Senate health committee chair Bernie Sanders has called a vote to subpoena the chief of Novo Nordisk’s U.S. division over the company’s pricing of Ozempic and Wegovy.
You do realize that’s exactly what Wegovy is, right? Ozempic was being prescribed off-label for weight loss so much, it was severely impacting supply for diabetics who needed it to manage their diabetes. They put the drug through a second round of FDA testing to get approval as a weight loss drug.
And, as someone taking Wegovy for weight loss… it’s no shortcut. It absolutely makes it easier to control your appetite but the side effects are non-trivial. I’ve struggled with my weight my entire life and I feel lucky I wasn’t heavier when I started, but before this I’ve been anywhere between 235 and 320 up and down for the last 15 years. This medication makes me feel, finally, like I’ve got a shot at losing the weight and getting it to a safe level.
Now… if you’re talking about the people who want to take it for 2 months to lose some vanity weight before beach season… I absolutely agree.
It’s very common for people who are obese to have prediabetic A1C levels show up in their blood work.
There are absolutely side effects and they’re different for different people but some common short term ones are nausea, vomiting, gassiness, stomach discomfort, and fatigue.
I asked mine kinda like “whats the deal with these new medications?” Explaining I knew only a bit about the difference between the two, higher dose weight-loss (wegovy) VS. meant for diabetics (ozempic).
The poor soul in the waiting room behind me… Must have waited 30 minutes beyond the initial appointment because my doctor was so excited passionate about what these drugs can help with. He talked about a full hour about it.
My takeaways (I’m not a doctor or with a perfect memory, so I might get this a little wrong):
He somewhat likened our ‘automation systems’ in the brain to can’t being able to discern between ‘starvation mode’ and ‘plentiful bounty of food’ mode. So starving yourself for example to lose weight can still chemically cause your body to ‘hold’ weight for example; sensing that you’re at threat of death if it continues for an extended time. Likewise when food is abundant, it can still hold weight because it’s protecting you from future potential death by starvation. These changes are not something we can consciously control for good reason. Imagine you can stop your own heart with a thought.
I’m sure there is much more to it, but this ‘automation system’ in the brain sticks out.
Lastly, he said that if we wait a bit there will be competing drugs and ‘older version’ of these new drugs which become out of patent… And cheaper. So I’ll go talk to him in the autumn for a refresher and update.
For that drug yes. He did mention that there was something older, which these new ones are based on, which are coming out of patent. I believe it was liraglutide (victoza). Still seems to require daily injections I believe 😑 but for people who may need this, it’s maybe worth it. I used to take daily injections for allergies (slowly strengthened over time) and others get it for diabetes anyway. especially if it is cheaper and with generics.
Ah yeah, I know what you’re referring to, and yes I think you’re right, it’s daily and I don’t think as effective but when your options are limited by insert rant about US “healthcare” here probably better than nothing.
I am specifically talking about the massive surge in people using it to shed vanity weight. I completely agree it has legitimate weight management uses and I’m glad it’s helped you.
You do realize that’s exactly what Wegovy is, right? Ozempic was being prescribed off-label for weight loss so much, it was severely impacting supply for diabetics who needed it to manage their diabetes. They put the drug through a second round of FDA testing to get approval as a weight loss drug.
And, as someone taking Wegovy for weight loss… it’s no shortcut. It absolutely makes it easier to control your appetite but the side effects are non-trivial. I’ve struggled with my weight my entire life and I feel lucky I wasn’t heavier when I started, but before this I’ve been anywhere between 235 and 320 up and down for the last 15 years. This medication makes me feel, finally, like I’ve got a shot at losing the weight and getting it to a safe level.
Now… if you’re talking about the people who want to take it for 2 months to lose some vanity weight before beach season… I absolutely agree.
How did you approach your doctor about it? I’m in the same boat.
I’ve been thinking about getting it but I didn’t want to rush in case there are side affects they find out about.
It’s very common for people who are obese to have prediabetic A1C levels show up in their blood work.
There are absolutely side effects and they’re different for different people but some common short term ones are nausea, vomiting, gassiness, stomach discomfort, and fatigue.
It’s still worth it for a lot of people.
I asked mine kinda like “whats the deal with these new medications?” Explaining I knew only a bit about the difference between the two, higher dose weight-loss (wegovy) VS. meant for diabetics (ozempic).
The poor soul in the waiting room behind me… Must have waited 30 minutes beyond the initial appointment because my doctor was so
excitedpassionate about what these drugs can help with. He talked about a full hour about it.My takeaways (I’m not a doctor or with a perfect memory, so I might get this a little wrong):
He somewhat likened our ‘automation systems’ in the brain to can’t being able to discern between ‘starvation mode’ and ‘plentiful bounty of food’ mode. So starving yourself for example to lose weight can still chemically cause your body to ‘hold’ weight for example; sensing that you’re at threat of death if it continues for an extended time. Likewise when food is abundant, it can still hold weight because it’s protecting you from future potential death by starvation. These changes are not something we can consciously control for good reason. Imagine you can stop your own heart with a thought.
I’m sure there is much more to it, but this ‘automation system’ in the brain sticks out.
Lastly, he said that if we wait a bit there will be competing drugs and ‘older version’ of these new drugs which become out of patent… And cheaper. So I’ll go talk to him in the autumn for a refresher and update.
To your last point, according to Hari, generics for semaglutide should be available in 2032.
For that drug yes. He did mention that there was something older, which these new ones are based on, which are coming out of patent. I believe it was liraglutide (victoza). Still seems to require daily injections I believe 😑 but for people who may need this, it’s maybe worth it. I used to take daily injections for allergies (slowly strengthened over time) and others get it for diabetes anyway. especially if it is cheaper and with generics.
Ah yeah, I know what you’re referring to, and yes I think you’re right, it’s daily and I don’t think as effective but when your options are limited by insert rant about US “healthcare” here probably better than nothing.
I am specifically talking about the massive surge in people using it to shed vanity weight. I completely agree it has legitimate weight management uses and I’m glad it’s helped you.
Cool. It’s been helpful, but hot damn… if you don’t pay for it occasionally if you eat the wrong thing…