What’s stopping you from trying a GLP / meds?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not overweight?

OK so this is the real answer to OP's question.

The drug is for people who need it. People who have chronic obesity. For those of us who have taken it and have lost weight, it is a life saving drug. All of these side effects that everyone is harping on do not matter when you are losing enough weight to save your life or extend it down the road. If someone asked the same question about why someone doesn't take blood pressure medicine then the answers wouldn't all be about the side effects. (And yes it's a similar thing - obesity is a disease, and if you don't understand that you probably don't suffer from it).

I don't really care if people are using it to microdose or whatever. But it is so unhelpful for people who don't even have real weight to lose to get online and spread all sorts of negative comments and misinformation about a drug they don't need and aren't even taking.

💯. I think anyone asking questions about using a GLP-1 for vanity weight loss should be asking this question on the beauty and fashion forum, and the rest of us should be asking and answering questions on the medical forum. It's a shame that there are so MANY vanity weight people on here that Jeff had to move real medical questions to this random forum about weight loss. Obesity is a real medical condition. Don't discount that.

[Anonymous]

Not overweight yet - also I don’t want to alter my GI motility or gut biome.
And I don’t want to risk weight gain if I stop taking it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The side effects. I have had to to have colorectal surgery and I really don't want to deal with the side effects from constant diarrhea or constipation.

Plus the cost. It's not cheap if you have other medical expenses.

Neither of these sides happened to me or anyone i know!

[Anonymous]

Because it’s cheaper, healthier, and easier to just eat healthy food and exercise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in healthcare and I keep up with the latest research on this. The fact is, we don’t know what all the long term impacts are at this point. Newer studies are now showing that there are potential serious adverse effects on the kidneys and pancreas- you don’t want to mess with that. There’s a reason that doctors don’t want people going on this to lose vanity weight.

"in healthcare" - are you a doctor?

Can you cite the studies?

I assume a lot of people here are very smart - do you really believe all of this stuff that "people say" about the drugs or are you all getting this information from doctors and peer reviewed studies? Just stop stop stop with the misinformation. People want so badly for the negative stuff to be true.

Anyone can say they're in healthcare. That person could work data processing for a payment system and work in healthcare.

Definitely not in data processing, lol. I have to stay on top of all the research because I work directly with patients. No one is spreading any misinformation, everyone has access to google and medical journals (I just subscribe to a lot and get them directly to my email). I can copy and paste articles, which is a waste of my time to gather all this information for internet strangers when you can easily find it for yourself.

Of course there are adverse reactions and side effects… that is pretty much any medication. Here’s what’s being discussed right now for GLP’s:

Risk for thyroid C cell tumors
Gastroparesis (which can be irreversible and trust me, you don’t want this).
Gallbladder issues.

And by the way, I never told anyone not to take them. You people get so oddly defensive about your life choices. I said doctors are not keen to prescribe these for vanity reasons and there is a good reason for that.

Here’s another Medscape article written by a (gasp) doctor and not someone working at a data center:
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/1003255

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not overweight yet - also I don’t want to alter my GI motility or gut biome.
And I don’t want to risk weight gain if I stop taking it.

Ok so if you aren't overweight, there is no reason under the sun why you would benefit from a weight loss medication, so of COURSE the benefits don't outweigh the risks. There would be zero benefits for you. This drug isn't for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Literally everyone I know seems to be on a GLP or weight loss meds and I have been hesitant up until now, but am giving it some serious thought. Looking around at my friends, colleagues and even family members on it, they all are in the best shape of their lives and just don’t think about food anymore, which is my constant struggle. And these are people who only wanted to lose 10-25 lbs.

My body wants to be 10-15 lbs heavier than I want to be so I am either strictly dieting and calorie counting to lose/maintain weight, or I eat normally (but still eat healthy 80% of the time) and weigh 10+ lbs more and just don’t feel like I look good - my clothes are tight and I carry all my weight in my stomach so people sometimes ask if I am pregnant.

My main reasons for not going on it are that my GP is opposed and isn’t a fan of the meds unless you’re diabetic/pre-diabetic (so I would need to go around her which feels awkward), and I am slightly concerned about the long-term impact that isn’t as well documented for meds like Wegovy.

Given how easy it is to get these meds now, what’s stopping others from trying them other than cost?

For me it is the hair loss. I am relatively thin but would like to lose the usual 5- 10 pounds to fit in my bathing suit better, not have the muffin top over some of my pants etc.. I am 45 and I find it a bit harder to get back to my happy weight.

Several of my colleagues as well as my MIL are on GLP. They look great, lost the weight easily so it is very tempting. But for the 3 of them I think I can see the middle of the hairline parting further. And the hair even receding on the side. It is subtle but there. And 2 of them started with beautiful, thick hair.

That is scary to me plus I have absolutely no medical reason to take the pill so even a subtle change in my hairline wouldn’t make it worth it (again for me given my already healthy BMi).

so why is this even a question for you, then? it's like saying, "oh well my BP is 110/70 so i don't want to risk taking BP medication that has side effects of fatigue or dizziness, even if i'd really love my BP to be 100/60." if you are thin, the risks of a medication meant to cause weight loss, do not outweigh the benefits of that medication. to someone who is obese, having some hair thinning (which is certainly not a given, and the hair re-grows once metabolism bounces back in the vast majority of people) is not anywhere near as important as losing the 60lb it takes to get them to a healthy BMI. do you see the difference? this medication is not necessary, or a good idea, for you, since it offers zero medical benefits. FYI it's also not a good idea to take tylenol when you don't have a fever or pain, because it doesn't offer any benefits and carries a risk of side effects.

[Anonymous]

I'm 50 and have had multiple friends go on it, lose the weight and gain 10-15 years. I'm not sure any of them look better because they are so haggard and gaunt. They're a size 2/4 instead of a size 8/10 or whatever but they look absolutely terrible in the face. I think it's better if you take the med at a younger age but 50+ it's rough.

I'm not sure I want this.

[Anonymous]

I am obese, but not pre diabetic. I have low blood pressure and normal cholesterol. I am also a heavy weight lifter. I’m just fat. 5’5, 212lbs, misses size 14 (not plus size).

I am not taking the drug for the following reasons:

I have made huge gains in muscle mass and have more than enough muscle mass in each muscle group to support my weight.

I have been through a receding hairline and hair loss due to anti seizure medication prescribed for migraines. I wore wigs for over a year. My hair is back to normal and looking fuller. I don’t want to lose any more hair.

I already have issues with chronic constipation. I control it with miralax and Metamucil. I don’t want to deal with bowel problems.

My doctor told me I wasn’t a candidate. I have lost 50+ pounds at least 3x in my life (I’m 55). My doctor has asked me to stop yo-yo dieting. She said if I couldn’t control the regain in the past, that any weight lost while on GLPs would come right back as soon as I stopped taking the medication.

And finally, anecdotally, I know three women who are on or have been on the drugs. Two of them look at least 10 - 15 years older and the other gained all of the weight back when she went off the drug.

[Anonymous]

I am beating my head against the wall… you all know this isn’t about looking better right? The drug isn’t a vanity drug. It’s for people who need to lose a significant amount of weight. It improves so many health outcomes once the weight is lost. Obviously. That’s the whole point! We have lost the plot here. Some saggy skin (a result of any weight loss, not just GLP 1 weight loss) is absolutely worth it.

And the idea is to stay on it, not go off of it. Just like any other treatment for a chronic disease.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Literally everyone I know seems to be on a GLP or weight loss meds and I have been hesitant up until now, but am giving it some serious thought. Looking around at my friends, colleagues and even family members on it, they all are in the best shape of their lives and just don’t think about food anymore, which is my constant struggle. And these are people who only wanted to lose 10-25 lbs.

My body wants to be 10-15 lbs heavier than I want to be so I am either strictly dieting and calorie counting to lose/maintain weight, or I eat normally (but still eat healthy 80% of the time) and weigh 10+ lbs more and just don’t feel like I look good - my clothes are tight and I carry all my weight in my stomach so people sometimes ask if I am pregnant.

My main reasons for not going on it are that my GP is opposed and isn’t a fan of the meds unless you’re diabetic/pre-diabetic (so I would need to go around her which feels awkward), and I am slightly concerned about the long-term impact that isn’t as well documented for meds like Wegovy.

Given how easy it is to get these meds now, what’s stopping others from trying them other than cost?

For me it is the hair loss. I am relatively thin but would like to lose the usual 5- 10 pounds to fit in my bathing suit better, not have the muffin top over some of my pants etc.. I am 45 and I find it a bit harder to get back to my happy weight.

Several of my colleagues as well as my MIL are on GLP. They look great, lost the weight easily so it is very tempting. But for the 3 of them I think I can see the middle of the hairline parting further. And the hair even receding on the side. It is subtle but there. And 2 of them started with beautiful, thick hair.

That is scary to me plus I have absolutely no medical reason to take the pill so even a subtle change in my hairline wouldn’t make it worth it (again for me given my already healthy BMi).

so why is this even a question for you, then? it's like saying, "oh well my BP is 110/70 so i don't want to risk taking BP medication that has side effects of fatigue or dizziness, even if i'd really love my BP to be 100/60." if you are thin, the risks of a medication meant to cause weight loss, do not outweigh the benefits of that medication. to someone who is obese, having some hair thinning (which is certainly not a given, and the hair re-grows once metabolism bounces back in the vast majority of people) is not anywhere near as important as losing the 60lb it takes to get them to a healthy BMI. do you see the difference? this medication is not necessary, or a good idea, for you, since it offers zero medical benefits. FYI it's also not a good idea to take tylenol when you don't have a fever or pain, because it doesn't offer any benefits and carries a risk of side effects.

I am answering OP’s question. I have seriously considered GLP1. To the point that several times I went almost all the way and clicked on “buy” from the online pharmacies. I’d be very happy to lose 10 pounds and I am aware I medically don’t need it. Both are compatible. The real reason that stopped me is the hair loss. Not much else.

I have read a lot about GLP1s and I find the potential benefits very attractive. My A1c is still in the normal range but not what it should be given my age and BMI (lots of type 2 diabetics in my family). Latest NYT article (the greatest ozempic experiment Julia Belluz) which starts with the unexpected/ potential positive effect is fascinating.

Your comparison with Tylenol, as you try to dumb me down, is not accurate. But you can think about the aspirin one. Doctors started prescribing it to fluidify blood and not for headaches/ pain, as a prevention tool. Maybe one day GLP1 will be prescribed the same way (and then questioned again as aspirin is being questioned now).

Anyway. You know what you did. You pretended there was no debate and if you are not obese you shouldn’t take GLp1. Your wish doesn’t make it true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in healthcare and I keep up with the latest research on this. The fact is, we don’t know what all the long term impacts are at this point. Newer studies are now showing that there are potential serious adverse effects on the kidneys and pancreas- you don’t want to mess with that. There’s a reason that doctors don’t want people going on this to lose vanity weight.

"in healthcare" - are you a doctor?

Can you cite the studies?

I assume a lot of people here are very smart - do you really believe all of this stuff that "people say" about the drugs or are you all getting this information from doctors and peer reviewed studies? Just stop stop stop with the misinformation. People want so badly for the negative stuff to be true.

DP.
The PP referred to studies showing potential adverse effects. That's not misinformation. They didn't say anything about "people say."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not overweight?

OK so this is the real answer to OP's question.

The drug is for people who need it. People who have chronic obesity. For those of us who have taken it and have lost weight, it is a life saving drug. All of these side effects that everyone is harping on do not matter when you are losing enough weight to save your life or extend it down the road. If someone asked the same question about why someone doesn't take blood pressure medicine then the answers wouldn't all be about the side effects. (And yes it's a similar thing - obesity is a disease, and if you don't understand that you probably don't suffer from it).

I don't really care if people are using it to microdose or whatever. But it is so unhelpful for people who don't even have real weight to lose to get online and spread all sorts of negative comments and misinformation about a drug they don't need and aren't even taking.

This. "What's stopping you from trying a GLP if you're obese and (pre)diabetic?" is a totally different question than "What's stopping you from trying a GLP to lose vanity weight when your BMI and A1C levels are healthy?" It's not productive to lump the two questions together.

For me, an over-weight and hypothyroid pre-diabetic, the answer is the same to both questions: potential yet-unknown and currently-known potential negative long-term effects and not wanting to be on more medication for the rest of my life if it isn't absolutely medically necessary.
Perhaps I'd have a different answer and attitude if I were morbidly obese with multiple other high-danger conditions and knowing that the benefits of quickly losing massive amounts of weight far outweigh any potential negatives. You know....if I were someone the drugs were originally intended for. But I'm not currently horribly obese and knowingly in great likelihood of imminent danger of heart attack or stroke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m in healthcare and I keep up with the latest research on this. The fact is, we don’t know what all the long term impacts are at this point. Newer studies are now showing that there are potential serious adverse effects on the kidneys and pancreas- you don’t want to mess with that. There’s a reason that doctors don’t want people going on this to lose vanity weight.

"in healthcare" - are you a doctor?

Can you cite the studies?

I assume a lot of people here are very smart - do you really believe all of this stuff that "people say" about the drugs or are you all getting this information from doctors and peer reviewed studies? Just stop stop stop with the misinformation. People want so badly for the negative stuff to be true.

Anyone can say they're in healthcare. That person could work data processing for a payment system and work in healthcare.

Definitely not in data processing, lol. I have to stay on top of all the research because I work directly with patients. No one is spreading any misinformation, everyone has access to google and medical journals (I just subscribe to a lot and get them directly to my email). I can copy and paste articles, which is a waste of my time to gather all this information for internet strangers when you can easily find it for yourself.

Of course there are adverse reactions and side effects… that is pretty much any medication. Here’s what’s being discussed right now for GLP’s:

Risk for thyroid C cell tumors
Gastroparesis (which can be irreversible and trust me, you don’t want this).
Gallbladder issues.

And by the way, I never told anyone not to take them. You people get so oddly defensive about your life choices. I said doctors are not keen to prescribe these for vanity reasons and there is a good reason for that.

Here’s another Medscape article written by a (gasp) doctor and not someone working at a data center:
https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/1003255

DP. Adding mention of Washington Post article today about another possible side effect: malaise/less enjoyment from activities. I will note it also suggests a lower dose may improve/eliminate that effect....but it's still an effect that isn't being focused on and may well be being unreported/unidentified as attached to the medication/overlooked because of the other effects of the weight loss.
Point is: we still don't know everything and individuals' situations are different. So why don't I take a GLP? Because I don't believe the trade-off of potential side effects/unknowns is worth it for me yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it’s used irresponsibly by many for vanity pounds. It shouldn’t be for 10-15 lbs. there are risks to every medication, and I don’t see the risks outweighing the benefits just so someone can become a size 2 or 4. I know a lot of women who use it for this reason, and I do judge them and fear for their long term health.

I don’t. All menopausal women should go on it and get to their age 40 size!

Are you a "vanity user" or a judgey man who expects women to stay thin?