Ozempic sucks. It’s not a magic bullet that makes you lose weight. It slows the emptying of your stomach which makes you feel full. If you eat a big meal at dinner it stays with you well into the next morning. If you eat something spicy or acidic for dinner you’re going to have a bad time. You’re always thinking about what you can eat that isn’t going to cause you to have terrible heartburn at night or that will sit in your stomach and ferment and make you burp constantly. And since your digestion is slowed it’s a challenge to keep things moving.
You are correct that it’s the drug company at fault here too, not just the public. It’s also the fault of doctors that are continuing to prescribe it off-label for weight loss.
Why are the doctors at fault? There’s a drug that helps patients achieve their weight loss goals. As long as it’s prescribed to overweight people, that’s perfectly fine.
Because not every doctor tells their patients the risks, including that you must continue taking it or risk gaining more weight back if you stop. It’s making more people overweight in the long run because they stop due to serious headaches (the most common side-effect).
Most health care providers go over risks and benefits prior to initiating any kind of treatment. What the hell are you on about?
If I have an overweight patient who has tried for years to lose weight but can’t sustain it (which is the case for most overweight people) and are at risk for metabolic diseases and cardiovascular complications, and I have something that evidence tells me can help with weight management, you bet your ass I’m going to talk about it as an option.
Or would you prefer that fat people remain fat until they develop diabetes (and its various associated complications) before I’m even allowed to discuss semaglutide?
Patients are oftentimes aware of the potential side effects and the rebound weight gain. People don’t jump straight to an expensive injectable drug as the first option for weight management. It’s something that they try after a string of failed attempts by other means.
Most health care providers go over risks and benefits prior to initiating any kind of treatment.
Sure, most do. I’m talking about those that do not.
and are at risk for metabolic diseases and cardiovascular complications
Seems pretty close the intended use in this case? Not sure this would qualify as the off-label use I’m talking about.
Or would you prefer that fat people remain fat until they develop diabetes (and its various associated complications) before I’m even allowed to discuss semaglutide?
When did I say that? I said nothing of the sort. I’m specifically talking about those that aren’t even overweight using it, or those without risk factors for diabetes. Because that’s happening, and it’s happening a lot.
People don’t jump straight to an expensive injectable drug as the first option for weight management.
This is not true for everyone. Many see Ozempic as a “magic bullet” for weight loss when that is not what it is.
I don’t see many providers in my life that prescribe semaglutide to non-diabetic people who aren’t considered overweight. Social media isn’t real life. Most providers won’t prescribe medications for weight loss unless the BMI supports it. The fact of the matter is that A LOT of people in Canada and US are overweight and with that comes with a slew of health complications that frankly I’d like to mitigate for my patients.
The drug company knows exactly what it’s doing here - I came out Barbie the other day and there’s a fucking Ozempic ad besides the theatre inside the Famous Players.
It’s pretty complex. Diet, and exercise levels are all thought to be contributors. But so are other factors, including genetics and certain populations that have higher statistical chances of acquiring the condition. Heck some people that are 100% healthy still come down with it. Diabetes as a whole is complicated and not completely understood.
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