Let's dive into learning about THE HOT TOPIC in weight loss right now: OZEMPIC!
Are you feeling like you may be missing out on a QUICK AND EASY way to lose weight and look fantastic??
After all, I hear just about every A-Z list actor and actress in Hollywood is taking this stuff! There is so much demand that shortages are being reported everywhere. It's being sold illegally online for ridiculous amounts of money!
Before you get all swept up in the craze... you may want to know about some of the pros and cons of this medication and what the users are experiencing! Don't get all your information from the drug companies (like SOME of my physician colleagues do!!😯)--- you know they will only present the ROSIE side of things. And hey! If you think I am about to tell you NO ONE should be taking this stuff... you're wrong!
First of all, what is Ozempic?
Ozempic, generically known as Semaglutide, belongs to a class of medications known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1 RAs. It mimics the GLP-1 hormone, released in the gut in response to eating.
What the hell does that mean? 😂
Here's what you need to know:
It's made in a lab, but mimics a substance found in your own body.
Ozempic (GLP-1 RA's) regulates blood sugar and suppresses the appetite.
Ozempic (Semaglutide) does this in 2 ways:
(1) it acts on the pancreas to release the right amount of insulin when blood sugar levels are high
(2)it acts on the brain to help regulate your appetite and decrease how much you eat
With these combined actions, diabetics who use the drug CAN get control over diabetes and drop their HbA1C (the original intended effect of the drug!- yes it works to control diabetes). ALSO, as an unexpected side effect (at least in initial studies!), they experienced quite a bit of weight loss. This led to the GENIUS idea to remarket this diabetic drug for WEIGHT LOSS (certainly NOT the first drug to be remarketed for its "side effects"). This SPARKED A FRENZY! 'Cuz...what do you know? Our country is more interested in weight loss than controlling diabetes🙃...
Fast forward to the weight loss trials:
As a weight loss drug, the data for Ozempic is quite impressive. Those on the lower dose (the one typically given with the STARTER FREE TRIALS), lost about 4% in 12 weeks, 6% at 3 months, and 11% by 6 months. NOTE: lower dose has less weight loss, but also less side effects (JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(9))
In the next higher dose trial, average weight loss by week 12 was 6% and 12% at 4 months. The downside.... side effects went up significantly on the higher dose... causing many people to drop out! 408 people started the study, but only 102 were left at 6 months. (NIH review: PMCID: PMC9486455). High dose Semaglutide is marketed as Wegovy.
So YEAH, at both lower and higher doses, participants lost weight, BUUUUT, 👆The drop out rate begs the question... What's was ACTUALLY happening with these folks??? Inquiring minds DO want to know! PLEASE READ ON FOR YOUR HEALTH.
So now let's bring this discussion out of the clouds and into reality:
First, some practical considerations:
(1) Dependency: the effects of Semaglutide only last if you continue taking it. This means, if you actually LIKE the effects, you are dependent on this for life. As an aside, don't forget that shortages happen and have happened already. What then?😯
(2)Tolerance: the dose you started on will need to increase over time to get the same effect. And like I said above, higher dose means more side effects😖
(3)Expense: monthly cost currently is $500-$1000 and most are paying out of pocket! 😬 This, of course, means the people who need this most are not the ones affording it! FREE 3 month trials can be found here and there, but these exist just to GET YOU HOOKED of course. Don't forget! If your dose goes up, so does your monthly price. Then there's BIG PHARMA to think about... always raising the price of things you DEPEND on🤬
(4)How many of you like injections? No thank you. However, the oral forms are apparently good at weight loss too... but cost more and have more digestive side effects...
That brings me to the side effects!
Let me just list a bunch of them in SuperBowl commercial kind of fashion:
-Diarrhea
-Dizziness
-Headache
-Hives
-Constipation
-Nausea
-Anxiety
-Blurred vision
-Fast heartbeat
-Stomach pain
-Confusion
-Depression
-Chest tightness
-Difficulty swallowing
-Increased hunger
-Indigestion
-Irritability
-Chills
-Cough
-Darkened urine
-Fatigue
-Fever
-Kidney damage
-Low blood sugar
Just a blur right! We have become so used to seeing and hearing these side effects lists that we start to just IGNORE THEM. THAT"S THE WHOLE GOAL! Unfortunately, it works! We tend to just ignore this stuff like the legalese attached to everything nowadays.
Let me pull just a few HIGHLIGHTS forward FOR YOU!
Effects on the digestive track are far and away one of the biggest downsides. Many users report being SOOO nauseous that they can't even be in the same room as food. A full 1/3 who start quit before the end of 2 weeks due to NON-STOP VOMITING. Aside from the people who are actively suffering with cramping/diarrhea/nausea and vomiting, there is concern among many users about having ZERO appetite. That's not even listed among the SIDE effects, because the drug maker, and most people, think of this as the DESIRED EFFECT.
What's wrong with having ZERO appetite you may ask?
Several issues are being raised:
(1)Weight loss is coming NOT just from the effects of vomiting, but the effects of STARVATION. Starvation causes BAD THINGS! This is akin to anorexia. Anorexics are not healthy, and in fact, are slowly DYING each day by not providing ESSENTIAL nutrients!
(2) Due to the starvation effects, the weight loss being measured includes 50% losses of LEAN WEIGHT a.k.a. muscle and bone are being lost!
(3)The psychiatric effect of NEVER EATING to achieve "a look" is not well tolerated, especially among those folks who LOVE EATING. Depression among users is sky high and suicides as a result are beginning to be recognized.
(4)some rare, but NASTY side effects are being swept under the rug: severe pancreatitis, thyroid tumors, kidney failure...
For those of you more interested in some ripped from the People Magazine kind of headlines: Ozempic Face is on the Rise!
WHAAAAT? I mention the loss of MUSCLE associated with taking these medications above👆. In the face, this leads to loss of structure beneath your skin. This leaves a hollowed out and older sort of appearance with increased wrinkles and sagging jawline. A sort of skeletal-with-extra-skin appearance. Sharon Osbourne was one of the first to come forward and discuss her Ozempic Face. Exhibit A:
Practitioners who specialize in the REVERSAL of OZEMPIC FACE are also on the rise, believe it or not! CRAZY! I could call MYSELF one of those practitioners! Perhaps I should remarket my program in L.A. as the "ACCELERATOR for Reversing Ozempic FACE!!"
In all seriousness... let's WEIGH the pie-in-the-sky effects against the reality.
Here's how PHYSICIANS who specialize in weight loss and diabetes feel about these new drugs:
-the effects on diabetes and resistant weight loss are amazing indeed
-we are seeing a lot of suffering among users
-the safety and long term effects are of concern
-loss of LEAN muscle and bone, particularly in the elderly, is of GRAVE concern
The general feeling among researchers in the field: the research is moving in an incredible direction, but some obvious improvements are needed. We look forward to ongoing research and the NEXT generation of these drugs.
So WHO SHOULD BE using this stuff: those who are EXTREMELY overweight with weight loss RESISTANT to lifestyle change AND diabetes. THESE people are poised to benefit the MOST, despite possible side effects. It COULD be used to quickly get away from weight related disease and complication with the idea of TRANSITIONING to a healthier lifestyle down the road. This is similar to how we think about weight loss (bariatric) surgeries, like gastric bypass, at present.
Many have asked me if I will prescribe these 😯. After all, the FAD of quick and easy weight loss is certainly making many physicians QUICKLY RICH! My readers know, that's just NOT where I'm at. I see this fad as similar to the "FAD" of Percocet. Hopefully, it won't lead to AS MANY disasters.
PLUS, you know, I'm all about the DE-ESCALATION of meds!
I love when you report needing less and less of them!!!
And, as you also know, I'm MORE THAN HAPPY to teach you all the ins-and-outs of healthy weight loss! The kind that makes you feel great by improving your body inside and out, healing your mind, increasing your energy, bringing you joy and happiness, and a more YOUTHFUL feel and appearance! We both like it when you LOOK better! But I also want you to FEEL BETTER and LIVE LONGER!
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