This could be a game-changer for obesity treatment

I think as more and more people try this class of meds, we will see what the true rate of serious complications really is. My take, at this early stage, is that the percentage will be small, especially in comparison to how many people who have struggled with intractable weight problems, or difficult to control type 2 diabetes, or both will benefit. I don't think this is the answer for everyone, any more than bariatric surgery is the answer for everyone, but the more truly effective weapons we have, the better. And, it's also possible that new, better drugs will come down the pike, or that the existing drugs will be tweaked to lessen the side effects.
 
There may not be any studies to find...yet. It's really still early days for this class of drugs. It will take time to accumulate large numbers of appropriate patients to include, meaning not those getting meds through less than standard channels. Meanwhile, we are certainly seeing reports of individuals benefiting from the meds, and it's interesting that the people in that article having long term problems seem to improve slowly, if at all, while others find that if they don't continue the meds indefinitely, they regain. Hard to know just what is going on here.
Not that I doubt the folks with the problems. I think this is very real. Just hard to sort out what's going on.
 
Spiky Bugger we do know, from clinical trials, the short term effects and how substantial the weight loss is for many (not all!) of the participants, that most (not all!) tolerated the drugs pretty well despite the well documented side effects, mostly GI, that tend to improve with time, etc. And I don't recall seeing anything about people developing permanent and severe gastroparesis from these drugs in the clinical trials, though I didn't look for this specifically.
So, I think and hope the numbers for this problem will be small, and that the remarkable benefits for so many people will far outweigh this issue. It is my belief, not yet proven of course, that many people will want to take these meds despite being fully informed of this potential complication, because they are already dealing with all the complications of obesity and have tried everything in their power without success.
I look at this the same way I would consider other drugs. Take penicillin, for example. It has saved countless lives, but some people can't tolerate it due to either allergy or side effects, and some have even died from it due to anaphylaxis. Surely that doesn't mean it's a bad drug. In fact, it's a fantastic drug -- for the right people and the right indications. I believe this will hold true for this new class of drugs as well.
 
Larra said:
Spiky Bugger we do know, from clinical trials, the short term effects and how substantial the weight loss is for many (not all!) of the participants, that most (not all!) tolerated the drugs pretty well despite the well documented side effects, mostly GI, that tend to improve with time, etc. And I don't recall seeing anything about people developing permanent and severe gastroparesis from these drugs in the clinical trials, though I didn't look for this specifically.
So, I think and hope the numbers for this problem will be small, and that the remarkable benefits for so many people will far outweigh this issue. It is my belief, not yet proven of course, that many people will want to take these meds despite being fully informed of this potential complication, because they are already dealing with all the complications of obesity and have tried everything in their power without success.
I look at this the same way I would consider other drugs. Take penicillin, for example. It has saved countless lives, but some people can't tolerate it due to either allergy or side effects, and some have even died from it due to anaphylaxis. Surely that doesn't mean it's a bad drug. In fact, it's a fantastic drug -- for the right people and the right indications. I believe this will hold true for this new class of drugs as well.
Click to expand...
Another outlier to ponder. My friend for decades tried it too and the weight loss was spectacular. But she had to stop it. She developed brain/fog and started forgetting things that had been automatic instant knowledge for years. Yes she is old but when she stopped the treatment the brain fog went away.
 
Munchkin hopefully most of the people who have to quit because of various side effects will have those side effects resolve once the drug is completely out of their systems. That's one of the advantages of taking a medication as opposed to, say, having bariatric surgery. For better or worse, we live with that surgery for the rest of our lives. Fortunately, for most of us it's for better. I certainly have no regrets about my decision to have the DS. But I'll tell ya, if these drugs had been available back then, I'd have tried them in a heartbeat.
 
I remember when I was first diagnosed with diabetes. Started on one medication. They eventually added a second, then a third, then a fourth. All of which came with side effects. I had joined an elist by then and decided insulin was the way to go. When they wanted to add a 5th and my A1C was a 7, I said no, put me on insuli. He said if you go on insulin you’ll never come off. I said I understand. Sent me to an endocrinologist who agreed I needed insulin and took me off all but the metformin. The side effect of metformin was one I could handle. Anyway, that’s where I was til I got the DS.

So when my diabetes came roaring back, I said if the metformin stops helping, nothing but insulin. No other orals. I had been that route. I don’t deal with side effects well. Insulin side effects, I can handle.

But would I have tried those knowing what I know about the other drugs I had tried….probably not.
 
So there is so much noise about this drug. I'm on it and down 15 pounds. My bounce back was 21 pounds

Here are the three interesting things I have about both Ozemptic and Moujurno - so I know I'm mixing new on both here, but this is so interesting.

(1) You go off the drug. the weight comes back - https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/997152

(2) You only lose 15% of your body weight - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/18/well/ozempic-weight-loss-plateau.html (article attached)

(3) The business news is interesting - Food, clothing, airlines: Ozempic is coming for these industries and more - article attached.
 

Attachments

  • Weight loss drugs like Ozempic could upend industries including air travel - The Washington Post.pdf
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  • Does Ozempic Stop Working Over Time Why Weight Loss Can Plateau - The New York Times.pdf
    113.3 KB · Views: 1

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