“I started Ozempic last night” THREAD FOUR

[HermioneWeasley]

Can’t believe we’re on thread 4

welcome back to previous posters, and welcome to those who are new or interested.

a few of us have been on Ozempic with a range of experiences for a few months now, so if you’re interested in how it goes in the early days, the earlier threads might be a good place to start.

I’ve been on it for about 6 months now and have lost around 20lbs. It has been effortless. I used to be ravenously hungry all the time, and now I’m not. I had very mild side effects at first (just some nausea), but none now.

most of us have referral codes for various providers, so if you are starting, do ask on the thread and someone will PM you.

I have done tons of IVF injections and it’s very normal to have a bead of liquid on the needle. Sometimes you’ll get a bead at the injection site too as it’s tracked back through the ‘hole,‘ it just happens sometimes. 😊

I am absolutely gutted I haven’t had the ‘instantaneous’ response and moment of clarity so often reported on these four threads. Yes, I know I should take a long-term view but selfishly I am maid of honour in three weeks and would have loved to have lost half a stone before then!

Thanks for the lovely reassuring answer - maybe it is just some underlying anxiety, it seems to be wearing off now. Fingers crossed.

Just had a lovely call with the QuickMeds Dr/Pharmacist (seemed very knowledgeable) and he said peak effect for most people is at 8-12 weeks but the effect kicks in after 3 hours. However the majority won't really notice much until 0.50ml. He said to get the best result never fight any feeling of fullness, don't make yourself eat a lot if you don't want to (makes sense).
They currently have good stock and my order will be delivered tomorrow, he said to re-order when you're on "injection 3" in the 4 week cycle to avoid a gap.
In terms of exercise he said doing something for as little as 7 minutes a day that makes you so breathless you couldn't talk to a friend is extremely beneficial, not least for your heart.
He also said the issue for many women is we build up insulin resistance in peri menopause and after, and consuming carbs also add to this resistance, his advice is to "use your calories" on low carb but high fiber meals, and if possible avoid carbs completely after 4pm. Might be a bit of pseudo science/generic advice/obvious stuff there, but thought I'd share.

Mine has some beads on the needle every single time even when I leave it in another 20 seconds after it returns to 0. The injection sites don't hurt for me though, maybe a slight sting for a few mins after the first one or two when I was a bit more heavy handed doing it.

I have a £50 code for Juniper, pm me and I'll give you my details.

OK. Here we go
14.11 stone
5.4 height
Would like to be 10 to 11 stone. I just seem to be stuck at the moment. My mojo has left me and I feel so heavy with no inclination to do anything. Basically I am still in hibernate mode.

Just had a week off work with lots of plans but really haven't done anything. Day one, fingers crossed. Good luck everyone, I am loving hearing everyone's experiences and no actual clapping aka Slimming World 🤣

just reporting in. and saying hello to all the new starters
Am now 12 stones exactly started at 13.10 on december 13.th
So have been on 1mg now for a couple of weeks.
Things have definitely slowed down considerably but I am still making good choices and not snacking also much smaller portions.
No side effects at all.
No one has noticed any change in me at all - although i still need to lose another 5 lbs before i can scrape in to the overweight rather than obese category!!
The best thing is all this week i have managed to do my 10,000 steps and am finding it easy and quite enjoyable
I reread thread one earlier and was hoping some of those who started back then october/ november/ december might have a chance to update on their progress.

Well! I have had a very interesting couple of hours doing some research. In comparison with the largely successful MN threads, Reddit (and other sites) have a lot of posters who share that Ozempic either a) never works for them or b) doesn't start to work for 2-3 months. I am actually gutted as I clearly got swept away by everyone doing really well on here 😆 Well I have invested the best part of £200 now so I suppose I will give it three months and see if it kicks in. Truly gutted I am going to be the fat one at the wedding in a few weeks' time though haha.

I've also found Quick Meds so helpful and reliable!

oh dear . maybe your expectations were a bit high?
my weight loss is really only a pound a week and i have also counted calories and upped my activity.
hopefully it will help you but unfortunately it won't dissolve our fat away by magic ( if only)
there's still time for to to have lost a bit before the wedding ( enjoy it anyway whatever!!)

There are definitely more negative stories on Reddit. When I started researching Ozempic there was hardly any buzz about it at all (well over a year ago) so that was the only information I really had to go on.

I started on 0.5 dose not the 0.25 that seems to be the norm now. I took my first dose at bedtime and basically woke up feeling horribly tired and sick and unable to eat (even drinking water was hard). I lost 8lbs in my first week but I had lots to lose.

I'm lucky in that my side effects soon wore off apart from the not being hungry, getting full quickly and having no mental food chatter. I've taken breaks along the way to see how I do without it (fine) and to practice maintaining my loss. I last took a break around Christmas and it did take a few weeks to reach full effectiveness again. I split my dose and take 0.5 every 4/5 days. I've never had to go any higher. I daresay I could lose quicker if I did but I'm still losing and I feel fine so I haven't had to yet.

I've lost 5 stone and want to lose 3 or maybe 4 more. I'm also a post-menopausal woman in her mid-50s who has done every diet under the sun in my life. It genuinely has been life-changing for me as it's made losing weight so easy and stress free. I have been able to make the lifestyle changes that will help me to keep it off.

I hope you find that it does work for you but at least you have tried and new treatments are being developed all the time now. I do think that the treatments will become more effective and hopefully easier to access. it was a leap of faith for me but it paid off.

Sorry this is so long but some of it may be helpful!

Sooooo in the interests of full disclosure….

My lunch has just, er, come back on itself. All of it. 😬

So while it feels like nothing at all is changing in my brain, maybe something is changing in my body? My stomach was too full?

I am thinking of doing a new thread for those of us a few months in. This one fills up so quickly (which is great) but it means more seasoned users have a plave to discuss things that arise and are applicable a few months in. If others are keen, I can start one

I'm 11 weeks in and finding the appetite suppressant has reduced in the past 10 days. It's still there to a degree and I'm still happily ignoring sweet things but I'm reaching the point that I need to start counting calories I think to maintain loss.
I am hopeful that wegovy will be available soon so I can try increasing the dosage for a couple of months and see if that helps.
I've got pen 4 in the fridge so I'll keep going until end of April and consider then. I don't want to stop using it yet though I'm concerned if it ends up being an expensive placebo 😆

Yes please :)

Where do you guys keep your pen once it’s been opened and therefore no need to be in fridge?

That would be great.

In a drawer in my room

Been prescribed now and it’s coming tomorrow! Slightly nervous and wondering if I should have gone for it (I’ve previously kept my weight low with keto, just been lazy and eating a lot of sugar and dinners out a few times a week so bmi is back to 28). Probably still try to move back towards a high protein, high veg but low carb and low/medium fat so if I hate the side effects I can just transition into proper keto again. Need to buy a wedding dress in the winter so got a lot of motivation now!

That would be great @Lndnmummy.

Been reading the thread and keeping up but not really posting as have been away for a month. I still took Ozempic but 0.5 about every 5/6 days. Was definitely eating more. And I drank lots of wine. Lots. If there is an Australian wine shortage it was me!

Trying to get back on track now. Haven’t weighed since I came back but have definitely put weight on.

I took 0.75 this morning and am planning that twice a week. I’ve been on it over a year now with a three stone loss.

I need to get back into watching the carbs. I definitely do much better when I reduce them.

interestingly I bought a Keto granola a while ago from Holland and Barrett - just wanted to add a tablespoon to Greek yoghurt and berries for a bit of crunch. I have had it twice - once before I went away and again today and both days I have craved carbs all day. It’s going in the bin.

So I’m back on watching carbs and will reduce my wine consumption. I also need to introduce exercise. Am planning on walking and I’m going to join the gym for some strength training.

manual.co/r/U-zssqedIpja

If you still need a code.

When you are prescribed this drug by a doctor, you are told that it comes with your healthy eating and exercise which must be continued. You agree to that beefier he/she writes the prescription. I had mine for different medical reasons making me epigenetically disposed to gaining weight but I am sure it is the same for everyone who gets their script from a doctor.

You seem a bit concerned about what other people are doing with their time and money?

just enjoy your weekend!

Yes please that would be great to see how things are progressing or not?

I can see someone also asked earlier but I can't see a response does everyone start at .25
If you think you are pre diabetic as lots of slightly overweight older ladies might be might it be better to start at .5?