Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy etc)

Funnily enough, I've been doing a lot of research on this very subject just today. I am very overweight (obese, even) and I know I need to lose it for the sake of my health, and believe me I have tried, but medical conditions mean many diets just aren't practical for me and exercise is also difficult. It's like a Catch-22 situation. I don't think I would ever go down the surgery route, but having looked into this injection, I think I would possibly give it a try. The side-effects do concern me - but there are side-effects with all medication.

I read a great article about it today, but can't find it now. I hadn't realised it was being lined up as a mainstream treatment for obesity, but apparently it is. I was under the impression it was a slightly dodgy misuse of a drug for diabetics.

The cost would have to come down a lot for me though.

Firstly, everyone is different so this is just my experience, yours may be different. I was prescribed Ozempic for diabetes. I am a little overweight, not much, 7lbs ish. It is a once weekly injection, starting with a low dose and gradually increasing. I have never been so ill. From day three I started to vomit. My diabetes nurse told me it would get better and to carry on, so I did. I vomited six or seven times a day for nine weeks, before refusing to use it any more and going back to Metformin. It took three months before the pain and acid reflux gradually faded away. I certainly lost weight though. To me the stuff was poison and the nurse did admit that most people get unpleasant side effects for the first month or more. Why anyone would take it unless they absolutely had to for medical reasons I do not know.

The thing is though, excess weight is a medical issue. It frequently leads to early death.

But no, I couldn't tolerate that sort of nausea. But I guess not everyone has that side effect.

The cost would have to come down a lot for me though.

Semaglutide is now available on the NHS for weight loss.

I am hoping to use this.I’m expecting to go private as I can’t imagine getting on the NHS. Frankly I would pay to help rid of this lockdown weight that I am having a problem motivating myself to deal with.

Riverwalk

^The cost would have to come down a lot for me though.^

Semaglutide is now available on the NHS for weight loss.

Only in England though, as far as I know.

This subject has been raised before think on another thread but can't remember which one.

People wouldn't have the Covid vaccine because they said it wasn't tested etc so why would anyone want to take an injection to lose weight.

There is no short cut and yes I do know what I am talking about. I was morbidly obese at my heaviest 21st 2lb but spent decades being 19+ st.

Anyway things happened in my life and finally I could do something about it . This was 2017 over that time I lost 7st through weighing and measuring everything I put I
my mouth and counting calories . Once I got to 15.5 st decided to go to an exercise class. Because of mobility problems the instructor gave me a chair to hold on for the leg exercises and sat down for the arm. Through hard work and plenty of ups and downs and being happy if I only lost quarter pound a week. I never gave up trying . The last 2 years been trying to lose the last stone and a bit. But one day I will get there.

I was size 32 at over 19st and now size 16 and just over 12st.. I go to a sit fit class every week since I moved house and love it .

Losing weight is a marathon not a sprint there are no short cuts. No fairy with a magic wand just hard work and wanting to do it for you .

I have as I said mobility problems due to being born with a rare Neurological condition,plus hole in my heart and PAF.

If you want to lose weight read the pears thread on dieting and exercise forum. It's a lovely group and everyone has their own way to lose weight.

As you say Whiff, everyone has their own way. No one is saying that traditional methods are not best but some times some of us are open to having a helping hand towards getting there. Whatever works as long as it’s legal and safe. Surely better than weight loss tourism!

Wasn’t there a diet pill years ago that resulted in some people dying? How does this vaccine work? It must surely speed up people’s metabolism?

My friend has been having the daily injection on the NHS for about 6 months because she is very obese with a load of medical problems She has noticed no difference whatsoever which is a disappointment for her

Many, many years ago, when I was living in the USA, I took over the counter diet pills, which I think now were speed. They certainly helped me lose weight! I had no appetite at all.

I'd give this a go. I had the covid vaccine and never for a second considered not taking it.

MayBee70

Wasn’t there a diet pill years ago that resulted in some people dying? How does this vaccine work? It must surely speed up people’s metabolism?

No, it doesn't speed up metabolism. It's an incretin mimetic, which increase the amount of insulin released by the pancreas and inhibit the release of glucagon. Its main use is for T2 diabetics and weight loss is secondary as diabetes is better controlled. It's in the same class of drugs as Byetta.

For weight loss, I believe it has to be used alongside diet and exercise.

PS. It's not a vaccine.

Is this the one where the evidence shows that if you stop the injections you just put the weight on again?

BlueBelle

My friend has been having the daily injection on the NHS for about 6 months because she is very obese with a load of medical problems She has noticed no difference whatsoever which is a disappointment for her

These medications are only an adjunct to change of diet and lifestyle - so whilst they do reduce appetite the patient has to play her part too.

I wonder if your friend is engaging properly - could be she just expected a miracle cure without the hard bit!

NotSpaghetti

Is this the one where the evidence shows that if you stop the injections you just put the weight on again?

Yes.

My friend is on this drug because her diabetes was not well controlled. She is finding it difficult to cope with the side effects, so I guess it’s not something to be considered lightly.

And…..Well done Whiff

I looked up the NICE guidelines for prescribing semaglutide. It will only be prescribed by the NHS with "specialist weight management service with multidisciplinary input" in certain conditions. Patients have to have a BMI >30 and an obesity-related co-morbity.

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta875/documents/129

It's not a magic potion. The patient has to adhere to diet and lifestyle changes too, but the claim is that it increases weight loss.

Incretin mimetics are primarily drugs to control diabetes and I suspect the weight loss is subsidiary because the side effects include nausea and gastric upsets, which decrease appetite.

The NHS will only prescribe it for a maximum of two years, after which there are a number of reports that weight is gained.

This is a report about the use of semaglutide:

www.surrey.ac.uk/news/comment-weight-loss-drug-semaglutide

growstuff

I looked up the NICE guidelines for prescribing semaglutide. It will only be prescribed by the NHS with "specialist weight management service with multidisciplinary input" in certain conditions. Patients have to have a BMI >30 and an obesity-related co-morbity.

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta875/documents/129

It's not a magic potion. The patient has to adhere to diet and lifestyle changes too, but the claim is that it increases weight loss.

Incretin mimetics are primarily drugs to control diabetes and I suspect the weight loss is subsidiary because the side effects include nausea and gastric upsets, which decrease appetite.

The NHS will only prescribe it for a maximum of two years, after which there are a number of reports that weight is gained.

This is a report about the use of semaglutide:

www.surrey.ac.uk/news/comment-weight-loss-drug-semaglutide

I was very interested to read what you wrote, Growstuff.
As in my earlier input I was prescribed this with awful results. My BMI is at the upper end of the normal range and nowhere near 30 and though my blood glucose results were slightly higher than the previous year, they were not wildly out of range. It seems this medication was inappropriately prescribed I am now wondering if that was why I had such an extreme reaction to it and also how and why the prescription was approved. I may raise this with the prescriber when I see her next.

You'd have to talk to whoever prescribed it Caramme. I'm not a medic.

However, I do know quite a bit about diabetes and the medications prescribed. I was diagnosed as T2 diabetic over 30 years ago and I think I've tried most of the medications available and experienced all sorts of side effects over the years.

I had a friend who was prescribed Byetta, which acts in a similar way to Semaglutide. It worked well for her, her BG levels came down and she lost weight. The improved BG levels could, of course, have been the result of the weight loss.

Anyway, I asked my own GP about Byetta, but was told I wasn't eligible for it because I wasn't overweight. I did a bit of Googling and, having read about the side effects, I was quite relieved that it wasn't prescribed. It would appear that nausea is a relatively common side effect.

I've read a bit about Semaglutide and wasn't impressed either. For me, the only way I can keep my BG levels down is to follow quite a strict low carb diet and move around frequently. I test my plasma BG frequently and know how various foods affect me.

I don't know that much about Semaglutide and weight loss because I don't have to lose weight. The link I posted above seems quite balanced. My personal (non medic) opinion of it is that it's not a magic potion and people are going to have to follow a diet and some kind of exercise regime anyway. In which case, the diet and exercise might just be enough to lose weight.

Growstuff. Yes, I agree. The only way to go is by controlling your diet quite strictly and learning which foods impact your glucose levels. I very occasionally go low in the evening because of meds / not eating enough carbs. I never do this deliberately but am almost ashamed to say that I am quietly delighted by the opportunity to eat a crumpet - my failsafe remedy to bringing my levels up safely. Every cloud and all that.

I have been dieting for over a year and have lost around four and a half stone. I went from a size 22 to a size 16. Yesterday it’s a marathon not a sprint and I still count all my calories. I have another stone to lose, all from my tummy! I found the medication immensely helpful, though expensive. I wish I could get it via the NHS without going through the tier 3 programme. I did not have side effects at all apart from constipation.