Ozempic - for those of us a few months in - Part 2

[Peridot1]

Just spotted the other thread had filled up so started I new one.

@Twiglets1 TBF Quickmeds always just prescribed as a one-off prescription never as a managed "weight-loss plan", like MyJuniper. They didn't promise ongoing supplies, I actually found it a bit unfair because it turned into a free-for-all when they did have supply but at least they didn't try and fob people off with shakes.

Suppliers like juniper and Quickmeds don't get it from NN, they buy from pharmacy wholesalers, they can import too of they can get it elsewhere.

I only mentioned Juniper with regard to treatment plans?

To be fair to juniper as part of the treatment plan I was allocated a health coach who I could msg throughout the week, she was very responsive and helpful. There are also slack threads that the coaches are on and the app has lots of recipes and educational stuff so it wasn't just the medication there was support. They haven't managed the shortages well and are still selling the 0.5mg pens.

Juniper feel so shady as they said they stopped accepting new clients but every few days someone will still pop in saying they were “just” moving onto 0.5, which means they must have joined after the May cutoff. 😏

@KateWick exactly every few days a new person would arrive on the just started thread, long after juniper said they'd stopped taking on new clients. Really shady x

I'm SO annoyed. In 6 weeks I have gained and lost the same 3lbs. Now today I weighed myself and I have put on 3lbs. So I am a pound heavier than I was 6 weeks ago.

So I guess it's stopped working completely now. I've been on .5 for 3 months. I can't get 1mg so should I stop? I can't really afford £300 a month to just constantly gain weight if that's my future!

In all honesty it sounds like you probably should stop for now as it’s unlikely you would be able to get 1mg anytime soon so you’re just wasting money.

In your shoes I would probably wait until Wegovy is available in the U.K. Or until you are certain that the supply issues with Ozempic have been resolved in the U.K. whichever comes first.

I'm just worried I'll gain everything back if I stop!

Have people been able to make changes to their lifestyles while using Ozempic to continue to help them through? I'm definitely down on things like bread/pasta/potatoes and I'm hoping I'll keep that going to help while I stay on 0.5.

Yes, I don't crave sugary items anymore!

I dont sit there just 'wanting' something sweet. I don't go back for 2nd helpings.
And I dont think constantly about my next meal or snack. When doing WW or SW that's all I was doing. In the name of dieting I was obsessing.

@MiniCooperLover - I think for me it was mainly portion sizes when I started. Especially in the evening. I find that less effective now. I do still want something sweet at times. I love a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits after lunch and I still have that. Sadly I can still drink wine! I try to really limit carbs during the day but will have a small portion with my evening meal. I have a treat at the weekend. And I know the more carbs I have the more I want so I really try not to have too much.

Yes similar re wine, however if this is truly a lifestyle change then I'm still going to be drinking it, that's just fact for me. Not over drinking it but I want to be able to have a glass now and then without the worry. My portions have changed, I'll now have half what my DH has but the same food plus a pint of water. That's seemed to have helped a lot. Have mostly cut carbs and upped protein and that's helped I think.

I've gone down to 0.5mg now to eke out my remaining pen and a half. I am still losing a pound or so a week so I wonder how much real effect such a small dose of Ozempic is having after being on it for a long time (not that I ever went above 1mg). I still get full quickly and have no food chatter.

I am going to take 0.5 for the next 4-6 weeks and then use the rest of the pen at 0.25 and then that will be it. I have an emergency pack of 14mg Rybelsus should I need a boost!

I will keep tracking calories as if I keep those under control I will continue to lose and then be able to maintain. I don't believe that weight gain is inevitable. On a low dosage I have had to make good choices and I have still had to manage being hungry but I think that is a good thing. I don't know if the food noise will come back but I may put the money I would have spent on Ozempic towards a few months of nutrition coaching.

I am very grateful that I discovered Ozempic when it was not well known or widely used and was much cheaper. I've lost much of my excess weight and I'm in good enough health to exercise frequently and live a very different life. I feel so sorry for people who would be helped by it but cannot get hold of it. I really hope the situation changes soon

One thing I have noticed about lowering the dose which is positive is how much more energy I have. The worst side effect I had was tiredness and although it got better over time I did still feel shattered sometimes.

@Athena51 that's good that your energy levels have improved. I've generally felt shitty on every dose of ozempic. I've had persistent nausea and awful fatigue. I had hoped to up my exercise but in reality I've felt so bad I've done less than normal x

Has anyone tried having a dose every two weeks instead of weekly? I'm considering this, to make my last pen eke out as long as possible. Apart from possibly being less effective, are there any other potential downsides to going fortnightly? It would be 0.25 dose, which has had good effect for me generally, and which I'm on at the moment

Hello all,
I spoke to Quickmeds yesterday and the lady said that they expect to get Wegovy in 4-8 weeks.
I’ve been on Ozempic and was doing really well, getting near goal weight, so I decided to try going off it and just maintain due to the price increase. BUT unfortunately found my appetite and old habits came back with a vengeance 😞
So now I realise I need to be on it either indefinitely or at least for a lot longer, I paid the eye watering cost for one of the last 0.5 pens Quickmeds say they will get.

The lady said on the phone that I should be able to move on to Wegovy when they get it, what do others think about changing to Wegovy and any guesses what it will cost? 😬

my other question is that when we are near goal weight and are no longer obese, will they continue to prescribe when your BMI is below the required for the form?
Because even though I have regained, I’m still not back where I was when I started (yet 😩)

thanks for any thoughts!

I’m worried about the BMI thing too as I’m very happily on the line now. I would think they’d keep existing customers on though?? That’s exciting news if true but I dread the cost.

You've lost 5 stone since Feb. Ive lost just under 4 sstone since Feb, I had WLS!!!!!

Youre weight is coming off very quickly. Hair falling out and getting thin is normal at this stage, it normally starts around the 3 month mark after surgery and although you didnt have surgery your weight loss is similar

Its likely to start righting itself around the 9-12 month mark but you might not see the difference for a while

You can take all the supplements inn the world and it wont stop that process, however I take collagen and biotin and I may need more iron (just about to have bloods)

Get a cut which disguises the thinness and use a lot of product

That’s amazing if true about Wegovy but I will believe it when I see it. It’s the same drug so I would definitely move over to it and try going up the doses a bit more to see if it had more effect as I am quite a slow responder.

I have just had my last weekly 1mg dose and have worked out a schedule of 0.75mg ever 9 days from now on until mid October when I will see what the supply situation is like but am expecting to pause for at least 6 months. Maybe the limited time scale will focus my mind with my diet for the remaining time.

I was getting ozempic from my juniper. I'd just finished a 1mg pen when they announced they couldn't get anymore. I cancelled with them and left an honest review on trust pilot. I'd only been with them at the start when they were more expensive as they promised a 6 month supply. Anyway I stopped dead 3 weeks ago but I'm still losing about 2 pounds a week which I'm so happy about. I hope the medication has reset my eating patterns as I would always have binge eaten in the evenings before ozempic.

I've just cancelled my Manual subscription now they can't supply 1mg pens, I've been on it for 2 months and lost a stone. which I'm happy with. I'm now 13 stone 10 and want to get down to 10 stone.
I have completely overhauled my diet and cut right back on UPF foods, looking back it was the rubbish food I used to binge on and now I'm making my own biscuits, cakes and bread etc plus not buying any ready made sauces etc I seem to be able to cut out the binges. Fingers crossed that continues.

The Virtual Slimming Clinic had the 1.0 pen in stock this morningat £299. I was checking out when it went out of stock