofen etc? Honestly, you’re totally over thinking this.

You don’t have to take it if you don’t think the benefits to you outweigh the risks

Do you want reassurance to enable you to take it, or do you want scare stories to reinforce your anxiety about this? It's not entirely obvious.

I obviously want to take it to lose weight. But I can't get my head round the fact that this leaflet says up to 1 in 100 people get these serious side effects. I guess I could be over thinking it - but once you've jabbed yourself it's a bit late isn't it?

I don’t know how you as an individual gets your head around risk and making decisions based on risk versus benefit.

The clinical decision to approve this prescription medication for use in the UK is based on the proven evidence that the benefits outweigh the risks, for people who are obese or overweight with a weight related health condition. It’s been prescribed to you legitimately so the benefits to you of losing weight are worth the risk of taking this medication. There are millions of people taking WLI in the UK and the large majority do so without any serious issue.

If you want to take this medication, you could remind yourself of the health benefits for you of losing weight? What health benefits motivated you to seek out a prescription?

Perhaps this article will help. The connection between pancreatitis and GLP-1s isn't linear because being overweight in itself is a risk factor.

https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/glp1-agonists-and-pancreatitis

Would it be helpful to imagine the even longer list of side effects from obesity? As I think that would actually be much scarier than most medication side effects. That’s how I rationalise it, we aren’t handed a neat piece of paper with all the risks of being obese, but those risks exist and are wide-ranging and real and you’ve been living with them for a period of time.

Re: pancreatitis, clinical trials actually have it as more like 1-3 in 1,000. But obesity is one of the leading causes of pancreatitis too, so it’s a tricky thing to gauge as the majority of people taking GLP1s are or have very recently been obese.

@GiveMeWordGames thanks for that article. It mentions gallbladder issues connected to pancreatitis. I've actually had my gallbladder out, I got gallstones when I lost weight, really flared up a couple of years later when I was pregnant (a dr very helpfully told me I had 3 big risk factors: female, fertile, fat) so maybe I'm lower risk, I am not sure.

and @moominontherun you're absolutely right, being obese (my current BMI is 32) has all sorts of risk factors I'm just accepting by living with them.

I am an overthinker at the best of times.

All I can tell you is I’ve been on the highest dose of mounjaro for 3 years and have not had pancreatitis or anything like that.i think the vast, vast majority are great on it.

Yes, in non-heavy drinkers, pancreatitis is mostly caused by a gallstone getting stuck. So, if you don't have a gallbladder that solves that!😄

Many of the potential side effects of GLP-1s (that don't involve digestive issues) are actually just the side effects of significant weight loss. Gallstones/pancreatitis is one of those. You've been there, done that already. So, crack on!

It terrifying the amount of people that are willing to ignore all side effects and risks because it is achieving something they want.

I've seen anti vaxxers ignoring all side effects, and willingly injecting it whilst calling anyone that takes vaccines naive.

Yes there are side effects, all medication has side effects, some are life limiting and fatal, most are just annoying.

You have to balance the benefits and the risks- but don't trust anyone that says there are no risks. There are risks in everything we do.