Has anyone tried any of these diabetes shots for weight loss?

[Wacka]

8 hours ago, Just Jack said:

Can anyone spare some for Kim Jong Un?

 

North Korean officials looking for medicines for Kim's obesity-related health problems, Seoul says - ABC News (go.com)

 

He most likely has CKD (chronic kidney disease). The 2 major causes of CKD are high blood pressure and  diabetes.

 

[Saxum]

Problem with the shots it is supposed to be in conjunction with diet and exercise changes many difficult for those who most need the shots.

If diet and exercise changes without shot were done some of the weight losses would have occurred anyways.

 

I am taking one of the shots semaglutide because my A1C is persistently high even when my daily sugar level is low.

I started losing weight when I started partially fasting and it seemed to have leveled off.

 

 

 

[Fan in San Diego]

I tried it for my Diabetes and got

wicked stomach cramps. Never used it since. Just straight insulin for me baby!

Edited August 2 by Fan in San Diego

[Beck Water]

On 7/27/2024 at 10:44 PM, Virgil said:

Recently,  it's been found that Ozempic (or very similar drugs) have significant impacts on weight loss.  Over the past year, a ton of websites have started offering tele-health consultations and generic versions of the drugs, leading to a surge in people trying them.  Fortunately, these newer drugs being created have allowed Ozempic and other drugs to go where they are needed, to people with diabetes, even though there still are huge supply shortages.

 

Major websites like RO, HIMS/HERS, and a few others offer compounded GLP-1 injections from $199 a month and up.  

 

With my recent weight issues and other things, I've been seriously considering giving it a chance.  Many people have lost up to 20% of their weight over a year, depending on their BMI.  They are even working on table versions of the medicine, but they have so far not shown to be as effective.

Has anyone tried any of these drugs yet and can share a story?

 

I haven't tried them but I have two stories to share, probably not the level of detail you'd like.

 

But first, I want to talk to you about GMP (good manufacturing practices) and the difference between an approved generic and a compounded pharmaceutical.   

The manufacturing process for a drug like Ozempic has all sorts of oversight and vetting: the active ingredient is manufactured under strict regulation, there's a chain of custody with appropriate controlled storage to get the API to the site where it's manufactured into the drug, there's strict oversight of the drug manufacture and the "fill" into the final saleable form of the drug.  The final formulation must be tested for potency and efficacy.  The same would be true of a generic version of an FDA-approved drug.  There is streamlining for approval of generic drugs, but bottom line it has to be manufactured under GMP with manufacturing controls and tests for potency and efficacy.

 

The GLP-1RA "ozempic similars" being offered online aren't "generic ozempic".  They're compounded versions of the GLP-1RA peptide.  What's the difference you ask?  (Well, maybe you don't ask, but you absolutely should ask)

 

Compounding pharmacies exist in a twilight zone of regulations between state (read variable) and federal (FDA) oversight, and if they're overseas, they bypass it altogether.  You might recall a case in, hmm, 2012 where a huge outbreak of fungal meningitis causing 700+ illnesses and 76 deaths was traced to a single compounding pharmacy which did not have its ***** together as far as appropriate sterile manufacturing conditions.  After that, new legislation passed by congress in 2013 sought to clarify responsibility for oversight between the Feds and the States, and most states beefed up their oversight and their legal standards.

 

However, if you click on this Pew Charitable Trust report, and scroll down to the map of states, it makes the point pretty graphically that it's still a pastiche.  And if you're buying something from overseas....All bets are off.  Could be just as good or better, could be trouble.  "“Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, and the agency does not verify the safety or effectiveness of compounded drugs,” the FDA stated in its warning"

Would I use a compounded drug?  Sure: 1) we use compounded topicals 2) there's a real need for compounded drugs for patients who (for example) are allergic to the formulation of the approved drug.  Compounded drugs for individual patients can literally be life-savers. 3) risk vs. benefit: if I or a family member needed a life-saving medication that was only available to us as a compounded drug, I'd go for it (I'd read up on the facilities inspection history first).

Personally, if I'm injecting something into my body that is not life-saving, I want it FDA approved (Europe, EMA).

 

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

 

*******************

Story. 
Friend 1.  Type 2 diabetic with non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver.  In her 70s.  Tried metformin, no control.  Ozempic: her appetite diminished, she lost a ton of weight, she looks great, she feels great.  I would guess has lost 40 lbs, 4 clothing sizes.  Has been on it for years.

 

Friend 2.  Type 2 diabetic.  Fought hard to avoid injectable drug for control.  Metformin, something else, diet, exercise, lost weight, blood sugar still out of control.  Finally went on Ozempic after threats from endocrinologist about dire consequences if she didn't.  Had trouble obtaining drug due to everyone and his friend Murgatroyd taking it for weight loss.  First month, miserable.  Nauseous, vomiting, little appetite.  After that, it eased up but she still lacks appetite and eats tiny portions slowly or she'll regret it.  She has also lost a ton of weight, looks great, feels great.  I would say at least 25 lbs.  Been on it about 15 months.

The dose for people who want to lose weight is of course lower than the diabetic dose, so there may be less risk of unpleasant side effects.

 

I kind of know where you're at, because not having to fight my appetite and being able to lose weight without strict attention to calorie counting and exercise sounds great.  But I also know there's a reason there are shortages: it's because building extra manufacturing capacity under GMP takes time.

 

 

 

On 7/28/2024 at 8:10 AM, MarkyMannn said:

I know a couple women in their 50's lost a lot of weight. Great results. But I understand if they go off that it will be a challenge to keep that weight off. Still, their results now are tough to argue against 

 

Since both my friends who are on it are diabetic, they are on it for good.  But I've heard the same - people go off it and revert to their prior habits and the weight comes back.

Edited August 6 by Beck Water

[Beck Water]

On 7/28/2024 at 4:39 PM, Johnny Hammersticks said:

One of my friends who’s a few years older than me (around 50) is doing Ozempic.  He told me he had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and that may be true, but I think he just wanted to shed some weight.  He ended up losing around 30 pounds in just under a year.  
 

He told me that the medicine essentially makes him nauseous when he eats (and sometimes when he just thinks about food), and often he needs to vomit after meals.  I found this to be very weird and a little bit alarming.  He said when he knows he is going to have a big meal such as out to dinner with his wife or going to a BBQ he needs to skip a dose.

 

I don’t know about all this, but who am I to judge.  He said he feels the best he has felt in 20 years.

 

So one of the effects of semaglutide is that it slows down gastric emptying, by, like, a lot.  

 

But yeah, from the way my friends who are taking it describe it, it's kind of like a non-surgical lap band with mental effects as well.  You don't WANT to eat as much, and if you DO eat what was previously a normal portion, you'll regret it.  She would be eating like, half of a small sandwich.

Edited August 6 by Beck Water

[WotAGuy]

On 7/28/2024 at 8:15 AM, davefan66 said:

It’s not quite the “magic pill”, but close.

 

I’ve thought about it. Hopefully it would give me the motivation to keep on track once stopped.  What’s stopping me is the side effects.  Need to consider those.  

 

drugs.com list of four

 

Constipation

Nausea

Dizziness

Diarrhea

Fatigue

Abdominal pain

Hypoglycemia

Allergic reaction

Bloating

Flatulence

Gallstones

Headache

Tachycardia

Thyroid cancer

Blurred vision

Heartburn

Burping

Pancreatitis

Stomach inflammation

Chronic gastrointestinal issues

Dehydration and kidney problems

Diabetic retinopathy

Dysphagia

Kidney damage

 

I can deal with them all as long as you can still get a stiffy. 
 

 

Edited August 7 by WotAGuy

[frostbitmic]