Wegovy/Saxenda for weight loss?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m 5’1 and 120lbs. Can I actually take this to lose 10 lbs?

No.

Why not? Do you have to have Diabetes?

No responsible doctor will prescribe it for someone to lose 10 vanity pounds. Then it would be hard to impossible to get insurance to cover it, but even if you paid for it out of pocket from a Canadian pharmacy, it wouldn’t be wise. The side effects are very common and frequently miserable. Fatigue, nausea, vomiting, sulphuric burps, even pancreatitis. Simply not worth it for 10 pounds. The appetite suppression is only sustained as long as you’re taking the medication, you can’t just take it for a couple months and then simply not gain the weight back.

I don’t know if they’ve studied it on normal weight and metabolically healthy people. I would be very concerned about hypoglycemia. Just overall a bad idea.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did Calibrate for a year and really liked it until about the 11 month mark when my Wegovy was cancelled without notice because of insurance issues. Apparently there was a limit to the coupon Calibrate was using to get Wegovy. So I had to go off it cold turkey. Now they’ve gotten it approved but it would cost me $350 monthly which I can’t do. It’s disappointing that it ended this way. Now that I’m off the medication I’ve already gained back several pounds.

Unfortunately studies show that once you go off the drug you rapidly gain the weight back to baseline.

I have been taking the medication for nearly 2 years (was a part of the study), I would disagree that you “rapidly” gain the weight back. But from “my experience”, it takes about a month for your body to adjust to no longer taking the medication. Then your brain rapidly goes to work talking to you and doing whatever it did to get you overweight originally. But that was my brain. But I learned that physically I really wasn’t as hungry as my brain would lead me to believe. The medication definitely taught me some cues and I have to willing lean into them and turn away from what my brain is trying to get me to do. Not sure if I’m articulating this well. But like last night I didn’t. I had two ice sandwiches when I knew I only really wanted one. $hit, I didn’t even need 1! I wasn’t hungry at all, but my brain…why did I even buy them? My brain. When I was on the medication, I wouldn’t have even bought them. I do not understand why insurance won’t cover it!

I think you are actually proving the PP's point - if you continue along this path (2 ice cream sandwiches!!), you will in fact rapidly gain back weight. Especially if your body is used to a lower calorie diet.

NP. Would you stop with the moralistic and fake horror? Jesus, ignorant people like you are why the obesity epidemic is so bad. The fact is that PP has a biologically and metabolically different body than people who have never been obese. Her body and brain will drive her to eat in a way that normal weight people do not experience. That is what this drug changes: the biological signals driving obese people to eat. And that doesn’t change with weight loss, unfortunately. Weight loss doesn’t make an obese person metabolically the same as someone who is the exact same weight but who never was obese. Their bodies are completely different, on many levels.

This should be regarded as a lifelong or very extended drug. Personally, I am convinced there is a state of pre-pre-diabetes that isn’t detected by A1C but that is common among obese people, and I think these drugs essentially treat that. Off the drugs, regardless of actual weight, the body reverts to that insulin-seeking pre-pre-diabetic state.

We know so very little about the physiology and metabolism of obesity, in part because people so desperately want to make a medical condition into a moral condition.

Are you and I reading the same thing? I AM obese, I tried Wegovy and it didn't work for me (too many side effects), and that PP doesn't seem to realize that it is the DRUG that affects her metabolism/her hunger hues and not her own personal willpower. I have taken drugs that shut down my hunger cues, I know they work. I also know that I gained the weight right back once I went off them. I don't know why she thinks she's different.

Hey because I am different! I’ve been off the medication for nearly 2 months! I’ve only gained back 3-4lbs. I know that’s a short time but now I know myself better. When I make bad food choices (2 ice cream sandwiches), I hit the gym and I make better choices the next day. So I’m working really hard to not go back to where I was. I’m in the gym 5 days a week, and do yoga on the other 2. I eat OMAD. I TOSSED THOSE ice cream sandwiches. I know the way to keep weight off is a calorie deficit.

I was 300lbs for too long. Now that I’ve seen the other side, I’m never going back. I don’t care what I have to do. Do I want to be back on Wegovy? Hell yes. But I’ll never be where I was again. Medicine or no medicine.

The medication was still in your system for 4-6 weeks. So you’ve gained weight back rapidly while still on the medication at a lower level. And you already gained 4 pounds, while working out 7 days a week on a restrictive eating plan. I’m sorry but if anything that’s proof that the weight comes back quickly and this is a lifelong medication.

Update…Down to my lowest weight in since December. I lost the 4lbs I gained plus about 8 more. I am so happy knowing that I can do this. Wegovy helped me see what I could accomplish. I feel lighter, and when I feel this, it’s like floating on air, I walk different, I’m more confident My goal/maintenance weight is 175. I’m 7lbs away! My insurance appeal for Wegovy got rejected. So it’s just on me. I think I might have a line on getting that new drug Mounjaro that was just approved. So I’ll see about that. Good luck to you guys on Wegovy, it definitely works! And the side affects aren’t that bad compared to the weight loss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't do Calibrate because I have federal insurance. I am from the US but live overseas and can likely buy the meds myself for much less than in the US. Same for bloodwork.

Any suggestions for something similar?

According to the website it's $135/month or $1600/year. Can you pay for it out-of-pocket?

I would but they will not let you. I find it odd.

Same. I don’t understand how my insurance can deny me something I never ask them to pay for.

Calibrate charges your insurance for you to get that rate. It’s not the actual cost

I offered to pay out of pocket the full rate. I don’t understand why my insurance is involved. My obgyn doesn’t take insurance. I pay out of pocket. Why can I do that?

If you’re paying OOP just get it from Walgreens for $1500/month. No reason to bother with Calibrate.

But I still need a prescription from someone and my doctor won’t do it.

Go to Randy Moss with Push Health.

Have also heard good things about Alpha Medical.

https://www.helloalpha.com/weight-loss

Has anyone here tried Alpha Medical? I'm so frustrated. I'm with One Medical and went to my doctor in OCTOBER (2021) about trying Wegovy or Ozempic. I'd gained 45 lbs from 2020 to 2021. She wanted me to meet with a nutritionist, a doctor specializing in weight loss, and a mental health provider. Did all of that and also gained an additional 20 pounds. We had a virtual follow-up in March but she wants me to come in again to discuss options. I thought that's what we did in October and March?!

I am with One Medical for GP. I signed up for Calibrate in Sept 2021 and have lost 35 pounds, and still going. It's just much easier with calibrate or another online medical service. They know exactly why you are there and what your goals are and don't waste time. I have found that most general providers are not as familiar with the medication for weight loss and aren't as likely to go for it right away. I calculated that between the calibrate fee & the prescription cost, I've spent about $35 per pound. Completely worth it!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did Calibrate for a year and really liked it until about the 11 month mark when my Wegovy was cancelled without notice because of insurance issues. Apparently there was a limit to the coupon Calibrate was using to get Wegovy. So I had to go off it cold turkey. Now they’ve gotten it approved but it would cost me $350 monthly which I can’t do. It’s disappointing that it ended this way. Now that I’m off the medication I’ve already gained back several pounds.

Unfortunately studies show that once you go off the drug you rapidly gain the weight back to baseline.

I have been taking the medication for nearly 2 years (was a part of the study), I would disagree that you “rapidly” gain the weight back. But from “my experience”, it takes about a month for your body to adjust to no longer taking the medication. Then your brain rapidly goes to work talking to you and doing whatever it did to get you overweight originally. But that was my brain. But I learned that physically I really wasn’t as hungry as my brain would lead me to believe. The medication definitely taught me some cues and I have to willing lean into them and turn away from what my brain is trying to get me to do. Not sure if I’m articulating this well. But like last night I didn’t. I had two ice sandwiches when I knew I only really wanted one. $hit, I didn’t even need 1! I wasn’t hungry at all, but my brain…why did I even buy them? My brain. When I was on the medication, I wouldn’t have even bought them. I do not understand why insurance won’t cover it!

I think you are actually proving the PP's point - if you continue along this path (2 ice cream sandwiches!!), you will in fact rapidly gain back weight. Especially if your body is used to a lower calorie diet.

NP. Would you stop with the moralistic and fake horror? Jesus, ignorant people like you are why the obesity epidemic is so bad. The fact is that PP has a biologically and metabolically different body than people who have never been obese. Her body and brain will drive her to eat in a way that normal weight people do not experience. That is what this drug changes: the biological signals driving obese people to eat. And that doesn’t change with weight loss, unfortunately. Weight loss doesn’t make an obese person metabolically the same as someone who is the exact same weight but who never was obese. Their bodies are completely different, on many levels.

This should be regarded as a lifelong or very extended drug. Personally, I am convinced there is a state of pre-pre-diabetes that isn’t detected by A1C but that is common among obese people, and I think these drugs essentially treat that. Off the drugs, regardless of actual weight, the body reverts to that insulin-seeking pre-pre-diabetic state.

We know so very little about the physiology and metabolism of obesity, in part because people so desperately want to make a medical condition into a moral condition.

Are you and I reading the same thing? I AM obese, I tried Wegovy and it didn't work for me (too many side effects), and that PP doesn't seem to realize that it is the DRUG that affects her metabolism/her hunger hues and not her own personal willpower. I have taken drugs that shut down my hunger cues, I know they work. I also know that I gained the weight right back once I went off them. I don't know why she thinks she's different.

Hey because I am different! I’ve been off the medication for nearly 2 months! I’ve only gained back 3-4lbs. I know that’s a short time but now I know myself better. When I make bad food choices (2 ice cream sandwiches), I hit the gym and I make better choices the next day. So I’m working really hard to not go back to where I was. I’m in the gym 5 days a week, and do yoga on the other 2. I eat OMAD. I TOSSED THOSE ice cream sandwiches. I know the way to keep weight off is a calorie deficit.

I was 300lbs for too long. Now that I’ve seen the other side, I’m never going back. I don’t care what I have to do. Do I want to be back on Wegovy? Hell yes. But I’ll never be where I was again. Medicine or no medicine.

The medication was still in your system for 4-6 weeks. So you’ve gained weight back rapidly while still on the medication at a lower level. And you already gained 4 pounds, while working out 7 days a week on a restrictive eating plan. I’m sorry but if anything that’s proof that the weight comes back quickly and this is a lifelong medication.

Update…Down to my lowest weight in since December. I lost the 4lbs I gained plus about 8 more. I am so happy knowing that I can do this. Wegovy helped me see what I could accomplish. I feel lighter, and when I feel this, it’s like floating on air, I walk different, I’m more confident My goal/maintenance weight is 175. I’m 7lbs away! My insurance appeal for Wegovy got rejected. So it’s just on me. I think I might have a line on getting that new drug Mounjaro that was just approved. So I’ll see about that. Good luck to you guys on Wegovy, it definitely works! And the side affects aren’t that bad compared to the weight loss.

Can you talk a bit more about what it's like being off of Wegovy and your hunger feelings? I'm on it now and worried about what it's going to be like going off of it. I've lost about a pound a week (about 35 so far) so not rapid weight loss, but steady.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did Calibrate for a year and really liked it until about the 11 month mark when my Wegovy was cancelled without notice because of insurance issues. Apparently there was a limit to the coupon Calibrate was using to get Wegovy. So I had to go off it cold turkey. Now they’ve gotten it approved but it would cost me $350 monthly which I can’t do. It’s disappointing that it ended this way. Now that I’m off the medication I’ve already gained back several pounds.

Unfortunately studies show that once you go off the drug you rapidly gain the weight back to baseline.

I have been taking the medication for nearly 2 years (was a part of the study), I would disagree that you “rapidly” gain the weight back. But from “my experience”, it takes about a month for your body to adjust to no longer taking the medication. Then your brain rapidly goes to work talking to you and doing whatever it did to get you overweight originally. But that was my brain. But I learned that physically I really wasn’t as hungry as my brain would lead me to believe. The medication definitely taught me some cues and I have to willing lean into them and turn away from what my brain is trying to get me to do. Not sure if I’m articulating this well. But like last night I didn’t. I had two ice sandwiches when I knew I only really wanted one. $hit, I didn’t even need 1! I wasn’t hungry at all, but my brain…why did I even buy them? My brain. When I was on the medication, I wouldn’t have even bought them. I do not understand why insurance won’t cover it!

I think you are actually proving the PP's point - if you continue along this path (2 ice cream sandwiches!!), you will in fact rapidly gain back weight. Especially if your body is used to a lower calorie diet.

NP. Would you stop with the moralistic and fake horror? Jesus, ignorant people like you are why the obesity epidemic is so bad. The fact is that PP has a biologically and metabolically different body than people who have never been obese. Her body and brain will drive her to eat in a way that normal weight people do not experience. That is what this drug changes: the biological signals driving obese people to eat. And that doesn’t change with weight loss, unfortunately. Weight loss doesn’t make an obese person metabolically the same as someone who is the exact same weight but who never was obese. Their bodies are completely different, on many levels.

This should be regarded as a lifelong or very extended drug. Personally, I am convinced there is a state of pre-pre-diabetes that isn’t detected by A1C but that is common among obese people, and I think these drugs essentially treat that. Off the drugs, regardless of actual weight, the body reverts to that insulin-seeking pre-pre-diabetic state.

We know so very little about the physiology and metabolism of obesity, in part because people so desperately want to make a medical condition into a moral condition.

Are you and I reading the same thing? I AM obese, I tried Wegovy and it didn't work for me (too many side effects), and that PP doesn't seem to realize that it is the DRUG that affects her metabolism/her hunger hues and not her own personal willpower. I have taken drugs that shut down my hunger cues, I know they work. I also know that I gained the weight right back once I went off them. I don't know why she thinks she's different.

Hey because I am different! I’ve been off the medication for nearly 2 months! I’ve only gained back 3-4lbs. I know that’s a short time but now I know myself better. When I make bad food choices (2 ice cream sandwiches), I hit the gym and I make better choices the next day. So I’m working really hard to not go back to where I was. I’m in the gym 5 days a week, and do yoga on the other 2. I eat OMAD. I TOSSED THOSE ice cream sandwiches. I know the way to keep weight off is a calorie deficit.

I was 300lbs for too long. Now that I’ve seen the other side, I’m never going back. I don’t care what I have to do. Do I want to be back on Wegovy? Hell yes. But I’ll never be where I was again. Medicine or no medicine.

The medication was still in your system for 4-6 weeks. So you’ve gained weight back rapidly while still on the medication at a lower level. And you already gained 4 pounds, while working out 7 days a week on a restrictive eating plan. I’m sorry but if anything that’s proof that the weight comes back quickly and this is a lifelong medication.

Update…Down to my lowest weight in since December. I lost the 4lbs I gained plus about 8 more. I am so happy knowing that I can do this. Wegovy helped me see what I could accomplish. I feel lighter, and when I feel this, it’s like floating on air, I walk different, I’m more confident My goal/maintenance weight is 175. I’m 7lbs away! My insurance appeal for Wegovy got rejected. So it’s just on me. I think I might have a line on getting that new drug Mounjaro that was just approved. So I’ll see about that. Good luck to you guys on Wegovy, it definitely works! And the side affects aren’t that bad compared to the weight loss.

Can you talk a bit more about what it's like being off of Wegovy and your hunger feelings? I'm on it now and worried about what it's going to be like going off of it. I've lost about a pound a week (about 35 so far) so not rapid weight loss, but steady.

So first, let me go back to the post I’ve been responding to. I believe that poster is correct, Wegovy should be and probably is a life long drug. They told me that would probably be the case while I was in the study. They just didn’t say it was going to cost $1500 a month! And who new my insurance wouldn’t cover!(I was in the study for Wegovy for 18 months, I have posted about it…a.lot) I’m probably just being salty because any negativity just takes me into a downward spiral of failure and I have to stay positive while I’m off this medication and doing it on my own.

I’ve had a couple of instances being off the drug. When the study ended in November 2021, I was off the medication for about 3 months, gained weight fast! Cravings were out of control. Not gonna lie. I thought I was going crazy. Nothing satisfied me. I gained 35 lbs in 3 months. Went back to study docs, they prescribed Rybelsus 14mg (pill form of medication) I lost the 35 lbs in 2 months, cravings generally disappeared. Wegovy gets approved last July2021. I get on that, life’s great. My coupon expired in January 2022. So I’ve been off it since January. Cravings are definitely back, but now I knew to expect it! I can control MYSELF better. Being very honest, for me my cravings are pretty bad, but manageable. I have good days and bad days. Mostly good. I eat OMAD. I know I’m going to get slammed for this, but going to say it anyway. My issue happens once I decide to eat. I could probably go 36 hours, not hungry at all, not eat, that’s what Wegovy trained my brain and I’m still trained to follow that. But once I take a bite of food, any bite of food, my cravings kick in. It’s like I’m not satisfied with anything I decide to eat.

[Anonymous]

Correction:Study ended November 2020

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did Calibrate for a year and really liked it until about the 11 month mark when my Wegovy was cancelled without notice because of insurance issues. Apparently there was a limit to the coupon Calibrate was using to get Wegovy. So I had to go off it cold turkey. Now they’ve gotten it approved but it would cost me $350 monthly which I can’t do. It’s disappointing that it ended this way. Now that I’m off the medication I’ve already gained back several pounds.

Unfortunately studies show that once you go off the drug you rapidly gain the weight back to baseline.

I have been taking the medication for nearly 2 years (was a part of the study), I would disagree that you “rapidly” gain the weight back. But from “my experience”, it takes about a month for your body to adjust to no longer taking the medication. Then your brain rapidly goes to work talking to you and doing whatever it did to get you overweight originally. But that was my brain. But I learned that physically I really wasn’t as hungry as my brain would lead me to believe. The medication definitely taught me some cues and I have to willing lean into them and turn away from what my brain is trying to get me to do. Not sure if I’m articulating this well. But like last night I didn’t. I had two ice sandwiches when I knew I only really wanted one. $hit, I didn’t even need 1! I wasn’t hungry at all, but my brain…why did I even buy them? My brain. When I was on the medication, I wouldn’t have even bought them. I do not understand why insurance won’t cover it!

I think you are actually proving the PP's point - if you continue along this path (2 ice cream sandwiches!!), you will in fact rapidly gain back weight. Especially if your body is used to a lower calorie diet.

NP. Would you stop with the moralistic and fake horror? Jesus, ignorant people like you are why the obesity epidemic is so bad. The fact is that PP has a biologically and metabolically different body than people who have never been obese. Her body and brain will drive her to eat in a way that normal weight people do not experience. That is what this drug changes: the biological signals driving obese people to eat. And that doesn’t change with weight loss, unfortunately. Weight loss doesn’t make an obese person metabolically the same as someone who is the exact same weight but who never was obese. Their bodies are completely different, on many levels.

This should be regarded as a lifelong or very extended drug. Personally, I am convinced there is a state of pre-pre-diabetes that isn’t detected by A1C but that is common among obese people, and I think these drugs essentially treat that. Off the drugs, regardless of actual weight, the body reverts to that insulin-seeking pre-pre-diabetic state.

We know so very little about the physiology and metabolism of obesity, in part because people so desperately want to make a medical condition into a moral condition.

Are you and I reading the same thing? I AM obese, I tried Wegovy and it didn't work for me (too many side effects), and that PP doesn't seem to realize that it is the DRUG that affects her metabolism/her hunger hues and not her own personal willpower. I have taken drugs that shut down my hunger cues, I know they work. I also know that I gained the weight right back once I went off them. I don't know why she thinks she's different.

Hey because I am different! I’ve been off the medication for nearly 2 months! I’ve only gained back 3-4lbs. I know that’s a short time but now I know myself better. When I make bad food choices (2 ice cream sandwiches), I hit the gym and I make better choices the next day. So I’m working really hard to not go back to where I was. I’m in the gym 5 days a week, and do yoga on the other 2. I eat OMAD. I TOSSED THOSE ice cream sandwiches. I know the way to keep weight off is a calorie deficit.

I was 300lbs for too long. Now that I’ve seen the other side, I’m never going back. I don’t care what I have to do. Do I want to be back on Wegovy? Hell yes. But I’ll never be where I was again. Medicine or no medicine.

The medication was still in your system for 4-6 weeks. So you’ve gained weight back rapidly while still on the medication at a lower level. And you already gained 4 pounds, while working out 7 days a week on a restrictive eating plan. I’m sorry but if anything that’s proof that the weight comes back quickly and this is a lifelong medication.

Update…Down to my lowest weight in since December. I lost the 4lbs I gained plus about 8 more. I am so happy knowing that I can do this. Wegovy helped me see what I could accomplish. I feel lighter, and when I feel this, it’s like floating on air, I walk different, I’m more confident My goal/maintenance weight is 175. I’m 7lbs away! My insurance appeal for Wegovy got rejected. So it’s just on me. I think I might have a line on getting that new drug Mounjaro that was just approved. So I’ll see about that. Good luck to you guys on Wegovy, it definitely works! And the side affects aren’t that bad compared to the weight loss.

Can you talk a bit more about what it's like being off of Wegovy and your hunger feelings? I'm on it now and worried about what it's going to be like going off of it. I've lost about a pound a week (about 35 so far) so not rapid weight loss, but steady.

So first, let me go back to the post I’ve been responding to. I believe that poster is correct, Wegovy should be and probably is a life long drug. They told me that would probably be the case while I was in the study. They just didn’t say it was going to cost $1500 a month! And who new my insurance wouldn’t cover!(I was in the study for Wegovy for 18 months, I have posted about it…a.lot) I’m probably just being salty because any negativity just takes me into a downward spiral of failure and I have to stay positive while I’m off this medication and doing it on my own.

I’ve had a couple of instances being off the drug. When the study ended in November 2021, I was off the medication for about 3 months, gained weight fast! Cravings were out of control. Not gonna lie. I thought I was going crazy. Nothing satisfied me. I gained 35 lbs in 3 months. Went back to study docs, they prescribed Rybelsus 14mg (pill form of medication) I lost the 35 lbs in 2 months, cravings generally disappeared. Wegovy gets approved last July2021. I get on that, life’s great. My coupon expired in January 2022. So I’ve been off it since January. Cravings are definitely back, but now I knew to expect it! I can control MYSELF better. Being very honest, for me my cravings are pretty bad, but manageable. I have good days and bad days. Mostly good. I eat OMAD. I know I’m going to get slammed for this, but going to say it anyway. My issue happens once I decide to eat. I could probably go 36 hours, not hungry at all, not eat, that’s what Wegovy trained my brain and I’m still trained to follow that. But once I take a bite of food, any bite of food, my cravings kick in. It’s like I’m not satisfied with anything I decide to eat.

Why did you go back to Wegovy if oral med was working? I can't get my insurance to approve Wegovy so this is intriguing...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can't do Calibrate because I have federal insurance. I am from the US but live overseas and can likely buy the meds myself for much less than in the US. Same for bloodwork.

Any suggestions for something similar?

According to the website it's $135/month or $1600/year. Can you pay for it out-of-pocket?

I would but they will not let you. I find it odd.

Same. I don’t understand how my insurance can deny me something I never ask them to pay for.

Calibrate charges your insurance for you to get that rate. It’s not the actual cost

I offered to pay out of pocket the full rate. I don’t understand why my insurance is involved. My obgyn doesn’t take insurance. I pay out of pocket. Why can I do that?

If you’re paying OOP just get it from Walgreens for $1500/month. No reason to bother with Calibrate.

But I still need a prescription from someone and my doctor won’t do it.

Go to Randy Moss with Push Health.

Have also heard good things about Alpha Medical.

https://www.helloalpha.com/weight-loss

Has anyone here tried Alpha Medical? I'm so frustrated. I'm with One Medical and went to my doctor in OCTOBER (2021) about trying Wegovy or Ozempic. I'd gained 45 lbs from 2020 to 2021. She wanted me to meet with a nutritionist, a doctor specializing in weight loss, and a mental health provider. Did all of that and also gained an additional 20 pounds. We had a virtual follow-up in March but she wants me to come in again to discuss options. I thought that's what we did in October and March?!

I went through this with One Medical but my MD was very clear with me that my insurer was requiring it to give me a pre auth. Wondering if it's the same for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did Calibrate for a year and really liked it until about the 11 month mark when my Wegovy was cancelled without notice because of insurance issues. Apparently there was a limit to the coupon Calibrate was using to get Wegovy. So I had to go off it cold turkey. Now they’ve gotten it approved but it would cost me $350 monthly which I can’t do. It’s disappointing that it ended this way. Now that I’m off the medication I’ve already gained back several pounds.

Unfortunately studies show that once you go off the drug you rapidly gain the weight back to baseline.

I have been taking the medication for nearly 2 years (was a part of the study), I would disagree that you “rapidly” gain the weight back. But from “my experience”, it takes about a month for your body to adjust to no longer taking the medication. Then your brain rapidly goes to work talking to you and doing whatever it did to get you overweight originally. But that was my brain. But I learned that physically I really wasn’t as hungry as my brain would lead me to believe. The medication definitely taught me some cues and I have to willing lean into them and turn away from what my brain is trying to get me to do. Not sure if I’m articulating this well. But like last night I didn’t. I had two ice sandwiches when I knew I only really wanted one. $hit, I didn’t even need 1! I wasn’t hungry at all, but my brain…why did I even buy them? My brain. When I was on the medication, I wouldn’t have even bought them. I do not understand why insurance won’t cover it!

I think you are actually proving the PP's point - if you continue along this path (2 ice cream sandwiches!!), you will in fact rapidly gain back weight. Especially if your body is used to a lower calorie diet.

NP. Would you stop with the moralistic and fake horror? Jesus, ignorant people like you are why the obesity epidemic is so bad. The fact is that PP has a biologically and metabolically different body than people who have never been obese. Her body and brain will drive her to eat in a way that normal weight people do not experience. That is what this drug changes: the biological signals driving obese people to eat. And that doesn’t change with weight loss, unfortunately. Weight loss doesn’t make an obese person metabolically the same as someone who is the exact same weight but who never was obese. Their bodies are completely different, on many levels.

This should be regarded as a lifelong or very extended drug. Personally, I am convinced there is a state of pre-pre-diabetes that isn’t detected by A1C but that is common among obese people, and I think these drugs essentially treat that. Off the drugs, regardless of actual weight, the body reverts to that insulin-seeking pre-pre-diabetic state.

We know so very little about the physiology and metabolism of obesity, in part because people so desperately want to make a medical condition into a moral condition.

Are you and I reading the same thing? I AM obese, I tried Wegovy and it didn't work for me (too many side effects), and that PP doesn't seem to realize that it is the DRUG that affects her metabolism/her hunger hues and not her own personal willpower. I have taken drugs that shut down my hunger cues, I know they work. I also know that I gained the weight right back once I went off them. I don't know why she thinks she's different.

Hey because I am different! I’ve been off the medication for nearly 2 months! I’ve only gained back 3-4lbs. I know that’s a short time but now I know myself better. When I make bad food choices (2 ice cream sandwiches), I hit the gym and I make better choices the next day. So I’m working really hard to not go back to where I was. I’m in the gym 5 days a week, and do yoga on the other 2. I eat OMAD. I TOSSED THOSE ice cream sandwiches. I know the way to keep weight off is a calorie deficit.

I was 300lbs for too long. Now that I’ve seen the other side, I’m never going back. I don’t care what I have to do. Do I want to be back on Wegovy? Hell yes. But I’ll never be where I was again. Medicine or no medicine.

The medication was still in your system for 4-6 weeks. So you’ve gained weight back rapidly while still on the medication at a lower level. And you already gained 4 pounds, while working out 7 days a week on a restrictive eating plan. I’m sorry but if anything that’s proof that the weight comes back quickly and this is a lifelong medication.

Update…Down to my lowest weight in since December. I lost the 4lbs I gained plus about 8 more. I am so happy knowing that I can do this. Wegovy helped me see what I could accomplish. I feel lighter, and when I feel this, it’s like floating on air, I walk different, I’m more confident My goal/maintenance weight is 175. I’m 7lbs away! My insurance appeal for Wegovy got rejected. So it’s just on me. I think I might have a line on getting that new drug Mounjaro that was just approved. So I’ll see about that. Good luck to you guys on Wegovy, it definitely works! And the side affects aren’t that bad compared to the weight loss.

Can you talk a bit more about what it's like being off of Wegovy and your hunger feelings? I'm on it now and worried about what it's going to be like going off of it. I've lost about a pound a week (about 35 so far) so not rapid weight loss, but steady.

So first, let me go back to the post I’ve been responding to. I believe that poster is correct, Wegovy should be and probably is a life long drug. They told me that would probably be the case while I was in the study. They just didn’t say it was going to cost $1500 a month! And who new my insurance wouldn’t cover!(I was in the study for Wegovy for 18 months, I have posted about it…a.lot) I’m probably just being salty because any negativity just takes me into a downward spiral of failure and I have to stay positive while I’m off this medication and doing it on my own.

I’ve had a couple of instances being off the drug. When the study ended in November 2021, I was off the medication for about 3 months, gained weight fast! Cravings were out of control. Not gonna lie. I thought I was going crazy. Nothing satisfied me. I gained 35 lbs in 3 months. Went back to study docs, they prescribed Rybelsus 14mg (pill form of medication) I lost the 35 lbs in 2 months, cravings generally disappeared. Wegovy gets approved last July2021. I get on that, life’s great. My coupon expired in January 2022. So I’ve been off it since January. Cravings are definitely back, but now I knew to expect it! I can control MYSELF better. Being very honest, for me my cravings are pretty bad, but manageable. I have good days and bad days. Mostly good. I eat OMAD. I know I’m going to get slammed for this, but going to say it anyway. My issue happens once I decide to eat. I could probably go 36 hours, not hungry at all, not eat, that’s what Wegovy trained my brain and I’m still trained to follow that. But once I take a bite of food, any bite of food, my cravings kick in. It’s like I’m not satisfied with anything I decide to eat.

Why did you go back to Wegovy if oral med was working? I can't get my insurance to approve Wegovy so this is intriguing...

Cons of Rybelsus
Can’t drink more than a “sip” of water when taking. The pill is rather large. Can’t drink any water 30 minutes before or after taking.
Take daily, I liked taking a weekly shot of Wegovy, I had been doing that for 18 months from the study, so I had a steady routine. If you missed a dose of Rybelsus, it really threw off the effectiveness of the medication.
Increased Amylase and Lipase levels, for whatever reasons, these levels did not increase when I took the shot, but when I took the pill form of semaglutide, they increased greatly. This made my doctor nervous and concerned about pancreatitis, even though I had no other symptoms of pancreatitis.
Rybelsus cost $125 a month with insurance. Wegovy with coupon $25 a month. I couldn’t go back to Rybelsus after the Wegovy coupon because I was no longer pre-diabetic and my insurance would not cover. Insurance also would not cover Ozempic.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:I did Calibrate for a year and really liked it until about the 11 month mark when my Wegovy was cancelled without notice because of insurance issues. Apparently there was a limit to the coupon Calibrate was using to get Wegovy. So I had to go off it cold turkey. Now they’ve gotten it approved but it would cost me $350 monthly which I can’t do. It’s disappointing that it ended this way. Now that I’m off the medication I’ve already gained back several pounds.

Unfortunately studies show that once you go off the drug you rapidly gain the weight back to baseline.

I have been taking the medication for nearly 2 years (was a part of the study), I would disagree that you “rapidly” gain the weight back. But from “my experience”, it takes about a month for your body to adjust to no longer taking the medication. Then your brain rapidly goes to work talking to you and doing whatever it did to get you overweight originally. But that was my brain. But I learned that physically I really wasn’t as hungry as my brain would lead me to believe. The medication definitely taught me some cues and I have to willing lean into them and turn away from what my brain is trying to get me to do. Not sure if I’m articulating this well. But like last night I didn’t. I had two ice sandwiches when I knew I only really wanted one. $hit, I didn’t even need 1! I wasn’t hungry at all, but my brain…why did I even buy them? My brain. When I was on the medication, I wouldn’t have even bought them. I do not understand why insurance won’t cover it!

I think you are actually proving the PP's point - if you continue along this path (2 ice cream sandwiches!!), you will in fact rapidly gain back weight. Especially if your body is used to a lower calorie diet.

NP. Would you stop with the moralistic and fake horror? Jesus, ignorant people like you are why the obesity epidemic is so bad. The fact is that PP has a biologically and metabolically different body than people who have never been obese. Her body and brain will drive her to eat in a way that normal weight people do not experience. That is what this drug changes: the biological signals driving obese people to eat. And that doesn’t change with weight loss, unfortunately. Weight loss doesn’t make an obese person metabolically the same as someone who is the exact same weight but who never was obese. Their bodies are completely different, on many levels.

This should be regarded as a lifelong or very extended drug. Personally, I am convinced there is a state of pre-pre-diabetes that isn’t detected by A1C but that is common among obese people, and I think these drugs essentially treat that. Off the drugs, regardless of actual weight, the body reverts to that insulin-seeking pre-pre-diabetic state.

We know so very little about the physiology and metabolism of obesity, in part because people so desperately want to make a medical condition into a moral condition.

Are you and I reading the same thing? I AM obese, I tried Wegovy and it didn't work for me (too many side effects), and that PP doesn't seem to realize that it is the DRUG that affects her metabolism/her hunger hues and not her own personal willpower. I have taken drugs that shut down my hunger cues, I know they work. I also know that I gained the weight right back once I went off them. I don't know why she thinks she's different.

Hey because I am different! I’ve been off the medication for nearly 2 months! I’ve only gained back 3-4lbs. I know that’s a short time but now I know myself better. When I make bad food choices (2 ice cream sandwiches), I hit the gym and I make better choices the next day. So I’m working really hard to not go back to where I was. I’m in the gym 5 days a week, and do yoga on the other 2. I eat OMAD. I TOSSED THOSE ice cream sandwiches. I know the way to keep weight off is a calorie deficit.

I was 300lbs for too long. Now that I’ve seen the other side, I’m never going back. I don’t care what I have to do. Do I want to be back on Wegovy? Hell yes. But I’ll never be where I was again. Medicine or no medicine.

The medication was still in your system for 4-6 weeks. So you’ve gained weight back rapidly while still on the medication at a lower level. And you already gained 4 pounds, while working out 7 days a week on a restrictive eating plan. I’m sorry but if anything that’s proof that the weight comes back quickly and this is a lifelong medication.

Update…Down to my lowest weight in since December. I lost the 4lbs I gained plus about 8 more. I am so happy knowing that I can do this. Wegovy helped me see what I could accomplish. I feel lighter, and when I feel this, it’s like floating on air, I walk different, I’m more confident My goal/maintenance weight is 175. I’m 7lbs away! My insurance appeal for Wegovy got rejected. So it’s just on me. I think I might have a line on getting that new drug Mounjaro that was just approved. So I’ll see about that. Good luck to you guys on Wegovy, it definitely works! And the side affects aren’t that bad compared to the weight loss.

Can you talk a bit more about what it's like being off of Wegovy and your hunger feelings? I'm on it now and worried about what it's going to be like going off of it. I've lost about a pound a week (about 35 so far) so not rapid weight loss, but steady.

So first, let me go back to the post I’ve been responding to. I believe that poster is correct, Wegovy should be and probably is a life long drug. They told me that would probably be the case while I was in the study. They just didn’t say it was going to cost $1500 a month! And who new my insurance wouldn’t cover!(I was in the study for Wegovy for 18 months, I have posted about it…a.lot) I’m probably just being salty because any negativity just takes me into a downward spiral of failure and I have to stay positive while I’m off this medication and doing it on my own.

I’ve had a couple of instances being off the drug. When the study ended in November 2021, I was off the medication for about 3 months, gained weight fast! Cravings were out of control. Not gonna lie. I thought I was going crazy. Nothing satisfied me. I gained 35 lbs in 3 months. Went back to study docs, they prescribed Rybelsus 14mg (pill form of medication) I lost the 35 lbs in 2 months, cravings generally disappeared. Wegovy gets approved last July2021. I get on that, life’s great. My coupon expired in January 2022. So I’ve been off it since January. Cravings are definitely back, but now I knew to expect it! I can control MYSELF better. Being very honest, for me my cravings are pretty bad, but manageable. I have good days and bad days. Mostly good. I eat OMAD. I know I’m going to get slammed for this, but going to say it anyway. My issue happens once I decide to eat. I could probably go 36 hours, not hungry at all, not eat, that’s what Wegovy trained my brain and I’m still trained to follow that. But once I take a bite of food, any bite of food, my cravings kick in. It’s like I’m not satisfied with anything I decide to eat.

Why did you go back to Wegovy if oral med was working? I can't get my insurance to approve Wegovy so this is intriguing...

Cons of Rybelsus
Can’t drink more than a “sip” of water when taking. The pill is rather large. Can’t drink any water 30 minutes before or after taking.
Take daily, I liked taking a weekly shot of Wegovy, I had been doing that for 18 months from the study, so I had a steady routine. If you missed a dose of Rybelsus, it really threw off the effectiveness of the medication.
Increased Amylase and Lipase levels, for whatever reasons, these levels did not increase when I took the shot, but when I took the pill form of semaglutide, they increased greatly. This made my doctor nervous and concerned about pancreatitis, even though I had no other symptoms of pancreatitis.
Rybelsus cost $125 a month with insurance. Wegovy with coupon $25 a month. I couldn’t go back to Rybelsus after the Wegovy coupon because I was no longer pre-diabetic and my insurance would not cover. Insurance also would not cover Ozempic.

Thanks for the update, that’s helpful.

[Anonymous]

Has anyone done Calibrate and NOT had them get insurance approval for the medication? Tomorrow will be 6 weeks since my dr appt with Calibrate and still nothing for medication. I was able to get an Ozempic sample from my Endocrinologist that I've been taking the last month but I'm wondering what's the point of paying for this service through Calibrate if I can't get the medicine from them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone done Calibrate and NOT had them get insurance approval for the medication? Tomorrow will be 6 weeks since my dr appt with Calibrate and still nothing for medication. I was able to get an Ozempic sample from my Endocrinologist that I've been taking the last month but I'm wondering what's the point of paying for this service through Calibrate if I can't get the medicine from them.

Won’t Calibrate refund their payment if they cannot get it approved? I thought I read that somewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone done Calibrate and NOT had them get insurance approval for the medication? Tomorrow will be 6 weeks since my dr appt with Calibrate and still nothing for medication. I was able to get an Ozempic sample from my Endocrinologist that I've been taking the last month but I'm wondering what's the point of paying for this service through Calibrate if I can't get the medicine from them.

Won’t Calibrate refund their payment if they cannot get it approved? I thought I read that somewhere.

They will but I really want the medicine and just am not sure what to do. If they can't get it approved I'm not sure my Endocrinologist will be able to. Was just curious if anyone else had this happen but still went through with the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone done Calibrate and NOT had them get insurance approval for the medication? Tomorrow will be 6 weeks since my dr appt with Calibrate and still nothing for medication. I was able to get an Ozempic sample from my Endocrinologist that I've been taking the last month but I'm wondering what's the point of paying for this service through Calibrate if I can't get the medicine from them.

Won’t Calibrate refund their payment if they cannot get it approved? I thought I read that somewhere.

They will but I really want the medicine and just am not sure what to do. If they can't get it approved I'm not sure my Endocrinologist will be able to. Was just curious if anyone else had this happen but still went through with the program.

If you go back to the start of this thread, you’ll see that a poster did not get it approved by insurance. Instead, Calibrate provided $25 coupons from the manufacturer. The issue is that I think you only get about 6 months of those. After that, Calibrate will allow you to drop out without penalty. Go back and start at the beginning of this thread.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Started with Calibrate at 209 in December, currently 167. I'm 5'3. Wegovy has been a massive benefit for my mental and physical health alike. I will keep on keeping on, as it has been a game-changer for me.