Semaglutide & Tirzepatide - Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Mounjaro. Are they "miracle" weight loss drugs at last?

[Mary Lee Harvey osWalsh]

Being someone who makes an effort to avoid seed oils, added sugars, and high carb items, I can not begin to tell you have fatiguing it is. If I didn't have a Costco membership, I legit think I would actually go crazy with trying to find the most basic of things.

While I try to avoid them too, it is exhausting. I mentioned having BED in my powerlevel, so obviously when I'm going through binge cycles then that all falls out the window. But there is a sad relationship between "perfect eating" and binge eating. I pray you don't have that problem.

But you also said Costco helps? I don't have a Costco membership, but I agree that when I am trying to find literally anything basic, it's almost impossible.

I highly recommend the brand Primal Kitchen. I don't use anything else for mayonnaise now (especially after trying to make my own ended up in miserable failure), and their dressings/sauces are great.

I’m torn on whether this is worth trying for me.

I lost a lot of my stomach/some of my intestine due to Steven’s-Johnson Syndrome a few years back (fucking gnarly illness that has high mortality rate), and whilst I’ve recovered, I don’t eat all that much compared to a standard adult. Yeah, it could be healthier, but I probably eat about half what a standard adult does in a day.

My main weightloss/exercise problem stems from the severe fatigue I deal with as an after effect of the illness I had. (If ANYONE has ANY tips/recommendations, please share, because I’m at my wits end with this bullshit)

What’s everyone’s opinion - would it still be beneficial? Or would it ultimately be a waste of money/it’s better to look at something to boost physical energy?

I am not sure if it is worth it for you. I am not a medical doctor so I can't say whether or not your Steven's-Johnson Syndrome would have a negative effect.

If you eat so little, though, I am surprised that you are having trouble losing weight. I am guessing your metabolism is low due to the low eating/fatigue. You may also have insulin resistance. But it sounds similar to what happens when people go through gastric bypass surgery - they drop a lot of weight at first and then their metabolism rapidly slows.

Talk to an endocrinologist, perhaps, or a GI specialist. That's really all I can say.

 

[Day of the Cope]

But there is a sad relationship between "perfect eating" and binge eating. I pray you don't have that problem.

Thankfully, I've been doing things long enough that I don't end up going completely off the rails if I have to break my usual diet.

But you also said Costco helps? I don't have a Costco membership, but I agree that when I am trying to find literally anything basic, it's almost impossible.

Aside from just being able to get bulk rate meats, Costco has a number of low carb options. Though, either for one reason or another, they have a hard time keeping them on the shelves even though they clearly sell.

I highly recommend the brand Primal Kitchen. I don't use anything else for mayonnaise now (especially after trying to make my own ended up in miserable failure), and their dressings/sauces are great.

Costco actually had Chosen Food mayo for sale. You get a pretty big jar for a pretty good price and it's straight avocado oil instead of the usual bullshit of 51% avocado oil and 49% seed oil like the other brands. That said, Chosen Foods has the whole ESG thing going for them, so it's up to you if you want to give them money. Personally, I find a smaller food company making a better product to be less aggression when it comes to ESG. Sure, I could make my own, but I'd likely be using their oil to make it since most other avocado oils are blends and making mayo out of EVOO is something you only do once.

 

[Sebben Crudele II]

I don't think using medication to lose weight is viable. Even if it gives you the expected result, it'll also fuck up other things in your body.

I'm going to be brutally serious, the best way that I managed to lose weight and get to a healthy bmi again was literally getting so sick from stress/panic attacks it actually hurt my stomach and gave me excruciating pain and made me have to stick to the cleanest, most depressing diet ever. It's less about the diet and more about the terror of experiencing the level of "fuck I think I'm about to pass out" pain that kept me from eating trash, really. But it worked.

What I can tell you now though, is to switch your sugar/stevia/sweetener/whatever the fuck for honey. Yes it helps lose weight.

 

[⚞⛇⚟]

Basically SSRIs but for fat people.
One of my family members took it and it did help a lot. That family member weighs less and is more pleasant overall. It will probably have very bad side effects in a few years though.

 

[InternetDramaFillsTheVoid]

Basically SSRIs but for fat people.
One of my family members took it and it did help a lot. That family member weighs less and is more pleasant overall. It will probably have very bad side effects in a few years though.

Damn it, I’m already on SSRIs, this is making it sound even better! I just wish it gave you more physical energy too.

 

[Pepito Cafe]

It does sound like a miracle drug, the way everyone talks about it. I feel like it's going to have a lot of unexpected side effects, especially as time passes, though.
But surely people who are so obese that they're basically at death's door don't care about side effects, what do they have to lose?

 

[InternetDramaFillsTheVoid]

Damn it, I’m already on SSRIs, this is making it sound even better! I just wish it gave you more physical energy too.

For the record, I’m a healthy weight too (165cm tall weighing 57kg) but I can always stand to lose more.

 

[Cats]

misread as "Smeglatude"


these medications have some of the most retardedest sounding names

 

[Dragged Into Sunlight]

I have a few friends that have been on it the last year or so and all of them are now at normal weights after struggling for years.

All they really complain about is some digestion issues but otherwise it's been a miracle drug for them.

 

[Barry Williams]

I'm considering starting one of these drugs. I'm still in the preliminary stages of discussing it with my new doctor though.

Update: My doctor was willing to go the extra mile for me and her and her secretary who handle prior authorization requests were able to beat my insurance provider down and get them to approve Ozempic/semaglutide when my insurance was initially denying it. I was very happy to hear the news after a couple weeks of radio silence (where I presume they were having a back and forth on my behalf).

Anyways, I've only been on the medication for three weeks now at the starting dose (0.25 mg). Things have been fine for the most part, except at the end of last week (around Thursday) I developed a sort of general stomach/abdomen ache that worsened as the weekend came and went, but now that it's Tuesday night it's mostly gone away. All that's left is a sort of dull pain about 4-5 inches away from my belly button on my right side. It feels kind of like the aftermath of a muscle cramp where you can move again but the muscle itself has that lingering dull pain. It's not debilitating or anything, it's more of an annoyance I guess? It doesn't hinder me in my day to day life at all. It only really bothers me if I move around and bend over and stuff, or anything that suddenly moves my diaphragm (coughing, sneezing, yawning, etc). On that common 1-10 pain scale I'd say right now it's like a 3, 3.5 earlier in the day when I first woke up. Even over the weekend when it was worse it was still around a 4.5. Nothing severe.

Looking into information about this hasn't been helpful because searching the internet for any sort of medical information at all is complete dogshit because all you get for results is AI slop or SEO scams. I poked around the Reddit community for Ozempic and there are lots of people who talk about stomach pains and things like that, but this is more of an abdominal pain in my case. The posters also bring up side effects like nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and other things that just don't apply to me so I don't think I'm dealing with the same side effects they are talking about. The only thing that could be a possibility were the posters warning about eating greasy/fast food because on Thursday I did get a burger for dinner with a friend after work and that's when the abdominal pain started (that evening). But I feel like if it was something I ate that should go away after 24-36 hours at the most?

I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow to talk about it. If this is temporary then that's fine. If it's "the cost of doing business" and it's just going to be sore the entire time I'm on the meds I guess I'll manage, I'm vain lazy desperate(?) like that. I just know that problems with the pancreas and gallbladder are possible but very rare side effects and I want to rule all that out in case this is evidence of something more significant than minor pain.

I figured I'd bump this thread in case there are any Kiwis who have had similar experiences or could maybe shed some light on what's going on. (PS: It feels very weird to be frank about shit like this on the same forum where I post "nigger" from time to time.)

 

[Barry Williams]

It's been longer than 24 hours since my previous post and I think that is the cut-off for being able to edit it, so I apologize for the double post. I would edit if I could.

I spoke to my doctor about the abdominal pain and we went over everything I'd done recently. After I had dinner with my friend I picked up a 20 oz Coke on the way home and I used it to finish off the last little bit of vodka I had, I'd just gotten a raise at work so it was a nice little personal celebratory thing. This turned out to be a BIG NO-NO as you are absolutely not supposed to consume alcohol while using Ozempic. I only had about two drinks' worth of alcohol but this ended up triggering a bout of acute pancreatitis and that's what was causing the abdominal pain (it's mostly gone away now).

When I got home from the appointment I double checked the packaging that the injection pen came in and nowhere on it did it have the usual little notice about not consuming alcohol while taking the medication. Usually when there are little stipulations like that ("take with food", "don't operate a car/machinery", etc) there's a little graphic with an explanation next to it. There isn't one on the prescription label for my Ozempic pen so I mistakenly assumed it was okay to have a drink.

My doctor still wants me to go in for a scheduled CT scan just to make extra sure this isn't a possible reaction to the medicine and I agree with that because I'd rather be 100% sure this isn't something more serious. I will pay extra for the peace of mind just like I'm paying extra to not be a fat piece of shit anymore. I will say that realizing this is likely just a reaction to having had a couple of drinks is a load off of my shoulders because getting to where I am right now with the medicine was a big undertaking for me in the way of seeking out more gainful employment with better coverage and salary so I could afford to do all of this. I am glad this is not a reaction to the medicine itself because this means I'm okay to continue taking it and work up to a larger dosage over time and such.

So just a heads up to any Kiwis looking into this medication and ones like it, no booze.

 

[Barry Williams]

30 days later update (triple post lol):

I have been trying not to obsess over losing weight or anything like that, so I've avoided things like standing on scales or doing the blood pressure/weight check thing they have at the Walmart and stuff. Since starting Ozempic I've lost 12.5 lbs. Physically I don't really look any different yet, but I have had to move to another notch on the belts I wear to work so progress is being made.

I got quoted several times in the A&H thread about the people who were experiencing stomach paralysis and stuff after taking Ozempic. I mentioned I was on it and wasn't experiencing anything like this, but I'd be happy to be the Farms' canary in the coal mine in case anything negative did happen to me. A few Kiwis quoted me regarding gaining weight because of SSRI's and having problems losing it, etc. Basically the consensus was "eat less and you'll lose weight, you don't need Ozempic". I've been counting calories for a couple of years now with MyFitnessPal and 95% of the time I am hitting somewhere in the 1800-1850 calories per day ball park. Perhaps that is not enough of a discrepancy to start efficient weight loss, but I've noticed that if I start going down to 1700-ish or less I really don't feel all that well. Like a general malaise, I don't know how to explain it. Sour stomach, muscle cramps etc.

Despite my attempts to cut calories I'm probably actually just maintaining my weight for whatever reason. I don't know if the infrequent 2000 calorie day undoes two to three week's worth of daily 1800's or what. Nothing was really happening in either direction, which is why I wanted to try Ozempic. I hear a lot of chatter about being on the medication "for life" because I'll just gain it all back once I stop taking it... but I don't see the logic. I'm not planning on immediately eating a Dairy Queen ice cream cake every night as soon as I'm done. I'm going to try and stick to the correct amount of calories and not go over it and I'm assuming that'll keep things normal? Unless my metabolism is irreparably fucked in which case whatever I guess. I'm vain, and I'm passively upset that my solid middle-of-the-road appearance got screwed up by something I feel I did not really have any control over.

 

[Barry Williams]

3 months since my last post. Quadruple post?

Since starting Ozempic I am down 36 pounds. I've had to buy new clothes, and some of my favorite old shirts and stuff that I've hung onto over the years fit again. Weight loss slowed down considerably this past month with only 4 pounds total (one a week), I asked my doctor if that's a plateau and she said it probably was, that most people lose between 30 and 40 pounds on Ozempic and 36 is right there in the middle. I'm still on it for now, just to see how things shake out, and I'll determine with my doctor what to do next if I'm just done losing weight. Obviously, there has to be a stopping point.

No major side effects that I am aware of. No weird pains, swelling, etc. I feel fine, better even. This has done a tremendous amount for my self-esteem. I am still heavier than I was when I initially started taking SSRI's a long time ago, but I am much closer to that original "normal weight" than I was before I started Ozempic. I don't feel like shit, I don't hate the way I look, I just feel "better" for lack of a better term. I hesitate to call this a "miracle drug" because that is tempting fate. Perhaps I will be dead before I'm 50 because of an unknown as of yet side effect that causes my liver to melt or something, I don't know.

I'll just say that I'm happy. I feel like I've been able to do something about a very deeply personal problem that I felt powerless to change.

 

[Peaches the Wonder Cat]

I've lost that much using tirzepatide and eating better. I don't consider it cheating, and I'm definitely healthier and feel better.

I know one doctor who has been taking one of the older related drugs since 2010 and as he puts it, he's not dead yet.