Ozempic - For those of us a few months in

[Lndnmummy]

Hi all, thought I would create a designated space outside of the newbie zone for those of us who are in it for the long haul and are a few doses, stone, months down the road.

I'm thinking of trying this, or saxenda, they are similar aren't they?

Can anyone talk me through buying it, I'm looking at boots and Asda as they are close to me.

I can see you need to fill in a questionnaire and then it says pay which is why I haven't done it yet as I'm worried I'll pay and then won't be approved. I presume you get a refund?

So it comes in pens and you increase the dose?. How long does a pen last they look very expensive online?

I'm worried I won't be approved as I have thyroid issues but technically they are under control as my bloods are good ATM. I recently had surgery for something else and the surgeon literally said my weight is at risk due to my health and I need to see a.GP but it's impossible to get an appointment round here and even if I could I looked at the criteria for NHS saxenda and I don't fit it. I do for orlistat but don't want that. My BMI is 39.9 ☹️

Can anyone advise thanks

Uurgh we need an edit button!

Health is at risk due to my weight,.not the other way round 🙄

@Decafflatteplease - they are different drugs. Ozempic is a semaglutide aimed at diabetics and Saxenda is liraglutide just for weight loss. Ozempic also helps with weight loss and when marketed for weight loss is called Wegovy. Wegovy is not yet available in the uk but is due to hit the market soon I think. It should be available in Boots etc. There is another thread in weight loss chat called “I started Ozempic last night” which should answer your questions.

@Decafflatteplease - you would be approved at your BMI with the online suppliers but yes it is expensive.

Thanks for the thread.
I started 14th Nov - 15st
Last weighed end of Feb -18lbs
I'm going to wait until end of March to weigh again as the plateaus disheartened me but my belt is gone in another notch so I'm pretty sure I've lost weight.
I'm on 1mg for past 4 weeks.

Morning. Thanks for setting this up.

I started on 9th January.

I've lost 1stone in that time, which is slower than some. I have about 4-5stone total to lose.

Positives:

• food noise has disappeared
• I can "honour my hunger", eat to genuine fullness, eat what I want and not binge or gorge.
• I'm not constantly hungry
• I'm hungry in the morning
• I want to eat well, I'm craving particular nutritional groups
• I feel free

negatives

• cost!
• one epic vom session
• the sulphur burps
• indigestion

As we see, the positives massively outweigh the negatives!

Hi everyone this is such an inspiring thread! When you say the food ‘chatter’ is gone, what do you mean by that? Did everyone start to lose weight really quickly? I’d be so disheartened if it took a while to kick in after having psyched myself up to inject myself and pay all that money!

I think by food chatter people mean they aren’t constantly thinking of food and what they can and can’t eat etc.

it can take time to build up in your system. That’s perfectly normal. Some people feel it straight away even on the lowest dose but for some people it takes a while and the higher doses to take effect.

I’m wondering if you can get this on NHS or can you pay for it?

@SheDoneAlreadyHadHersess most of us are paying for it. Have a look at the thread “I started Ozempic last night” which has more info.

Have to agree the other thread has become inundated with posts about money off codes. It does detract from the supportive nature of the previous “I started Ozempic last night” threads when all most new people want to talk about is where to buy it cheaply. Or bark out questions with no thank you for the people attempting to answer them.

Very true @Twiglets1!

I’ve noticed you give some very detailed & informative replies on that tread @Peridot1 and get no thanks.
That other thread is starting to make me feel a bit disappointed tbh because as you know, my initial take on it was that surely we all do plenty of research before starting to inject something into our bodies, but now I’m doubting that. Too many new users on there seem to be looking for quick & easy solutions & I feel they will inevitably be disappointed by the reality as no weight loss is easy.

@Twiglets1 @Peridot1 just wanted to say hi and thanks for all your help on the other thread

I've never posted but I've appreciated hearing other peoples journeys. Solidarity over the internet!

I thought I'd post on this thread as I'm at the other end of the journey. I've been taking it for a while and am at my target weight. I guess now the question is what to do. I've read conflicting advice. (My supplier is understandably keen to supply a 'maintenance' dose) but reading NICE's recommendations and my bank managers id like to at least tail it off.

Has anyone else reached this stage?

I started last October and had a rapid response with the .25 dose. I stayed on it for weeks even after the weightloss plateaued as my blood glucose was good. Went up to .5, no appetite suppression, no weightloss but still excellent blood glucose. Went up to .75 last weekend, weightloss has started again and delightfully I am vomiting again. Overall I have lost over 22 pounds, 10 kilos.

I've been very slow to titrate up due to the shortages here in Australia. We are getting supplies again and it looks like the shortage is over for the main part.

Hi @godanothernametoremember and congratulations on reaching your target weight

Thanks @Twiglets1. I do try to help with info/advise. Not always sure it’s taken though as some people just want a quick fix. And it’s pretty scary as it’s a drug with side effects etc as you well know. People don’t even seem to Google it sometimes to get basic info.

@godanothernametoremember - I’m not at that stage yet but well done to you on reaching target! That’s brilliant. I too have read conflicting advice. I read in interview in the FT with the CEO of the manufacturer saying it should be looked at a bit like a drug for high blood pressure in that you wouldn’t expect to come off that. Obviously he has a vested interest in people doing that! And I’ve read you can only take it for two years. For me I am planning to reduce my dose down to the minimum while watching carbs and exercising. I think I need to eat like a diabetic going forward. Low carb for the most part. I do feel that for those of us for whom this has worked it may primarily be due to the effect on insulin. And if we are insulin resistant it makes sense to eat ina way that won’t send us back to where we were.

@LovelaceBiggWither - I’ve just come back from a month in Australia. Took a pen with me and slowed my doses down so I could leave some for my friend. She has been prescribed it for diabetes but obviously couldn’t get it. I’ve left her enough to hopefully get through a few weeks till supplies are ok. She was doing really well on it so was gutted to have to stop. Hopefully supplies will be regular again for you all.

Diabetics have priority (and oh man people wanting it for weightloss are savage about that!) so she should be fine in the next week or so. Apparently stocks will be back to normal by April.

Maintenance is such a mindfuck isn't it? I expect to be on ozempic lifelong (but I get it very cheaply as I am a diabetic). I don't understand why some sources are saying 2 year maximum when there are people who have been on it longer than that and not dropped dead.

Hi all, for anyone new to ozempic, please head over to the excellent thread ' I started ozempic last night' threads. There will be all your answers and lots of helpful advice on those threads. This thread is for long term users who are a few months down the road. We really appreciate your support in keeping it that way. Thanks all!

I’ve been on Ozempic/Saxenda for 8 months now and I’ve lost 30kg. I’m with Juniper and just about to increase to 2mg Ozempic (2x1mg pens per month), which is the highest dose they will go up to. I’m hoping Wegovy will be available by the time I want to increase my dose again!
It’s honestly been life changing for me and I feel a million times better.

Wow, impressive! Do you pay double for two pens a month or...?

No! It’s still £200 per month. Bargain.

Ah thank you! I have to say it has been life changing

I am terrified of coming off it though. I've never posted about my weight because I know inevitably people will say eat less move more. And if you disagree you're just told you're lying to yourself...

I walk everywhere, over 10k steps a day, run 5k at least once a week and gym 2/3 a week. I track calories but I don't drink alcohol, I am low carb by nature as I don't like bread, crisps or potatoes! I have the odd dessert but I'm more of a savoury person so don't eat chocolate. I know... I'm really boring!

But despite that I just never lost weight. My prescribed metformin for Pcos but that did nothing. Id sort of given up really.

I've actually lost more weight than I think is good for me. My new gym aim is to build up muscle heading into Peri.

Good luck to everyone on it. It's not an easy journey but it's been really worthwhile for me.

We don’t really have thread police on Mumsnet. If someone wants to try something new then it’s usual to ask for advice off people who have already been down that road.