GLP-1 weight loss drugs, anyone?

[Justin Passing]

They're still too expensive for the NHS to use them, Drs are annoyed because they help a lot of people.
My local surgery has about 4 people on them, total.

The requitement at the moment is BMI > 40 PLUS 4 comorbidities
You can get them privately from the likes of Superdrug, £40-176 a month.

• Mounjaro - from £176.00
• Wegovy - from £99.00
• Orlistat - from £49.99
• Xenical - from £57.99
• Mysimba - from £115.00
• Alli - from £39.50

Their doctor looks for BMI over 30, plus I think 1-2 comorbidities like hypertension, sleep apnoea, heart conditions...

Obviously they would save the NHS on diabetes and arthritis and heart failures and whatnot. Perhaps it's a better saving to let people die?

Since I'm (not) looking after myself, I've been getting a bit heavier, from what I understand is being called "food noise". Bored, lonely, so eat something.
Knees feel it, mostly. Feedback loop increases weight gain.

Obese is BMI > 30, applies to a third of the population.
Overweight is about BMI >25, that's 2/3rds of the population. Blimey.

(USA figures are approx 40% and 70%, and rising)

Big increases since the 1990's.

Have you tried them or know anyone?

 

[IT Minion]

Only Mournjaro and Wegovy are GLP related. The others use different mechanisms and generally don't work well.

I'm using Wegovy and it's very effective for me, down 15 kg so far. The biggest challenge is the maintenance question, typically medications can help you lose weight but keeping it off when you leave the medication is unusual. In theory a long slow tail off of the medication might make it more sustainable but some people think they'll be on the meds for life, like Statins. For diabetics they're a clear and obvious win in terms of cost effectiveness. For someone who's got a BMI of 32 without co-morbidities? Probably not.

They're the best weight loss drugs we've ever had by a very long distance, but they aren't a miracle cure.

 

[IT Minion]

A good podcast introduction to Wegovy/Ozempic and Mournjaro.

Ozempic

Podcast Episode · Maintenance Phase · 10 October 2023 · 58min

podcasts.apple.com

 

[fillyboy]

I know a couple of women who have used them, mounjaro I think, and the results have been remarkable. For a lady especially, it's not just about weight loss it's self esteem and feeling/looking healthy again. One of the ladies has lost about 4 stone, the other not as much.
We probably all know someone on them but many are quite secretive about it, embarrassment? dunno.
Could open up a whole new problem with excess skin.

 

[thomp1983]

Weight loss jabs have a place and a use but unfortunately most people aren't interested in using them to build a healthier lifestyle and just want to jump on and off them which long term is likely to cause issues.

Another issue is the NHS sticking rigidly to the bmi system which is an outdated measurement system.

Based on the bmi system I should be 75kg to be in the healthy range, I've not weighed that much since I was probably 15 yet at 21 was fit enough to pass selection for the royal marines so definitely wasn't overweight but the bmi scale says I was.

The bmi system doesn't take into account a person's build or bone density.