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.

Haha ok well I can be impulsive too so I understand the urge to just start something once you’ve decided to do it.
Loads of questions are answered on these Ozempic threads so worth having a read through them. But also just ask if you have questions you can’t see the answers to.

I’m debating the tablets or saxender. Does anyone know if the tablets also help with insulin resistance or is it just the appetite suppression effect? I’m trying to decide which to try.

@Prettybubblesintheair Rybelsus tablets are exactly to same drug (Semaglutide) as Ozempic or Wegovy. They work in the the same way and have the same side-effects and advantages.

From I understand it's exactly the same as Ozempic.

lost20000 It's different for everyone obviously, but I would say without a doubt I was (am) a high functioning alcoholic/alcohol dependent. Self medicating with alcohol during stressful times, celebrating excessively during good times, as well as binge eating. Have had an open discussion with my GP for a couple of years about the alcohol, finding strategies and keeping an eye on my liver etc.
Ozempic removed my alcohol cravings over night. It's startling, and I am extremely happy about it. I feel re-programmed. My side effects have been mild and manageable. I have also lost 22lbs in the first 2 months and am as of today no longer obese, for the first time in nine years. I am 50.

That's great VanellopeVonSchweetz99, glad it's helped you in that respect. I have definitely cut back, generally because after a couple of glasses it just doesn't taste of anything and I get left with the metallic mouth so I have a couple of glasses now and that's it, so in the scheme of things I've definitely cut down. I'm not finding the 1mg as effective as I did the 0.25 but I guess that's just my body adjusting to it and it means I have to put more effort into making good choices (as so I should). It is terrifying though to realise just how little I need to eat before putting on weight at the age of 50 when I see the needle go up as well as down but I guess that's menopausal life for you.

Has anyone taken the tablets? I'm considering them during the shortage.
I've now lost a lovely 1.6 stones and have been on it since the end of January!
I definitely have found it helps !

Sorry if this is a dumb question but why are we all injecting ourselves when we can just pop a pill? Is the injection form more effective? I think I'd prefer a pill longer term if there is no difference.

@HolidayHappy123 The convenience of a weekly subcut inflection vs daily tablet which comes with some restrictions over when and how you take it. I think the injectable form was marginally more effective in trials (but woild be happy to be told i was wrong). diabetes.medicinematters.com/en-GB/type-2-diabetes/glp-1-agonists/oral-semaglutide-a-technical-triumph-with-caveats/17955192#:~:text=Like%20the%20injectable%20preparations%20it,1%20mg%20once%2Dweekly%20dose.

Injection not inflection 😂

@HolidayHappy123 - I’ve taken the tablets and much prefer the injection form. I switched for a bit as I was travelling and I thought it would be easier. You have to take the tablet on an empty stomach and then wait about 20 mins before eating or drinking anything. And I kept forgetting and automatically having my morning cup of tea and then it was too late to take the tablet. Also you are only supposed to take it with a small amount of water and I really didn’t like the taste - it’s quite bitter.

I would definitely say my evening desire for wine has gone! Feel horrendous today. Tiny slice of Spanish omelette for breakfast and some for lunch is all I can manage. Cucumber makes me feel better. A smoothie with almond milk and cacao and chia seeds definitely did not. Thought I was going to pass out when I went for a short walk. First cigarette and it tastes like metal. Ugh.

Just checking in, I'm in my 8th week now and on my final dose of .5, up to 1mg next week. I had a horrible 3 week plateau but have dropped a couple lbs over the last few days, hopefully it keeps up! I am feeling the appetite suppression more this week than i have the last few. I haven't had the extreme early results of some folks but I'm very happy with what I've lost so far. About 1.5lbs a week average, but really it's been little jumps here and there. I've always been more tortoise than hare! Best of luck to all!

As expected, Manual have been in touch to say they can't supply my next order of Ozempic. I'm on 1mg - there are no lower dose pens either. They've offered Rybelsus at the max dose, but my Ozempic subscription has been cancelled entirely as they don't want to take money while supply issues are ongoing. Am taking a couple of days to consider, but for some of the reasons mentioned above I'm not keen.

It’s just not available anywhere, is it? This is awful.

Well I ordered a 1mg from quickmeds yesterday so there are some around.

@greylad no it seems gone absolutely everywhere. I'm not in the UK so could only get it from one supplier but I've arranged for it to be delivered to a relative in the UK going forward who will then post it to me to give me more chance of finding some but it's just not in stock anywhere. I tried 8 sites today. In 48 hours I will have used up my last dose. 😭

I spent 6-8pm yesterday and 1-2:30pm today on the Quickmeds website, no joy.

The predicted backlash has begun https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/may/10/online-uk-pharmacies-prescribing-weight-loss-jabs-to-people-with-healthy-bmi-investigation?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Well that's the fault of pharmacies selling them when they shouldn't!
I do wonder whether self declaration of BMI is good enough but I'm not sure how they would check it otherwise.

The article says that this sort of drug has required the knowledge of the GP since 2019

Well it was bound to happen. The thing is if Boots and Lloyds sold Ozempic with a consultation it would be much easier to make sure it is sold to those who qualify. It has definitely become a bit of Wild West situation.

Some suppliers were asking for photos of people. I suppose they could ask for photographic ID as well to ensure it was of the correct person. I would have been happy to supply all of that information.

You (they) could require a zoom or in person consultation, or an app related set of scales that records your weight. The latter would be easily open to abuse, but not as much as the simple form obviously is.

I do think it is very, very easy to access ozempic - much easier than I anticipated it would be, and slightly too easy if I'm honest. Not that I mind, but I'm taking it as a legitimate patient, who meets the off label prescribing criteria with ease. I am worried about when my BMI reaches 27, and whether I'll be able to access it.

They could ask for photographic ID (and some do) but even that could be misused online. Basically, I think these online pharmacies don't really care too much as long as they are getting their money.
It's just a shame that Ozempic got a bit TOO much exposure and attracted the wrong kind of people, those with a normal BMI who just wanted to be a bit slimmer.

I'm going to order Rybelsus as a stop gap if I can't source a pen tomorrow. I just can't trust myself not to undo all my hard work if I have nothing. I was so stressed about not being able to get it I ate a Snickers today - pure emotional eating and that's with Ozempic in my system. I haven't retrained myself enough yet to be confident to keep going alone. Also I know one Snickers is not a bad thing necessarily but it's the fact I turned straight to the sugar for comfort when I was stressed tells me I'm not ready yet. I still have another 4 stone ish to lose and it's going so well with Ozempic I can't undo it.