Coming off Ozempic

[supermarketscrunchie]

I have been on ozempic for 8/9 months and am now at my goal weight. I lost nearly 2 stones before ozempic and 3 stones on. It's truly been the best thing to happen to me. It's a lifelong dream to be a size 10 and no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't achieve it.

I want to come off it now as feel I need to try to manage without it. It's sooo expensive! I'm so scared of regaining as research suggests this to be common. I have changed certain things in my life now though as I no longer drink and I fast as a general rule (no snacking at night and no breakfast).

Anyone else coming off and feeling nervous? Would be nice to share the experience 😊

WeightInLine yes I do think I've done my health huge favours. I have been losing weight for 18mths as I lost weight before I went on ozempic. Near the end I felt I was using it as an excuse to overeat - ie I'll just eat 4 biscuits as I'll take injection soon and appetitie will go.

I feel I need to take responsibility now to stay at goal. am not taking anything for granted and focusing on keeping within 7lbs of this. Feel a bit obsessive but I was obsessive when I was fat too! I was also a heavy drinker in the past and haven't drank for a year so feel this will help too.

I think you are forgetting that people who can get it free on the NHS - paid for by the tax payer as you say - mainly do so because they have diabetes.

I understand you are upset by the shortages but I don't think it's fair to resent people with the highest medical need getting it on the NHS. It sounds like you do resent them with your tirade around "you must all buy my drug for me..."

Do you feel the same about other people who get their medication from the NHS?

Absolutely this, particularly given that most (not all) type 2 diabetics got that way because of their poor diet and being overweight in the first place.

Hypocritical much?

So you're turning against diabetics because you are struggling to get Ozempic now? I think you should get some perspective that it is actually worse to be diabetic than "pre diabetic" and that in times of grave shortages, they should take priority based on medical need.

Im not on ozempic

My partner however is type 2 diabetic. Ive never been pre diabetic.

So with a partner who is diabetic, why are you belittling their medical need for Ozempic - if that is what their doctor has prescribed - by suggesting that most got that way "because of their poor diet and being overweight in the first place". You sound contemptuous of people with diabetes.

Is it really hypocritical for people with diabetes to expect their medication to be funded by the NHS?

The irony and hypocrisy is outstanding

Im not belittling diabetics. My OH is not on ozempic although thats not really relevant

The issue here is that on every single thread about people who are overweight, who are trying not to be overweight and are using ozempic (or similar) to lose weight so that they do not go on to develop further health issues (diabetes among other things), you get people who have already been therefore, but didnt lose weight and then went on to develop diabetes berating and belittling those trying to lose weight using the drug.

Theres no hypocrisy in expecting the NHS to fund their medication at all, but there is to slag off those using the drug privately as if they shouldnt do. Obesity is a medical condition too, these people just happen to be private funders to try to manage their condition. In other countries ozempic (and similar) is licenced for weight loss too (and that will probably come in the UK at some point)

The vast vast majority of type 2 diabetics developed the condition due to lifestyle and weight, the same lifestyle and weight issues that those using ozempic are actively changing.

I think my wording was misleading but I wasn't assuming your partner was on Ozempic (how would I know?) when I used the term "their medical need for Ozempic" I meant a diabetic's need for Ozempic.

I don't agree that you always get diabetics on these threads "berating and belittling" people using it to lose weight, though I know that does occasionally happen. What happens more often is that a diabetic person expresses a perfectly understandable concern that they may no longer be able to access a drug they have been prescribed by their doctor to control their diabetes because too many people have started using it off label as a weight loss aid via private prescriptions.

I've tried Ozempic myself in the past so I'm not anti. But while there is such an extreme shortage (not just in the UK) don't you agree that the people with the greatest medical need should be prioritised?

Via the NHS yes of course

Ultimately this a treatment for a host people, not just people with diabetes ad when it is licenced in this country for weight loss (which should be soon), it will be prescribed where necessary I hope, with a view for the companies to produce more ofit

Im not sure I agree that on these threads the odd diabetic comes on and expresses concern, its normally a number of posters berating people for taking medication for what (in their eyes) is a cosmetic reason. I see it over and over again.

Most of the anti Ozempic people ranting on these type of threads aren't diabetic, they just disagree with it on principle. They seem to have a grudge against obese people and think they should just eat less, exercise more.

Most diabetic people who do comment seem quite reasonable to me, considering. If I was diabetic I think I would find some of the people on the main Ozempic threads infuriating. I'm not referring to most Ozempic users but rather the ones who think it is a good way to get from a size 14 to a 10, who start using it with no research whatsoever or who don't recognise that diabetics should take priority during a time of extreme shortages.

Yes that is a possibility its true.

What I will say is that in general, overweight people dont like to see other overweight people losing weight, well this is my experience anyway and I see a lot of that as well, that there is some sort of moral issue with losing weight with help (whether it be WLS or medication etc)

The ‘only on the NHS’ people could get the drug by paying but they can’t or won’t do that. OK.

But what they want is to stop others paying. So they want us to pay for them, but not buy it for ourselves. That seems unreasonable.

This is a serious drug. People take it to make themselves healthier. People that pay to make themselves healthier are responsible.

Coming back to the OP, though, that isn’t to say we can all afford it forever.

There is such a shortage now that even if people who qualify for the drug on the NHS were to decide to pay for it, they would struggle to find availability. Not that every person prescribed it by their doctor could necessarily afford a private prescription.

They want others to stop paying because they have a greater medical need as they are already diabetic. It would be responsible for obese people to take Ozempic if there was enough for everyone, I agree. But there isn’t enough for everyone. It’s not very ethical to decide who gets a drug with very limited stock based on who has the most disposable income.

They want others to stop paying because they have a greater medical need as they are already diabetic.

But you don’t actually know who has the greatest medical need tho? Someone taking it for weight loss might be suffering from horrendous joint pain or PCOS brought about by weight. They aren’t prescribed it because it isn’t available on the NHS for those conditions.

It’s very disingenuous of people to imply there is a victim hierarchy that we are all meant to adhere to, with diabetics at the top. It’s a very new drug - there are lots of people it can benefit, evidently. Plus, those people taking for their emotional well being.

I'm coming off Ozempic after 4 months as I can't get any through my online clinic. I had been starting to think I should come off as my eating was getting quite dysfunctional - my eating reminded me of when I was an underweight teenager. I didn't feel hungry, or perhaps it was more that I just wasn't interested in food, so I would eat rubbish like crisps and chocolate to give myself some energy.

I have lost 2 stone, and I am delighted with that. I need to lose another 2 stone to get to healthy BMI. I want now to start feeling a bit more interested in food and start eating real, healthy food.

I am nervous especially as I am coming off from 1mg and didn't have the opportunity to reduce gradually. I plan to count calories on myfitness and to fill up on soups and vegetable stir-frys.

With regards to debate around shortages, I am sorry that this situation has arisen. I hope that supplies stabilise soon and that priority is given to those with the most need.

I can see it’s pointless debating this with you any longer if you won’t acknowledge that someone with diabetes is most likely going to have a higher need for Ozempic than someone using it to lose weight.

Hopefully others reading this may understand & agree with what I’m saying. Probably time to get back now to the main point of the thread, coming off Ozempic.

@WeightInLine
The ‘only on the NHS’ people could get the drug by paying but they can’t or won’t do that. OK.

That's exactly what I'm doing. My GP says it is the right drug for me currently (diabetes) but she has been told not to prescribe it due to the shortages. However, she is happy to support me buying it until supply becomes available again on the NHS.

This is not a rant - just a statement of fact.

swearymad I'm also focusing on high protein and more water to keep appetite in check. Looked at GlucoseGodess as recommended on here and had some vinegar in water before dinner last night YUK! Only time will tell if I can do this naturally.

Have you considered other brands like Saxenda? Is there a shortage here too?

oh and well done on your 2 stones loss!

Many of us were trying to be proactive and avoid having T2 to deal with if it continued. I was absolutely doing this. I don’t want T2 and then to end up on lots of medications.

If you also had something before you were diagnosed to avoid where you are now, would you have taken it? Why would we all wait until we are diabetic to try to do something?

I think it is very unfortunate that there is now this battle between T2 diabetics and those trying to prevent diabetes when we all want the same thing in the end, to maintain our health. We are the same group of people, it isn’t our fault the supply issues arose and no one was stealing medication from T2 diabetics if the companies were selling it to them directly, take it up with the regulators not the end users. The issue is with UPF’s being so cheap and available too.

T2 with complications obviously do need the medications there are no doubts but ozempic wasn’t ever meant to ‘cure’ diabetes but assist with some of the side effects whilst alongside eating and drinking well. There are lots of other medication options for T2 diabetics, I know that ozempic is very effective which is why it is so popular but now those who are obese have far few to zero options open to them.

If we are all in the same boat with not being able to control hunger then some of us are just at different stages of this journey and further down the line than others.

I am also having to stop ozempic and there is no alternative. I am going to have to try to maintain how far I have done so far and work very hard. Don’t give up hope OP

Menora Thank you 💙

Back to coming off ozempic,I'm having to come off it earlier than I would like due to shortages. I'm on 0.75, was hoping to do a month of 0.5mg then hopefully one of 0.25mg. I know they say you can stop abruptly but I'd rather do it slowly. To give my body time to get used to hunger again,quicker stomach emptying and less sateity

Has anyone on this thread tailed off ozempic in a similar way. Am I right in thinking that it has quite a short half life so should be out your system quickly.

I'm hoping after six months that I will have embedded good habits. I also wonder how long it takes to change your body's set point.

I won't be at a normal BMI or where I want to be and I'm scared of rapid regain as we all know keeping it off is really hard. Ozempic has worked well for me but I'm looking forward to not having constant nausea and constipation.

What are others planning do do regarding coming off ozempic? X

It's looking like I've got 3 weeks left then that will be it. I'm terrified of putting it all back on. Have been on semaglutide since march, so 4 months.
Am on Rybelsus, the tablet form, and have 1 week of 14mg and 2 weeks of 7mg from when I swapped suppliers a month ago, so will be tapering off a bit.
Have spoken to some lasses today who are looking to book turkey for gastric surgery when they run out of ozempic. I don't think I could consider that just yet, but can totally see how they feel.
I think there's going to be a lot of fake drugs changing hands as scammers take advantage of people desperate to maintain their losses.

@SilkySuky I'm the same four months in. Totally agree with the desperation people are feeling, scammers definitely will capitalise on our desperation. Did the tablets work as well as the injection?

I've lost nearly 3 stone, and gone from obese class 3 to 'just' overweight. It's been brilliant but I think I'm sensitive to the medication as my appetite disappeared almost immediately whereas some people only feel the effects after a couple of months.

I've tried to eke out my tablets by dosing every other day for a week rather than every day, but the hunger monster came back pretty quickly and I've gone back to taking it every day as I'm supposed to.

The anxiety is awful, I saw a friend I hadn't seen for a while today and she couldn't believe my weight loss, and I found myself saying "don't worry, it will all come back on soon enough". So depressing. 😥