"I No Longer Think GLP-1s Are the Answer — The drugs "work" but may be working against us long-term"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GLP-1s result in more long-term weight loss than diet and exercise alone, which has something like a 90-95% regain rate.

Most people regain a significant portion of weight lost after stopping GLP-1 drugs, often around two-thirds of the total loss within a year, with studies showing roughly 80% regain at least 25% of lost weight and some regaining all of it. While many sustain some weight loss, often around 5-10%, the benefits to heart health and metabolism can reverse as weight returns, highlighting that these medications treat a chronic condition and often require long-term use.

Right, this is the same or better than weight loss through diet and exercise.

No, actually it’s worse. Diet and exercise typically include weights and muscle gain which fight osteoporosis. GLP drugs eat away at muscle as part of the weight loss, increasing your chance of osteoporosis - which btw looks good on no one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GLP-1s result in more long-term weight loss than diet and exercise alone, which has something like a 90-95% regain rate.

If one does diet and exercise as a lifestyle change it’s permanent. If one does it to reach some goal it’s temporary.

Everything is temporary. That's living.

[Anonymous]

Similar with insulin. If you stop taking it you die, so is it really helping?

[Anonymous]

His claim that people who use the drugs lose muscle and don’t gain it back when they stop the drug therapy is concerning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Similar with insulin. If you stop taking it you die, so is it really helping?

https://www.medpagetoday....ion_Active

To be clear I have nothing against people using a drug that is proven safe to lose weight, but this doctor's perspective (he previously thought of these as miracle drugs) really resonated with me based on the experience of family members that have use the drugs. If you can afford to use them indefinitely, great, but if not it seems like they can easily do more harm than good.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GLP-1s result in more long-term weight loss than diet and exercise alone, which has something like a 90-95% regain rate.

Most people regain a significant portion of weight lost after stopping GLP-1 drugs, often around two-thirds of the total loss within a year, with studies showing roughly 80% regain at least 25% of lost weight and some regaining all of it. While many sustain some weight loss, often around 5-10%, the benefits to heart health and metabolism can reverse as weight returns, highlighting that these medications treat a chronic condition and often require long-term use.

Right, this is the same or better than weight loss through diet and exercise.

No, actually it’s worse. Diet and exercise typically include weights and muscle gain which fight osteoporosis. GLP drugs eat away at muscle as part of the weight loss, increasing your chance of osteoporosis - which btw looks good on no one.

This is the main reason I haven’t tried a GLP1 drug yet. I’d love to lose 20 lbs, but I already have osteopenia and would rather be mildly overweight and strong than thin with bird legs and a hump.

[Anonymous]

Did this guy actually not realize these were lifetime meds? I know that and I’m not a doctor. My guess is that even with the patients who stop taking GLPs and regain the weight, on average they are much more effective than any other method the doctor can offer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:His claim that people who use the drugs lose muscle and don’t gain it back when they stop the drug therapy is concerning.

Has only to do with the speed of weight loss, which can be managed with proper dosing and nutrient intake. The issue is not with the medication.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:GLP-1s result in more long-term weight loss than diet and exercise alone, which has something like a 90-95% regain rate.

Most people regain a significant portion of weight lost after stopping GLP-1 drugs, often around two-thirds of the total loss within a year, with studies showing roughly 80% regain at least 25% of lost weight and some regaining all of it. While many sustain some weight loss, often around 5-10%, the benefits to heart health and metabolism can reverse as weight returns, highlighting that these medications treat a chronic condition and often require long-term use.

Right, this is the same or better than weight loss through diet and exercise.

You can do diet and exercise for free and certainly less than the hundreds of dollars per month the drugs cost without insurance.

You lose waaaay more weight on a GLP-1 though. It’s not revolutionary for a chronic illness to require lifelong treatment. No one claims my thyroid medicine is a failure even though my Hashimoto’s means the second I stop taking meds my levels will be abnormal again.

My insurance covers my thyroid medicine.

It seems to me that losing 50.lbs quickly and then regaining 45 lbs quickly is worse than never having lost the weight at all. Again, if you can afford to stay on the GLP-1 and it works for you, great! But I agree with this doctor that for the many, many people that don't plan to stay on it for life it can do more harm than goodm

My insurance covers my GLP? And more will as the price drops. And even more will when Ozempic goes generic in 6.5 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Did this guy actually not realize these were lifetime meds? I know that and I’m not a doctor. My guess is that even with the patients who stop taking GLPs and regain the weight, on average they are much more effective than any other method the doctor can offer.

There are a lot of dumb doctors out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Similar with insulin. If you stop taking it you die, so is it really helping?

Being overweight doesn’t kill you unless you are morbidly obese, which is who the drugs are targeted for. If you are taking it to be slim from a healthy/slightly overweight start you will do more harm than good. This isn’t rocket science; it’s just normal logic a reasoning.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar with insulin. If you stop taking it you die, so is it really helping?

Being overweight doesn’t kill you unless you are morbidly obese, which is who the drugs are targeted for. If you are taking it to be slim from a healthy/slightly overweight start you will do more harm than good. This isn’t rocket science; it’s just normal logic a reasoning.

Being obese—which like 40% of Americans are—is horrible for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:His claim that people who use the drugs lose muscle and don’t gain it back when they stop the drug therapy is concerning.

Has only to do with the speed of weight loss, which can be managed with proper dosing and nutrient intake. The issue is not with the medication.

In theory, yes. In practice, no. I’ve never seen anyone not lose massive amounts of muscle. Sure, it’s possible but it’s just as hard as losing weight and building muscle in a lifelong way - so the old fashioned way is better/safer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:His claim that people who use the drugs lose muscle and don’t gain it back when they stop the drug therapy is concerning.

Has only to do with the speed of weight loss, which can be managed with proper dosing and nutrient intake. The issue is not with the medication.

In theory, yes. In practice, no. I’ve never seen anyone not lose massive amounts of muscle. Sure, it’s possible but it’s just as hard as losing weight and building muscle in a lifelong way - so the old fashioned way is better/safer.

Everyone loses muscle when they lose weight. You can reduce muscle mass loss by lifting and losing at a 1-2 lb per week rate. Nothing to do with the GLP-1…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Similar with insulin. If you stop taking it you die, so is it really helping?

Being overweight doesn’t kill you unless you are morbidly obese, which is who the drugs are targeted for. If you are taking it to be slim from a healthy/slightly overweight start you will do more harm than good. This isn’t rocket science; it’s just normal logic a reasoning.

Being obese—which like 40% of Americans are—is horrible for you.

True. But most obese people are too poor to afford the drugs - statistically. It’s mainly UMC who want it for vanity who get the drugs.