Interesting piece, Justin. Like you, apparently, I’ve been fighting with my weight all my adult life. In addition to metformin, Jardiance, and one or two others that I no longer take, I started Trulicity about four months ago, and while it knocked ~12 lb off my weight (which is now the lowest it’s been in 11 years), it hasn’t had the hoped-for effect on my a1C, which is stuck in the low 7s. We may increase my dosage if things don’t improve by January.
I look forward to next week.
(PS, I decided about 10 years ago to stop saying “I lost weight “. “Lost” is what we say when we wish we hadn’t “lost” whatever, and want it back — like our wallet — or wish the outcome had been different — like “lost the game”. But I know where the weight went, and I don’t want it back.)
Using Ozempic or Mounjaro or any other similar drug isn't cheating, it's using tools that are available to you. My wife is on Mounjaro and I hope to be on it when I get a thyroid condition (which may be part of my weight issues) under control.
Justin, I am very interested in your story. I have long felt that my body was not functioning properly. But everyone always said diet and exercise were the key. They work up to a point, but they are hard to maintain.
In September my doctor recommended Victoza, a drug similar to Ozempic. It's a daily injection. The first month, I could barely eat anything and I developed a terrible cough that kept me awake most of the night. My doctor suspected micro reflux, so I started taking famotidine at bedtime and no more coughing. I took a break from the Victoza, but decided to go back on it because it really did help let me know that I was full.
My biggest problem with either medication is how expensive it is. I hit my medicare part D coverage gap after two months. (I take way too many medications, but this is the first time I hit the gap.) I take 4!!! blood pressure medicines.
I have noticed people making jokes about Ozempic and it infuriates me. I've always felt that fat people were one of the last groups that it's okay to make fun of. Is it possible they don't want to stop making fun of fat people, and. now they have a new way to do it?
I've been seeing ads on not twitter and other places about Ozempic face. Kind of like they are trying to scare people away from using it. What do they think is going to happen when people lose a lot of weight?
I've had success with the Victoza, but mostly from the lasix that I took for my lymphedema. I'm off the lasix now, so we'll see how I do with just the Victoza.
I’m so happy for you! I’ve had a similar experience with people telling me I should go off of my cholesterol medications, and I should just be able to get my cholesterol down by myself. That hasn’t worked, so I’m using the drugs.
I'm glad that you've found something that helps! I had not run into the bizarre attitudes that some people have about using medication to help with an intractable and health-threatening issue, but I think you're right, it falls into the same category as wanting to shame people who don't have housing or are poor. This country loves the narrative that hard work and discipline can solve any problem. Which, as we all know, is bullshit. Some of the hardest working people in our economy are making the least.
I do wonder how much of things like the plastic lining in canned foods, which have been dubbed "obesogens" for their tendency to make people gain weight, and the amount of pharmaceuticals that are now in our water might be contributing to obesity. I believe that 80% of most drugs are excreted, and I don't know how many water treatment plants remove them from the water. For a while, not that many. Now that the problem has been identified (and largely, minimized by vested interests), maybe more water treatment plants are using technologies to remove them - or most of them, at any rate. But there is a good chance that we're drinking a cocktail of pharmaceuticals whenever we get a drink of tap water or cook with it. That would include, of course, birth control pills and other types of estrogen therapy, which could contribute to obesity in vulnerable individuals. People can use various filtration methods in their home to address the problem. Obviously, there are other drugs and other risks besides hormones.
And of course, we are all exposed to all kinds of plastics in all kinds of circumstances, and that could also be a contributing factor in weight gain, it seems to me.
I hope you can continue to have good results with Ozempic! Having known friends and family members who tried all the obvious solutions (cutting calories, more exercise, etc) without much to show for it, and knowing, too, the attendant health issues that obesity can cause, I would think everyone would be happy for someone like you who finally found something that works. But people are often quite baffling to me.
Yes, shaming people for their genetics is wrong, and I salute you for telling your story. Your analogy about paved roads is a strong one. Good luck with the treatment and please know you are supported by your readership.
I have struggled most of my life with obesity. I would lose weight, and then return to compulsive eating. Finally, in my early 60s, I once again tried a diet regimen. I'm very short (now, with age, a towering 5'4½"), and I topped the scale at nearly 245 pounds. I have lost over 100 pounds (I hover between 133 to 137 pounds), and have maintained that weight loss over the last 4 years or so.
All of that is to say that diet and exercise does work. For me. I would never begrudge anyone who has successfully lost weight and maintained that loss through pharmaceuticals. However, the first time I learned of Ozempic was in a story in the NYT, and one of the subjects reported that on the drug she was only able to eat about 5 fries at a sitting. She may have lost weight while on the drug, but she failed to learn how to eat. That, rather than the belief that people are cheating, is my main concern about this class of drugs.
Food addiction is tricky, because we HAVE to eat to survive. To me, the greatest gift of dieting is that I've learned how to eat to live, not live to eat. I'm looking forward to your continuing story, and hope you find continued success in this struggle.
Now, if only there were a drug I could take to add 6" of height...
It's possible Justin will answer some questions in the next post or respond to some of the comments. My first question is how much does it cost you? Does insurance cover because the doctor prescribed duty to near-diabetes? It's a shot that you self administer? My own reaction is I'm already taking several meds for various things that are going to continue for life and I wonder about taking on yet another. I wonder what the long-term effects are of the drug.
I have pretty decent insurance so it only costs $25 a month which is a drop compared to how much it costs without insurance or if your insurance doesn't cover it. Upwards of $1500 I think?
It's a shot but not like "find a vein" shot. It's a very thin needle you barely feel and you just poke yourself in the stomach, arm, or leg. I find that stomach is easiest. I'm going to discuss whther or not this will be something I'll be on for life next week.
I don't know about long-term effects but considering the long term effects of diabetes are severe, I'll risk it.
I'm not sure if I'd say stopping Ozempic -causes- the weight gain so much as it allows it. I stopped taking it for a week to see what would happen (which will be in next week's article) and I imagine stopping it permanently would be an issue if done too soon.
Interesting piece, Justin. Like you, apparently, I’ve been fighting with my weight all my adult life. In addition to metformin, Jardiance, and one or two others that I no longer take, I started Trulicity about four months ago, and while it knocked ~12 lb off my weight (which is now the lowest it’s been in 11 years), it hasn’t had the hoped-for effect on my a1C, which is stuck in the low 7s. We may increase my dosage if things don’t improve by January.
I look forward to next week.
(PS, I decided about 10 years ago to stop saying “I lost weight “. “Lost” is what we say when we wish we hadn’t “lost” whatever, and want it back — like our wallet — or wish the outcome had been different — like “lost the game”. But I know where the weight went, and I don’t want it back.)
🤔😉😊
Using Ozempic or Mounjaro or any other similar drug isn't cheating, it's using tools that are available to you. My wife is on Mounjaro and I hope to be on it when I get a thyroid condition (which may be part of my weight issues) under control.
I was -supposed- to try Mounjaro first but my insurance didn't cover it. So Ozempic it is. :)
Justin, I am very interested in your story. I have long felt that my body was not functioning properly. But everyone always said diet and exercise were the key. They work up to a point, but they are hard to maintain.
In September my doctor recommended Victoza, a drug similar to Ozempic. It's a daily injection. The first month, I could barely eat anything and I developed a terrible cough that kept me awake most of the night. My doctor suspected micro reflux, so I started taking famotidine at bedtime and no more coughing. I took a break from the Victoza, but decided to go back on it because it really did help let me know that I was full.
My biggest problem with either medication is how expensive it is. I hit my medicare part D coverage gap after two months. (I take way too many medications, but this is the first time I hit the gap.) I take 4!!! blood pressure medicines.
I have noticed people making jokes about Ozempic and it infuriates me. I've always felt that fat people were one of the last groups that it's okay to make fun of. Is it possible they don't want to stop making fun of fat people, and. now they have a new way to do it?
I've been seeing ads on not twitter and other places about Ozempic face. Kind of like they are trying to scare people away from using it. What do they think is going to happen when people lose a lot of weight?
I've had success with the Victoza, but mostly from the lasix that I took for my lymphedema. I'm off the lasix now, so we'll see how I do with just the Victoza.
I’m so happy for you! I’ve had a similar experience with people telling me I should go off of my cholesterol medications, and I should just be able to get my cholesterol down by myself. That hasn’t worked, so I’m using the drugs.
I'm glad that you've found something that helps! I had not run into the bizarre attitudes that some people have about using medication to help with an intractable and health-threatening issue, but I think you're right, it falls into the same category as wanting to shame people who don't have housing or are poor. This country loves the narrative that hard work and discipline can solve any problem. Which, as we all know, is bullshit. Some of the hardest working people in our economy are making the least.
I do wonder how much of things like the plastic lining in canned foods, which have been dubbed "obesogens" for their tendency to make people gain weight, and the amount of pharmaceuticals that are now in our water might be contributing to obesity. I believe that 80% of most drugs are excreted, and I don't know how many water treatment plants remove them from the water. For a while, not that many. Now that the problem has been identified (and largely, minimized by vested interests), maybe more water treatment plants are using technologies to remove them - or most of them, at any rate. But there is a good chance that we're drinking a cocktail of pharmaceuticals whenever we get a drink of tap water or cook with it. That would include, of course, birth control pills and other types of estrogen therapy, which could contribute to obesity in vulnerable individuals. People can use various filtration methods in their home to address the problem. Obviously, there are other drugs and other risks besides hormones.
And of course, we are all exposed to all kinds of plastics in all kinds of circumstances, and that could also be a contributing factor in weight gain, it seems to me.
I hope you can continue to have good results with Ozempic! Having known friends and family members who tried all the obvious solutions (cutting calories, more exercise, etc) without much to show for it, and knowing, too, the attendant health issues that obesity can cause, I would think everyone would be happy for someone like you who finally found something that works. But people are often quite baffling to me.
Yes, shaming people for their genetics is wrong, and I salute you for telling your story. Your analogy about paved roads is a strong one. Good luck with the treatment and please know you are supported by your readership.
Thank you!
I have struggled most of my life with obesity. I would lose weight, and then return to compulsive eating. Finally, in my early 60s, I once again tried a diet regimen. I'm very short (now, with age, a towering 5'4½"), and I topped the scale at nearly 245 pounds. I have lost over 100 pounds (I hover between 133 to 137 pounds), and have maintained that weight loss over the last 4 years or so.
All of that is to say that diet and exercise does work. For me. I would never begrudge anyone who has successfully lost weight and maintained that loss through pharmaceuticals. However, the first time I learned of Ozempic was in a story in the NYT, and one of the subjects reported that on the drug she was only able to eat about 5 fries at a sitting. She may have lost weight while on the drug, but she failed to learn how to eat. That, rather than the belief that people are cheating, is my main concern about this class of drugs.
Food addiction is tricky, because we HAVE to eat to survive. To me, the greatest gift of dieting is that I've learned how to eat to live, not live to eat. I'm looking forward to your continuing story, and hope you find continued success in this struggle.
Now, if only there were a drug I could take to add 6" of height...
Good for you! 🤗❤️
Thanks for the story. I've been curious about this drug, but haven't looked into it. I look forward to part 2.
It's possible Justin will answer some questions in the next post or respond to some of the comments. My first question is how much does it cost you? Does insurance cover because the doctor prescribed duty to near-diabetes? It's a shot that you self administer? My own reaction is I'm already taking several meds for various things that are going to continue for life and I wonder about taking on yet another. I wonder what the long-term effects are of the drug.
I have pretty decent insurance so it only costs $25 a month which is a drop compared to how much it costs without insurance or if your insurance doesn't cover it. Upwards of $1500 I think?
It's a shot but not like "find a vein" shot. It's a very thin needle you barely feel and you just poke yourself in the stomach, arm, or leg. I find that stomach is easiest. I'm going to discuss whther or not this will be something I'll be on for life next week.
I don't know about long-term effects but considering the long term effects of diabetes are severe, I'll risk it.
Is it true that Ozempic if stopped causes a weight gain boomerang affect for some people?
I'm not sure if I'd say stopping Ozempic -causes- the weight gain so much as it allows it. I stopped taking it for a week to see what would happen (which will be in next week's article) and I imagine stopping it permanently would be an issue if done too soon.