Ozempic, GLP-1 and other modern diabetes / weight loss medications

My friend was fat and went on a glp. I have no idea which one. He also drank a lot. Not only did he lose weight, he lost his wanting to drink all the time. He was basically a low level alcoholic and now he drinks maybe one or two days a week. I am not sure what the side effects are but he definitely seems healthier. Only problem with these drugs are they seem way expensive. Heard you can get them in other countries a ton cheaper

I hear the generic versions are coming to market. Plus an oral Wegovy. The needle is a deal killer for me
 
Maybe this helps anyone still looking for info. I had doubts at first, but in the end I went with Minimal. I started the program in March and, although I expected it to be tough, the good part is that they check in with you regularly and keep you accountable. Without that, I probably would have quit after the first few weeks.

It’s wild looking back at these 2024 threads and seeing how much we didn't know yet. The weight loss was obviously there, but the side effects turned out to be way more than just "nausea" for a lot of people.

Two new members with the same name but different random numbers, interesting. Looking at post history it looks like they've each posted in a few other threads, but all the posts seem to be written by AI. These bots are getting smarter.
 
My friend was fat and went on a glp. I have no idea which one. He also drank a lot. Not only did he lose weight, he lost his wanting to drink all the time. He was basically a low level alcoholic and now he drinks maybe one or two days a week. I am not sure what the side effects are but he definitely seems healthier. Only problem with these drugs are they seem way expensive. Heard you can get them in other countries a ton cheaper
Everyone, yes everyone, i talk to about their desire and taste for alcohol after taking a GLP-1 say similar things: can't drink the same amount, doesn't taste as good, etc. This includes my own habits.

It is this arena that has led to gambling, nicotine, alcohol, and drug abuse research to see if similar feelings occur. Preliminary research has been promising.
 
Everyone, yes everyone, i talk to about their desire and taste for alcohol after taking a GLP-1 say similar things: can't drink the same amount, doesn't taste as good, etc. This includes my own habits.

It is this arena that has led to gambling, nicotine, alcohol, and drug abuse research to see if similar feelings occur. Preliminary research has been promising.


To be honest when it first came out I was against it unless you were obese and then at that point I was thinking why not try something. Probably could find a post by me saying that exact same thing. However, food intake and alcohol intake is the deadliest thing in our country right now. Both kill so many people. If it can curve that stuff, I don't think the future side effects can be worse than actually taking it. Maybe future cancer. However, even future cancer is better than dying now. So I am all for it for certain things like major obesity, alcoholism, if it can curve other stuff like drug abuse than great. Sucks that fat people are going to be skinnier than me though when I work so hard to keep in shape. haha
 
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I take Mounjaro. Not for weight loss, but as a diabetic medication. It has been a game changer for me for my A1C and blood sugar levels. I admit I was a bit overweight, not fat by any means, and it has also helped with weight loss. I've dropped 35 pounds. The key though, is you have to change your life style. You can't just take the shot and then go eat a bag of oreos and sit on the couch. I cut back on my portions (a huge deal for me), cut out virtually all sweets/candy/desserts. I also stopped snacking in the evenings - in fact I almost never snack now. And I get as much protein as I can - high protein yogurts with breakfast, high protein virtually zero sugar/carb protein shakes, and I put flavorless protein powder in my morning tea. I am probably the healthiest I have been in my adult life. The Mounjaro was a big factor, no doubt. But you also have to have the will to change your lifestyle. My hope is that I can get off the medication at some point and because my lifestyle has changed, won't need it.
 
I hear the generic versions are coming to market. Plus an oral Wegovy. The needle is a deal killer for me
Was talking to my pharmacist about the new oral pills and they sound like a nightmare. Daily instead of weekly. You have to take at the same time every day (before eating I think) and remain standing still for something like 30 minutes. The shots are not even noticable.

I'm trying to get on one, but am cheap and don't want to pay. My insurance will not cover Zepbound which is qualified for sleep apnea (which I have). Well, they 'covered' it, but when I went to the pharmacy they wanted $1200. Wegovy, I think, is the EXACT same medication, but is approved for diabetes. My insurance covers it with a $25 copay, but alas I don't have diabetes (yet).
 
I'm nearing 43, was 5'9, 230lbs. Have been trying to lose weight for about 3 years. Cardio, eating right, etc., and couldn't lose more than 5lbs. Ended up finding out I had a hormonal imbalance that was making it difficult. I had an extremely high level of prolactin at 48 (normal is between 2-18 ng/mL), which was contributing to low testosterone levels (was at 270 ng/dL). If you look up why prolactin may be high, the first thing you will see is because of pregnancy. I am a man :eek:. Got that figured out, and as of 3 months ago prolactin was down to 5 and testosterone was up to 550.

Doctor also gave me the option of a GLP-1 or Phentermine. He recommended Phentermine because the weight would come off slower and give my body more time to adjust. Been on that since mid-January and have lost 25 lbs., and am hoping for another 15-25 before I start to ween off it mid-year.

Its nice to see the weight come off, I am sleeping better, and feeling much better. Hoping I can do a much better job of keeping it off this time.
 
I'm nearing 43, was 5'9, 230lbs. Have been trying to lose weight for about 3 years. Cardio, eating right, etc., and couldn't lose more than 5lbs. Ended up finding out I had a hormonal imbalance that was making it difficult. I had an extremely high level of prolactin at 48 (normal is between 2-18 ng/mL), which was contributing to low testosterone levels (was at 270 ng/dL). If you look up why prolactin may be high, the first thing you will see is because of pregnancy. I am a man :eek:. Got that figured out, and as of 3 months ago prolactin was down to 5 and testosterone was up to 550.

Doctor also gave me the option of a GLP-1 or Phentermine. He recommended Phentermine because the weight would come off slower and give my body more time to adjust. Been on that since mid-January and have lost 25 lbs., and am hoping for another 15-25 before I start to ween off it mid-year.

Its nice to see the weight come off, I am sleeping better, and feeling much better. Hoping I can do a much better job of keeping it off this time.

Out of curiosity, how did you find out something like this? Did you go to a special clinic that does a wide panel of testing? Normal primary care docs don't seem to be all that interested in digging this deep unless you're having severe problems. I'm sure insurance wouldn't be too fond of it either.

I've always felt like something is just off but have no idea where to even start looking. I've had the normal labs run and was told everything is fine. I've typically been way under my calorie allotment on the Lose It app but only seem to drop when I get sick. I'm down like 20 over the last couple years but it has all been due to illness.
 
Was talking to my pharmacist about the new oral pills and they sound like a nightmare. Daily instead of weekly. You have to take at the same time every day (before eating I think) and remain standing still for something like 30 minutes. The shots are not even noticable.

I'm trying to get on one, but am cheap and don't want to pay. My insurance will not cover Zepbound which is qualified for sleep apnea (which I have). Well, they 'covered' it, but when I went to the pharmacy they wanted $1200. Wegovy, I think, is the EXACT same medication, but is approved for diabetes. My insurance covers it with a $25 copay, but alas I don't have diabetes (yet).
I am on Ozempic have been for at least 3 years because of my A1C, and its lowered it enough that I am no longer considered pre diabetic. I currently pay $35 a month through insurance, which raised $10 dollars from what it was last year. It has totally changed my eating and drinking habits, I just do not eat nearly as much as I did before, and I am really not hungry eating less. Also drink less beer than before, total I have lost about 45 pounds.
My wife on Medicare wanted to get on it ,but since her A1C was fine, they would not approve it, she got on Zepbound but its expensive as hell, costs her about $500 a month. She has lost about 25 pounds, in 6 months or so, but outside of our mortgage it's our highest monthly expense.
 
The needle is very small, in fact you do not really feel it when you inject the dose for the week.

It's not the pain. It's the needle

Unfortunately any blood draw is a true issue. A shot is basically out of the question.

I've had multiple blood draws recently. It's an event, but at least I haven't been tempted to throw a punch or walk out lately
 
It's not the pain. It's the needle

Unfortunately any blood draw is a true issue. A shot is basically out of the question.

I've had multiple blood draws recently. It's an event, but at least I haven't been tempted to throw a punch or walk out lately
You do not bleed from this needle, or at least I don't, it's nothing like getting your blood drawn. The entire needle is not more than 3 or 4 mm long. You take the shot in your stomach area, where there is less blood flow.
 
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For people you pay out of pocket and insurance wont cover. Attached is a site to buy direct

 
Was talking to my pharmacist about the new oral pills and they sound like a nightmare. Daily instead of weekly. You have to take at the same time every day (before eating I think) and remain standing still for something like 30 minutes. The shots are not even noticable.

I'm trying to get on one, but am cheap and don't want to pay. My insurance will not cover Zepbound which is qualified for sleep apnea (which I have). Well, they 'covered' it, but when I went to the pharmacy they wanted $1200. Wegovy, I think, is the EXACT same medication, but is approved for diabetes. My insurance covers it with a $25 copay, but alas I don't have diabetes (yet).
Just go Lily Direct. The heaviest dose will be $499 a month. Most doses are in the $200 a month range.
 
Out of curiosity, how did you find out something like this? Did you go to a special clinic that does a wide panel of testing? Normal primary care docs don't seem to be all that interested in digging this deep unless you're having severe problems. I'm sure insurance wouldn't be too fond of it either.

I've always felt like something is just off but have no idea where to even start looking. I've had the normal labs run and was told everything is fine. I've typically been way under my calorie allotment on the Lose It app but only seem to drop when I get sick. I'm down like 20 over the last couple years but it has all been due to illness.
I knew my testosterone was low, and got referred to a Urologist. Urologist checked for Prolactin in a blood test. Had to get an MRI to make sure there wasn't anything with my pituitary, then got referred to an Endocrinologist.
 
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